This is an opinion piece.

The key game in Paul Benefield’s coaching career may not have been a state championship win, though there have been plenty of those.

Instead, it likely came in 1999, Benefield’s third year after returning to his alma mater, Fyffe High School, as head football coach.

His Red Devils were off to a 2-1 start after road games against Pisgah, Valley Head and Gaylesville. The home opener was against Section, and Benefield’s team built a 20-0 second-half lead in that game.

However, the Lions rallied to within 20-14 and had the ball again with a minute left and a chance to steal a victory.

“In my head, I was thinking, ‘If I lose this game, that’s it. It’s a sign from the good Lord that I need to do something else,’” he said this week.

Fortunately for the Fyffe community, the Red Devils did indeed hold on to win. Benefield’s team finished that year 7-5 with a second-round playoff loss to Sand Rock. The 2000 squad went just 5-5 and missed the playoffs altogether. Since then, however, Benefield has built the most consistent football program in the state, regardless of classification.

Sixty-four playoff victories.

Twenty double-digit win seasons.

Seventeen region championships.

Seven state titles.

“It really is crazy to think about,” the always humble, down-home Benefield told me. “Some of those teams had the talent to win all those games, and some didn’t. I think in some seasons we won four or five games because we had Fyffe on our shirt. It’s been a good run.”

In fact, it’s been a good 25-year run.

“It’s unusual in our part of the country to have that many good teams for sure,” Benefield said. “Usually, you have three really high mountains and three or four really low mountains. The kids just bought in along the way, and I’ve had some good principals and people who stuck with me.

“There have been some ups and downs and whatever. I think every coach probably goes through that besides the ones who already have a lot of talent and go get more talent. You don’t have many downs if you are at a place like Alabama or Georgia, but we have to work with what we have at Fyffe.”

Benefield is currently planning on returning this fall for his 45th year overall in coaching, 34th as a head coach and 29th at Fyffe.

He admits he has thought more about retirement in recent seasons, especially while battling bladder cancer for much of the last three years. But he is feeling good now, his wife, Jodi, is coaching the Fyffe girls basketball team and two of his sons are helping him with football.

Retirement — and the travel that promises to follow for he and Jodi — is likely on hold for a little while longer.

That’s good news, not just for Fyffe football, but for high school football in Alabama in general. Benefield is one of the truly good guys in the sport.

He might be the chief of the good guys.

He’s also one of the winningest coaches in state history. His 360 victories trail just Central-Clay County’s Danny Horn (363) and now retired UMS-Wright coach Terry Curtis (361) on the all-time list. Benefield’s 85.9 winning percentage trails only Bill Clark (90.6), Wayne Trawick (89.6) and James Porch (87.7) among coaches with 100 victories in AHSAA play.

His team is expected to open the 2025 season against Maplesville in the Kickoff Classic in Montgomery. He says he will have a young team this fall and his numbers have dropped off in recent years.

However, there is one big advantage.

“Our kids believe they are going to win, and that’s worth a whole lot at any level,” Benefield said.

Coaching may have a little to do with it as well.

Make that two big advantages.

Salute to one of the best

One of the state’s all-time best girls high school basketball coaches is hanging up his whistle – at least for now.

Tim Miller, who led three different teams to 11 combined state titles, announced this week he was retiring from Hazel Green to become athletic director at St. John Paul II in Huntsville.

Miller’s amazing run at Jeff Davis, Bob Jones and Hazel Green included 20 trips to the final four in 26 seasons. If he is indeed done coaching, he finishes with a record of 780-112, a winning percentage of .874. He went 11-3 in 14 state championship games, and his 11 titles are the most by a boys or girls coach in the AHSAA.

He went 394-41 at Hazel Green.

Plenty of other records could be quoted, but you get the point. Miller is surely the best girls basketball coach in state history. He said it was time for a new challenge in accepting the AD job at St. John Paul II.

Time will tell if we see him again on the sidelines.

The final four certainly won’t be the same without him.

Congrats, coach.

Heads up, football coaches

Beginning today, I will be sending out short surveys, hoping to pinpoint the best student-athletes for the fall of 2025 and asking a few other key questions.

Our surveys will start with football first, but we also plan to survey coaches on the other fall sports as well (volleyball, flag football, cross country and swimming and diving).

The surveys will ask about your specific players as well as other players you have coached against. The responses will be used for a series of posts later in the summer recognizing the best of the best in each sport and at different positions as we head into a new school year.

We hope you will take a few minutes to respond to this short survey when you receive it. Check your inbox or maybe even your junk folder for it today. If you are a football coach and don’t receive it today, shoot me an email at [email protected], and I’ll get one to you.

Thought for the Week

“I won’t bow to idols. I’ll stand strong and worship You

And if it puts me in the fire, I’ll rejoice ‘cause You’re there, too

I won’t be formed by feelings. I hold fast to what is true

If the cross brings transformation then I’ll be crucified with You.” – Christ be Magnified, Cody Carnes

Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected].

https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2025/06/legendary-alabama-basketball-coach-retires-to-take-ad-role-at-st-john-paul-ii.html