The following is an article written by Bill Plott for ahsaa.com celebrating this year's inductees into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame. Coach Brundidge is one of five inductees with a background in football that will be honored March 18th in Montgomery.
By BILL PLOTT / For the AHSAA
MONTGOMERY – To call Eddie Brundidge a high school coach falls far short of who the former Dozier High School football standout really is.
To Brundidge, coaching is more about teaching life lessons through the platform a coach has with his student-athletes. He has instructed his students well.
Brundidge will be inducted along with 11 others into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 at the 34th annual Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Spa Convention Center on Monday night, March 18. Those individuals selected with Brundidge are: football coaches Phillip Lolley, Rick Rhoades, and Perry Swindall; basketball coaches Charles “Chucky” Miller and Thomas “Mike” Boyd; wrestling coach Richard “Dickey” Wright; baseball and football coach/athletic director Ron Nelson; softball and baseball coach Christopher Goodman; AHSAA administrator Kimberly Vickers; and selected from the “Old-Timers’ Division were coach/administrators Frank “Swede” Kendall and Cornell “C.T.” Torrence.
Brundidge grew up in Crenshaw County and graduated from Dozier High School where he was an outstanding running back and all-around student-athlete in high school. He attended Troy University on a football scholarship, graduating in 1987. While at Troy, he became the first player to gain 200 yards in a single game and promptly did it again in the very next game. He also earned teacher certification from the University of South Alabama.
He began his coaching and teaching career at Jackson High School in 1989, teaching physical education and serving as head softball coach. His 1992 team was runner-up in the state playoffs. He was also an assistant in football and track. In 1995 he moved to T. R. Miller High School in Brewton. He was an assistant coach on the 1995 and 1996 Class 4A state football runner-up teams.
Brundidge returned to Jackson High School in 1997 as an assistant principal, teacher, and coach. After seven years at Jackson, he again returned to T. R. Miller as PE teacher and head track coach. In the next13 years at Brewton, he coached his teams to seven state championships and six runners-up.
He is still active – now at Houston Academy in Dothan – where he has continued to teach physical education while also serving as head football and track coach. His football teams are 26-8 in three season. The 2022 team had a 10-0 regular season record and 2023 team finished 10-2 overall. Three of his teams have advanced to the state playoffs.
He guided the Houston Academy girls’ indoor track team to their first state championship at the AHSAA 2024 Class 1A/3A state championships last month.
Brundidge has also received several coaching honors including:
Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association Girls’ Track & Field State Championship Coach Award (2010, 2011, 2014, and 2016).
NFHS Girls’ State Track & Field Coach of the Year (2016).
AHSADCA Boys’ Track & Field Championship Coach Award (20009, 2010).
Alabama Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year (2018). Houston Academy Athletic Director Jerry Browning emphasizes Brundidge’s influence has stretched far beyond the athletic fields. “Unlike many head coaches, Eddie works a full teaching load in elementary physical education,” Browning said. “He works tirelessly without complaining to do his job. I have witnessed him take a wheelbarrow and shovel to fill holes in his practice field between classes to make sure no one gets hurt. Regardless of the task, Eddie quietly gets things done. “His academic and athletic responsibilities are always priority for him. Coaching is much more than the X’s and O’s to win games. To him it is about teaching life lessons. You can look in the eyes of Eddie Brundidge and see his life has been built on hard work and a never-give-up attitude. This is reflected in his approach to working with our student athletes.” Browning adds, “Not all ‘great coaches’ win state championships, Neither can all state championship coaches be considered ‘great coaches.” A Hall of Fame coach is more than someone that may win games, but one that changes lives. There is no question, from Brewton to Jackson to Dothan, Alabama, the positive impact Eddie has left in those communities is evident. A man of character and integrity, Eddie lives his life as an example for younger generations to follow without reservation.” Alabama High School Hall of Fame Class of 2010 inductee Jamie Riggs, who worked with Brundidge at both T. R. Miller and Houston Academy, described him as a gifted coach and teacher. “Because of his excellent teaching ability, I discovered that he could coach any position in football,” said Riggs. “An excellent teacher of fundamentals, he worked as offensive coordinator and linebacker coach and was responsible for our weight room for many years. His dedication as our strength and conditioning coach allowed us to play a very challenging schedule but hold up physically with bigger schools.” Riggs said Brundidge’s versatility as a coach and his willingness to take on any task made a substantial difference at T.R. Miller. “In 2009, I lost my offensive line coach and because of school cutbacks, I was not able to hire a new one,” Riggs said. “Eddie approached me and volunteered to coach the offensive line even though he had not played or coached linemen in the past. He did this because of his strong loyalty to me and our team. I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the fundamentals. Our players responded to him with love and determination to be the best.” Riggs said Brundidge’s impact was felt in all sports when he took over the T. R, Miller track program in 2006. “Coach Brundidge showed an amazing ability to get students out for track and the motivate them to work and practice to improve their skills,” Riggs said. “He took our girls’ program, which had never been strong, and made it the equal of the boys’ program. His ability to design drills and teach the details of the different events was amazing. His work in our track program improved all our sports teams.”