The “foundation” of Stanhope Elmore High School athletics, coach Jimmy Foshee, died Thursday night.
The hall of fame coach filled the sidelines in Millbrook as head coach of the Mustangs for 25 years.
“He is irreplaceable,” current Stanhope Elmore coach Hunter Adams said. “He is the foundation of the program. He was a trend setter going back to his early tenure as being one of the first coaches that really emphasized the strength and conditioning aspect of football, especially in this area. It transformed the way people ran programs.”
Foshee was known for his off the field workouts in the weight room and conditioning.
“Other programs soon started to follow suit,” Adams said. “Everybody in the area fell in line with that. He deserves the credit for that.”
Foshee held an overall record of 212-81-1. His teams won 15 region titles and made the playoffs 20 times.
Adams played against Foshee as an athlete at Elmore County High School as did Stanhope principal Ewell Fuller during his playing time at Wetumpka. Both knew Foshee-coached teams put it all on the line on the field.
“Playing against his teams as a rival player, I know the reverence and respect that we had for his programs as opponents,” Adams said.
Adams got to personally know Foshee when Adams started coaching for Foshee’s son Jeff at Stanhope Elmore. But Adams' history with Foshee goes even further back.
“He was somebody my father looked up to as a coach in the 1970s, 80s and 90s,” Adams said. “Coaching here, you understand that reverence and level of respect as you see how he operates the program and in the community,” Adams said. “His name is synonymous with the program. His love and commitment for this place was always evident. His pride in this school and community was unwavering.”
As a player, Fuller knew he had to be prepared when he faceoffed against Foshee.
“He was very hardnosed, very thorough,” Fuller said. “The guys were always well coached. Discipline was obvious. Even though it was a rivalry, it was all about the business.”
Fuller said Foshee’s mark on Stanhope Elmore goes well beyond his name being a part of Foshee-Henderson Stadium.
“He impacted student-athletes for about 40 years,” Fuller said. “I have former athletes that are reaching out to me now about his impact. He coached several that played in the NFL and D1 football. He coached so many that went on to next level football. He definitely had a huge impact on Stanhope Elmore and Millbrook.”
Foshee’s legacy stretches to grandchildren who played sports and others who graduated from Stanhope Elmore.
Foshee’s legacy dates back to Dadeville High School. His childhood home was less than a mile from the school and Tiger Stadium where Foshee played three sports graduating in 1962. He then went to Auburn University, and started at Stanhope Elmore as the school’s third head football coach in 1975.
“Coach Foshee is a legend,” Fuller said. “Anytime I speak about Stanhope Elmore and the athletics part of it, his name always comes up. He is definitely a huge part of Stanhope Elmore.”
Fuller said Foshee’s funeral will be Sunday at the new gym at Stanhope Elmore High School. Visitation is from 1 to 4 p.m. and funeral services begin at 4 p.m.
