Rush Propst critical of controversial Hoover High football practice video: 'Coach with integrity'

Former Hoover head coach Rush Propst has chimed in on the controversy surrounding his old stomping grounds. Now-former head coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms resigned from the program after video emerged of two incidents in practice. Gilmer was seen humping a player’s head, while Helms pushed a player to the ground.

Propst believes these days, coaches have to work with “integrity.” He says getting onto players’ cases is still okay, maybe minus some profanity. It’s something Propst has cut out of his coaching style these days, scaling back from the old days.

“If you coach with integrity, don’t demean kids, you won’t cross that line,” Propst said Wednesday on WNSP-FM 105.5 via AL.com. “I’m not saying you can’t slap them on the butt. I don’t mean you can’t holler at them. I just think that’s the extent of it. You can raise your voice. In the latter years, I cut the cussing out. I don’t cuss kids like I used to.”

The career of Propst at Hoover is quite well documented, both on and off the field. You cannot deny the success the Buccaneers had under Propst, winning five AHSAA 6A state championships. MTV even did a series on the program named Two-A-Days, showcasing the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the former of which resulted in the fifth and final state championship.

An incident involving Propst getting physical altercation with a player did occur during a playoff game in 2015 at Colquitt County in Georgia. Propst headbutted a player and was originally suspended for the entire 2016 season. But after an appeal, he was reprimanded for his actions.

Propst was out of the state of Alabama for quite some time before returning in 2023. Pell City High School hired the famous coach, going 1-10. From back at Hoover to his past coaching experience, Propst definitely noticed the difference, saying there is a line coaches cannot cross.

“It’s just a different style of coaching,” he said. “At the same time, if there is abuse there, you can’t put up with that. There’s no way you can do that. I’m not saying there is. It’s not for me to judge. … As high school coaches, we have to understand there is a line we can’t cross. You can get to intensity a lot of different ways.”

Following the dismissal of Gilmer, Chip English has taken over as the interim head coach at Hoover. Propst was asked in the radio interview if he would return but accepts it’s “past” him.