The football championship pedigree at Coahulla Creek High School just increased.
The school announced the additon of Vic Grider as the program's assistant head coach for the 2021 season after the Whitfield County Board of Education approved the hiring Wednesday.
The move reunites Grider, who won three TSSAA state titles in 22 seasons as South Pittsburg's head coach, with Colts head coach Danny Wilson, who worked with Grider for 18 years. Now, though, instead of teaming up in Tennessee, they'll be doing so over the state line in Georgia.
"I have known Vic for over 30 years," said Wilson, who guided Coahulla Creek to a 2-8 record last season, his first in charge of the Colts. "I knew he was looking for a place to step back from the responsibilities of being a head coach and be able to just coach football. His experience and success speak for themselves.
"Adding Vic Grider to our staff has taken an already solid coaching staff to one that will rival any. We now have five coaches on staff with previous head coach experience and guys that have won championships as coaches and players at the collegiate and high school level."
Grider, a member of the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame, guided South Pittsburg to 232 wins, three state titles, three runner-up finishes (including this past season), 14 region championships and 21 playoff appearances. He announced his retirement from the school system in March, though he did not want to step completely away from the sport.
"I'm excited. It's going to be a different opportunity for me," said Grider, whose offenses at South Pittsburg averaged nearly 40 points per game and whose teams won 10 or more games in 16 seasons. "I was looking to take a step back for a while and cool my jets a bit, I guess. We like being with people we're comfortable with and have worked with before. It's going to be a really good staff.
"I don't know a whole lot about the program yet, but Danny feels really good about what they have coming back. He says it will be the oldest team he's had, and that's usually a big deal, and he loves the staff, so I'm excited. I just hope I can aid with that."
Prior to becoming the head coach at his alma mater, Grider was an assistant at South Pittsburg under his father, Don, and then served as the Pirates' defensive coordinator under Wilson. In 2009, Wilson returned to South Pittsburg as the defensive coordinator under Grider.
Wilson was Coahulla Creek's defensive coordinator for three seasons before taking over the program in January 2020. The Colts, whose first varsity season was in 2012, have never won more than two games in a season.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Grider to Colt Nation!" Coahulla Creek principal Tracy Mardis said in a released statement. "His expertise in teaching and coaching will certainly be of tremendous value for our students and athletes. His coaching accomplishments throughout a successful career are second to none. We are blessed to have him joining the CCHS team."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.