After a couple of episodes that had him seeking doctors’ opinions, Autauga Academy head football coach Jeff Foshee stepped down on Sept. 24. Headmaster Jeremy Carter, a previous head coach at the school for two stints and stops at Billingsley and Prattville Christian, has taken the reins for the remainder of the season – and possibly beyond.

“I had a little scare with some chest pains,” Foshee said on Monday. “Since then, I got checked out and everything’s good. But it ain’t worth my health, so I let it go.

“The biggest thing about walking away is the relationship with the players. I had several who transferred in that I had already coached. The things you miss are the relationships you build with kids day in and day out. I’ll miss that part of it.”

Foshee said both his grandfather and his father had open-heart surgeries. “My heart was good and clear, thank goodness,” he said. “I just had a couple of, like, panic attacks. I don’t know. It just wasn’t worth it to keep doing it. They (Autauga Academy) were in good hands, so I let it go.”

Foshee has a 111-93 record in 19 years as a head coach at Stanhope Elmore, Curry and Autauga Academy, according to research by the Alabama High School Football Historical Society. He spent 16 years at Stanhope – his alma mater where he played for his father, Jimmy, who was 212-81-1 in 25 years leading the Mustangs. The younger Foshee was 105-72 in 16 years at Stanhope Elmore.

Carter told the Elmore Autauga News that he may stay on as head coach. “You may see me on the sideline from here on out,” he said. “I love football, it’s been good to me, and these kids love football, too. I don’t see why I can’t do both.”

Carter led the Generals from 2005-07 to a 30-6 record, including an Alabama Independent School Association runner-up finish in his first season. He coached Billingsley for a season and Prattville Christian for two before taking the Autauga Academy job for the 2023 season when previous coach Trey Dunbar left on the first day of fall practice to take an assistant’s job at Wetumpka High. In 2023, Carter led the Generals to the state semifinals in their final season in the AISA before joining the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Foshee, who retired from the public school system after 25 years, said with his clean bill of health he is looking for work and did not discount a return to the sidelines. “If the right thing pops up,” he said he would probably be interested. “We’ll see. You get stressed over things, but when you get checked out and the doctor says your heart is good, it makes you feel a lot better.

“I may see who needs a little help,” Foshee said, who started at Autauga Academy helping as an assistant in 2023. “I’ve got to find something to do. I can’t sit around the house.”