Rush Propst has been hired as the new head football coach at Pell City High.

The former Hoover head coach was officially approved this morning. Superintendent James Martin said the vote was unanimous.

He will be introduced the the Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts at 10 a.m.

The hire had been rumored for several weeks. Propst returned to coaching in the state in January when he was hired as the associate head coach at Class 1A Coosa Christian in Gadsden.

At Pell City, he replaces Hall of Fame coach Steve Mask, who left earlier this year to take the job at Theodore.

Prior to being hired at Coosa, Propst last coached in Alabama in 2007 when he led Hoover to a 6-6 record. He won five Class 6A titles with the Bucs, including four in a row from 2002-2005. He went 110-16 in nine years as head coach at Hoover.

He won a pair of state titles in 11 years as head coach at Colquitt County, Ga., racking up 119 more victories. He’s also been head coach at Ashville (1989-1992), Eufaula (1993-1996), Alba/Alma Bryant (1997-1998) and Valdosta, Ga. (2020).

He has been out of coaching the last two years, watching his son play football at Piedmont.

Propst reached 300 career wins at Valdosta. However, the Wildcats were forced to forfeit seven victories following a Georgia High School Association investigation, dropping him back to 295 officially.

He also did not coach in high school in 2019 after his controversial departure from Colquitt County. He was fired after an investigation accused him of providing “pills” to players and being verbally abusive. However, his Georgia teaching certificate was later re-instated and Propst told AL.com then he felt vindicated.

This story will be updated