Stanhope Elmore legendary coach Foshee passes away

By TIM GAYLE

Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Foshee passed away on Thursday night after a battle with cancer.

His Stanhope Elmore teams were the standard for success in the River Region for years. When the playoffs were expanded as a result of reclassification in 1984, the Mustangs made the playoffs every season until his retirement in 1999.

Foshee, a native of Dadeville, played in the 1962 North-South all-star football game and got an early start in coaching as an assistant at Benjamin Russell, Dadeville and Andalusia before he was hired as the head football coach at Stanhope Elmore in 1975.

Foshee would transform the Mustangs into a perennial power in the River Region during his 25-year reign, never posting a losing regular season during his stay at the Millbrook school. The school’s stadium, Conrad B. Henderson Stadium, was renamed Foshee-Henderson Stadium in 1992 and Foshee was inducted into the Alabama High School Hall of Fame months after his retirement following the 1999 season.

“We are truly saddened to learn of Coach Foshee’s passing,” said AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon. “His positive impact as a coach and mentor for our high school student-athletes and coaches alike will continue to have a long-lasting effect. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his immediate family, his Stanhope Elmore High School family, to his players and assistant coaches, and to all who were touched by his leadership and wisdom.”

He was only the sixth inductee from the area in the Hall of Fame, which started in 1991. In addition, he was recognized by tbe Alabama Football Coaches Association with its annual Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

His teams became synonymous with power football in an era where his power-I formation on offense and 4-4 defensive alignment set the standard for success. There was no guesswork in the game plan for a Foshee-coached football team. The running back ran behind a physical offensive line and the defensive front set the tone for the game.

After his first team went 5-5 in 1975, his second squad posted an 8-2 record, one of 19 Stanhope Elmore squads over Foshee’s final 24 seasons that won eight or more games. The next season, the Mustangs set a school record for wins in a 12-1 season that included a semifinal loss to Andalusia. 

Four of his teams reached the semifinals, each one losing to the eventual state champion. He also made five additional trips to the state quarterfinals.

Foshee’s son Jeff became the Mustangs’ defensive coordinator in Jimmy’s final three seasons (1997-99). Jimmy retired following the 1999 season and Jeff was named the head coach in 2000.

He retired with a coaching record of 212-81-1. At the time of his retirement, he ranked 17th among Alabama coaches in wins and sixth in wins at one school behind Luverne’s Glenn Daniel (254 wins), Ranburne’s Harlan Robinson (243), Holt’s Woody Clements (240), Alexandria’s Lou Scales (220) and Reeltown’s Duane Webster (218). 

Visitation will be on Sunday at the Stanhope Elmore gym from 1-4 p.m., with a service to follow.