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Charles Henderson High School named a new assistant football coach this week in Pike County native Dee Brundidge. Brundidge was board approved as a volunteer assistant football coach for the Trojans.

Brundidge grew up in Goshen and comes from a family with rich football tradition. Brundidge played running back at Goshen High and went on to play college football at Southwest Baptist in Missouri. His cousin, Derrick Foster, would go on to play running back at Goshen and play at Southwest Baptist, as well. Foster is now a running backs coach with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL.

Brundidge is also cousins with Troy University Hall of Famer Eddie Brundidge and Mike Pelton, who played college football at Auburn and played in the NFL. Pelton is now an assistant coach at Kennesaw State.

“Our family tree in football runs pretty deep,” Brundidge said. “It’s pretty rich in the sport of football. I’ve been pretty blessed to be in football all my life and around some great minds and coaches and players.”

Brundidge began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Goshen, in 2012 and coached there until 2019. During his tenure at Goshen he coached running backs and the defensive line. He’s also coached youth football in Pike County.

In 2020, Brundidge became the offensive coordinator at Pike Liberal Arts School and helped the school to a pair of state championships. Since 2022, Brundidge has coached the safeties at Elmore County. He’ll serve as defensive backs coach at Charles Henderson.

“It was more about coming home and coaching the kids back at home,” Brundidge said of coming to CHHS. “It’s right at home. I’m a Pike County native and there’s nothing better than coming home and coaching the kids at home.”

Brundidge said he first met CHHS Head Coach Quinn Hambrite when Hambrite was the coach at Central-Hayneville and Brundidge was coaching at Goshen.

“He’s a good guy, a sharp guy,” he said of Hambrite. “He’s all about the kids and is a high-character guy. He’s a leader in that program and is an outstanding guy and a hard worker with a great work ethic.”

Brundidge said that Hambrite has the overall goal of helping the players and children in the Troy community, which he also shares.

“It’s deeper than football, it’s about being able to build model citizens to put back in the community,” Brundidge emphasized. “Every kid isn’t going to be able to go to college, with that said you still want to be able to build kids that are good dads, good people and good role models. You want to pour into kids that may one day come behind you and be a coach. SO, that’s what it’s all about, the kids.”