Lions' head flag football coach Pittman steps down

Brian Pittman has been the head coach of Prattville’s flag football team since its inception. He announced on Friday that he would step down. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

Prattville High athletic director Blake Boren announced on Friday that flag football coach Brian Pittman was resigning from his position and the school would start an immediate search for his successor.

“PHS administration appreciates the dedication and leadership provided by Coach Pittman over the last two seasons,” Boren said in a statement. “His tenure included both a semifinal and quarterfinal appearance as well as achieving a national ranking for the first time in the program’s history this fall. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately, with the goal of finding a candidate who can build upon the tradition of success established during our program’s short history.”

Pittman, who also serves as the Lions’ softball coach, said the decision became apparent after a family trip over the Thanksgiving holidays. 

“I’ve really been thinking about this since halfway through the (flag football season),” he said, “and not being able to practice the main sport that I’m there for at the school.

“That was weighing on me a little bit. And my youngest daughter is playing middle school basketball and we’re supposed to have a (flag football) game on the same day and she looks at me and asks, ‘Are you going to be able to make my first middle school game?’ I started thinking about that and wondering how I’ll be able to balance this and make it all work.”

Flag football is a rapidly growing sport in the state of Alabama that was launched by the Alabama High School Athletic Association in 2021. In 2022, the sport doubled in the state with the help of grant money from the National Football League. Prattville officials announced in 2023 it was starting a program and Pittman volunteered to serve as the head coach, with softball assistant Michael Battle and boys’ basketball coach Jason Fisher serving as coordinators.

“I had already planned for it to just be a two- to three-year deal,” Pittman said. “My job was to get the program started and get it going and I felt like we did that.”

In the first season, the program went 14-6 and reached the semifinals of the Class 6A-7A playoffs before losing to Central-Phenix City. This past season, the Lions compiled a 15-3 record and reached the 6A-7A quarterfinals before losing at Hewitt-Trussville.

While there are six seniors on the team, the Lions replace just two starters and should be in position to make another playoff run in 2025.

“It’s similar to when I was (a softball coach) at Brew Tech and I knew what was sitting there,” Pittman said, referring to the Rams’ championship run after he left to take the Prattville job. “But you’ve got to make a decision that you think is best for your family. I will love and support this program through and through. I’ll probably be at most of the home games.

“I love it but I can live without it. My family was going to be a more important choice than coaching flag.”

While Boren didn’t list any criteria for a new coach, the sport is generally coached by a person already on a school’s coaching staff. Pittman said an obvious choice would be Battle, the Lions’ offensive coordinator  who has no other head coaching duties that could prove to be a detraction.

“He is the guy that I believe needs to lead this program,” Pittman said. “Everybody loves him, everybody loves playing for him. He’s the one that can keep the core of this going and take it to another level.”