Looking to take the program to a higher level, Chattanooga Christian School has named longtime college assistant Rob Spence as its new head football coach. Spence was the quarterbacks coach at Rutgers University the last two years and has previously worked as an offensive coordinator at Clemson and Syracuse.
“We are extremely excited to have someone with Coach Spence’s experience joining our faculty and coaching staff,” CCS principal Bryant Black said. “When he applied we wondered why he was interested in making the move from the collegiate level to coach high school, but once he explained how involved he’s been with the FCA and his desire to disciple young men in a Christian environment, it felt like a great fit for both sides.
“I would hope this sends a message that we’re serious about the direction of our program. It’s a different level of investment we’re making toward having the best coaching staff in the area.”
The 55-year old Spence has been a career college offensive assistant, having also spent time at Temple, Toledo, Bethune-Cookman, Louisiana Tech, Maryland, Hofstra, Holy Cross and Iona. He began his coaching career at the high school level in New York, working as an assistant for three years before becoming a head coach and eventually making the jump to the college level.
In five varsity seasons, CCS has compiled a 13-37 overall record with its best finish coming in 2010 when the Chargers went 4-6 and narrowly missed making the playoffs. They finished 3-7 last season, but the roster was built from around 25 players in the team’s first season to more than 50 last year.