Brad McCoy ready to get rolling at Charles Henderson

Minutes after being approved by the Troy City Schools Board, new Charles Henderson head coach Brad McCoy was staring his players in the face.

McCoy, former head coach at Daleville, was approved at an early morning called board meeting Thursday and went directly the Trojans’ off-season workouts to meet the players.

“I have to get to work as soon as I can,” McCoy said. “We have to evaluate the roster and evaluate the staff to see where we stand. It is a little bit different coming in, in the middle of June. The clock is ticking, and we have to get right to work to be ready to when the ball gets teed up.”

McCoy, who sported a bright orange polo shirt in Thursday’s meeting, said last two months since resigning from Daleville, have been tough, but he is excited about the new opportunity presented to him at Charles Henderson.

“The Good Lord closes doors and opens doors,” McCoy said. “I made the decision to step down at Daleville a couple of months ago, and honestly, I wasn’t really sure what my next step would be coaching wise. The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy, but I am ready to get going here at Charles Henderson.”

McCoy comes to Charles Henderson after five successful seasons at Daleville. McCoy went 34-19 in his five years with the Warhawks, and posted at least seven wins in three of his five at DHS.

Prior to his time at Daleville, McCoy spent six seasons at Prattville as an assistant to current UAB coach Bill Clark, winning two state titles. In between his time at Prattville, and his stint at Daleville, he served one season as offensive coordinator at Northview High School in Dothan.

If the head coach position had not opened up, McCoy said there was a good possibility he would have wound up at Charles Henderson anyway.

“I was actually working things outs to join Coach (Jamey) Dubose’s staff here,” McCoy said. “The next thing you know, he steps down and this position opens up. It is truly a blessing and I am honored to be here.”

Troy City Schools Superintendent Dr. Lee Hicks worked alongside McCoy during their days at Prattville and feels McCoy is the right fit for Troy and Charles Henderson.

“I have had the pleasure of seeing Brad work at Troy as a graduate assistant under Coach (Larry) Blakeney and at Prattville under Bill Clark,” Hicks said. “He went off to Northview and Daleville and did a great job. He has been around a lot of great coaches and coaching personalities. It is not just about X’s and O’s. Brad McCoy is the total package.”

For McCoy, the job at hand is a tough one. He has less than 80 days to get Charles Henderson ready for the opening day of the 2014 season. Charles Henderson steps up in classification to 5A and has to replace several playmakers from last year’s 4A runner-up.

McCoy said the work begins immediately.

“With the tight time frame we are under, there isn’t a whole lot you can change,” said McCoy. “We have to see where the staff is and where the players are and keep them heading in that positive direction, maybe with a some small changes along the way. August will be here before we know it, and we have to be ready to go come week one.”

At Daleville, McCoy provided a sense of stability after a revolving door of head coaches in the years prior to his arrival. Being Charles Henderson’s third head coach in seven months, he hopes to do the same in Troy.

Coach Mike Dean resigned in December 2013, after two years at CHHS. Coach Jamey Dubose, hired in January to replace Dean, resigned in May to accept the head coach position at Central-Phenix City.

“I came in under kind of the same situation at Daleville,” said McCoy. “I was the seventh head coach in 11 years and they had had constant turnover. It is something that I am used to and we are going to work to get things settled down. Coach Dubose did a great job in the short time he was here at getting players out. We have a good foundation to build on.”

McCoy’s former team, the Warhawks, will host Charles Henderson August 29.

“It is kind of ironic the way the schedule works out,” said McCoy. “The first three teams on our schedule are out of 3A Region 2, with Pike County, Dale County and Daleville. I have gone against those teams for the last five years. I respect all of those coaches and the style of play they use. Every game is important and we are going to treat every game with the same type of preparation.”

Charles Henderson opens the 2014 season with the Pike County Classic against county rival Pike County in Brundidge August 22.