To say Collinwood High School Football Coach Scotty Hannah was blindsided would be an understatement.
Hannah walked into CHS Principal Brian Crews’ office last Wednesday and was told that he was fired after six seasons as the head coach of the Trojans program.
Despite a 31-33 overall record in those six seasons, the Trojans made the Class 1A playoffs five consecutive years (2016-2020). The Trojans finished 6-4 in 2020, losing to Huntland in the first round.
“I was fired,” said Hannah. “They want to go in a different direction and get a fresh start going into a new region next year.”
Hannah went on to say that Crews told him the football program was lacking a “spark” in the community. “I specifically asked had I done anything wrong, and the answer was no,” Hannah said.
The new region that Collinwood will play in 2021 will be a seven-team region 5-1A that will feature Collinwood, Cornersville, Eagleville, Fayetteville, Huntland, Moore County, and Wayne County.
Coach Hannah met with his players on Thursday and told them what had happened. “I think a good majority of them were a little bit upset,” Hannah said.
“Coach Scotty Hannah came to Collinwood six years ago and helped provide stability to a struggling program,” Principal Crews told The News. “I will always appreciate his time at CHS. I feel like it’s time to take the next step with our program and its future. We have exceptional student-athletes and a strong supportive football community. This will be a great opportunity for a coach to come in and push this program forward.”
