Details pending on search for a new coach
BY D. MARK MITCHELL
OPINION —
Opelika High football coach Erik Speakman was fired last Thursday morning by Opelika City Schools Superintendent Dr. Farrell Seymore.
According to Speakman (in a phone conversation with me, after telling his team he would no longer be the head football coach), Dr. Seymore, OHS Principal Kellie Fischer and OCS Athletic Director Jamey Williams met with him early Thursday morning. During this meeting, Dr. Seymore informed Coach Speakman he would not return as OHS head football coach and asked if he would resign.
“I basically got fired, I did not resign,” Speakman said. “That means quitting on these kids.”
Opelika City Schools Public Relations Coordinator Becky Brown emailed the following statement to me about the firing of Coach Erik Speakman:
After six seasons as head football coach at Opelika High School, Erik Speakman has been asked to step down. He will no longer serve as the head football coach. “We appreciate Coach Speakman’s dedication to our football program and our student athletes,” stated Dr. Farrell Seymore, Superintendent of Opelika City Schools. Details regarding the search for a new head football coach will be released at a later date.
Speakman leaves after spending 24 years at OHS. He did various jobs during those years, including driver’s education teacher, assistant football coach, assistant baseball and tennis coach, defensive coordinator, athletic director and head football coach.
He exits with a 45-25 overall record. His teams went 9-4 in the 6A playoffs, did not make playoffs since moving to class 7A in 2022, 23-1 in 6A Region 1 and 8-8 in 7A Region 1. Speakman was 1-5 against both Auburn and Central, two of the Dogs biggest rivals.
Speakman told me wanted to keep coaching after retiring from RSA next year.
“The good thing, I have talked to three different people who reached out to see if I was interested in jobs… I am proud of that,” he said.
I am sure coach Erik Speakman will be coaching football at another high sooner than later!
THE SEARCH FOR NEW COACH BEGINS
In January of 1982, I was a senior at OHS and just completed my first year of broadcasting Opelika games on WJHO. Opelika Superintendent Dr. Clyde Zennah fired then-head football coach Kyle Gantt after four straight losing seasons.
I was a family friend of Mr. Bill Horsely, who happened to be one of the members of the OCS board of Education. Mr. Horsely kept me updated on the search when I would go by his house to see his sons, who were in high school with me.
The hire was very important to Opelika fans after suffering through four straight losing seasons and 0-4 against Auburn High School.
Although only a senior, I was very interested in who was going to be Opelika’s new football coach. The night before holding a press conference to announce the new head football coach, Mr. Horsely invited me to attend the press conference.
The announcement was made in the small board room at the current OCS central office on Simmons Street. I remember thinking, “This is a big announcement, and I was invited to attend. That is so cool.”
When I entered the board room, I saw all the members of the school board in formal dress clothes, men were wearing suits, the ladies were wearing nice dresses. Everyone knew the importance of the announcement of Joe Wilson as the new head football coach and Athletic Director at OHS.
The hiring of coach Joe Wilson was one of the most important hires in the history of Opelika High football. Coach Wilson won seven games his first year, eight wins the second season and 30 games over the next three seasons. He made history by leading OHS to three straight playoff appearances.
I reflect on that story because the hiring of the new football coach is huge for many people, including: the student-athletes in the program, the school system, the fans, the boosters and former alumni and the city of Opelika.
If you support Opelika Schools and the Opelika Bulldog Football program, the search for the new head football is important, and your eyes should be on Opelika Superintendent Dr. Farrell Seymore.
As a former member board member and president of the then-All Sports Booster Club, I have had the privilege of being on the inside during the hiring of former head coaches: Spence McCracken, Brian Blackmon and Caleb Ross.
Based on those searches and hires, Dr. Seymore has the task of making many decisions pertaining to the search for the new coach:
• How will the search be conducted?
• Who will be a part of the search committee or will Seymore act alone?
• What is the timeline of the hire?
• Are we going after a proven coach or an up and coming assistant coach? (Proven coaches do not openly apply if they already have a job. Someone must reach out to see if the coach is interested.)
- What will be the salary and compensation package of the new coach?
- How many assistant coaches will the new coach be able hire, and how much money can he spend on supplements for assistant coaches?
These are some of the pertinent questions, points, facts of hiring a new football coach.
Opelika’s head football coaching job is considered one of the best jobs in the state of Alabama. OCS has the reputation of being a top-notch school over the past 40 years. The city of Opelika leadership (mayor and council) backs the school system with financial support, facility upgrades, resources, help with athletic facilities, etc. It is a city school system, and there is plenty of booster support from business owners, corporations and manufacturing plants. Bulldog Stadium is getting new turf for the indoor facility and football field, along with a new jumbotron.
I can fill up a page of positives that will far outweigh the few negatives when talking about how good it is to live and worship in Opelika. The new football coach will feel the same after spending time in this awesome city.
I want Opelika to hire the best person/coach to be the next head football coach. Opelika has a chance to make a splash with a big hire. I hope they get it right.
D. Mark Mitchell is the sports director at iHeartMedia, host of “On the Mark” Fox Sports the Game 910-1319, co-chair of the Auburn-Opelika Sports Council, chairman of the Super 7 and Dixie Boys Baseball state director.