It’s official.

Terry Curtis, the winningest coach in Alabama High School Athletic Association history, is returning for Year No. 51.

Curtis told AL.com on Tuesday that he would be back on the UMS-Wright sideline next fall after, at least briefly, contemplating retirement.

“I think about it every year now,” Curtis said. “I do a lot of soul searching as my dad used to say. I’m going to try another year.”

MORE COACHING NEWS

Rush Propst returning to Alabama sidelines

McGill-Toolen hires hires David Faulkner

The 72-year-old Curtis had given himself a Jan. 15 deadline to decide on if he would return to UMS for a 25th year as the Bulldogs head coach. He has won 271 games and 8 state titles at the school.

“When you get my age, your health has a lot to do with it,” he said. “How you feel. How tired you are. Other than a bad knee, I still feel good. Standing around for two hours doesn’t bother me. The heat doesn’t really bother me for the most part.

“I’m never going to coach if I have to sit down or sit in a golf cart or that type of thing. I feel like I’m still getting over with the kids. They are still responding. As the game grows, I feel like we change and grow. The kids haven’t shown yet where they don’t like playing for me. I think I will know if I’m not getting over to them anymore.”

The Bulldogs went 12-1 in 2022 as Curtis passed longtime Vestavia Hills coach Buddy Anderson on the all-time wins list. Curtis’ record in 34 years as a head coach is 348-93, a winning percentage of 78.9. Anderson finished with 346 victories. Central-Clay County’s Danny Horn is still active with 341 wins as is Fyffe’s Paul Benefield (337 wins).

Before coming to UMS in 1999, Curtis spent four years as head coach at Shaw (1989-1992) and six at Murphy (1993-1998). He has an overall playoff record of 81-23.

“I don’t know anything but coaching,” he said. “I still have that desire and enthusiasm to do it. I just like the day-to-day part of school. I like the people I work with. I like my staff. I like the players. If I didn’t like one of them, I might have stronger feelings to do something different, but right now I don’t know what else to do.

“I don’t golf enough, hunt enough or fish enough. I sure don’t like yard work enough, and I still enjoy all phases of coaching. I was talking to (Auburn) coach (Hugh) Freeze today, and I told him the same thing. There is nothing about coaching I don’t like. I like the scheming on the weekends, the practice, the games. All my retired friends tell me when it’s that time, there will be something I don’t want to do anymore. I haven’t gotten to that point.”

Curtis said that being a member of the AHSAA’s Central Board, being president of the Coaches Association and being able to mentor younger coaches are all important to him at this stage in his career.

And, yes, the way UMS finished each of the last two seasons were a driving factor for him. The Bulldogs lost 20-14 in the 2021 Class 5A quarterfinals at Andalusia when UMS’ Shane Roberson was ruled just short of the goal line on the game’s final play. This past fall, the Bulldogs lost 19-16 at Charles Henderson in the quarterfinals when UMS QB Sutton Snypes was stopped on a QB sneak inside the 1 with 1:53 left.

“That may have been more important than anything else (in the decision),” he said. “We lose some good players every year. This year will be no different, but we always have guys step up.

“The way we lost the last two years was tough, but you also had to be thankful that we were in that position. Last year, we had an undefeated season and lost to a Charles Henderson team that went to the final. The year before, we lose to Andalusia, and they went on to win the state title this year.”

Curtis has won 10 or more games in a season 18 times at UMS and has had four unbeaten seasons. His state championships came in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019.