The high school football season began last week, and one team in Huntsville, Alabama, finally broke its 101-game losing streak.
Led by former NFL wide receiver Sammie Coates, the Columbia High School football team defeated Greensboro High School 41-14, ending their long string of losses.
“All the glory to God,” Coates told AL.com’s Thomas Ashworth. “God has blessed me to be in this situation to bring this to this school, to this community. I want to say thank you to the administration, to the school supporting me, having my back the whole time, and the players showing up and fighting every single day throughout the spring, throughout the summer, everything they have done.”
“They deserve every moment of this. They stuck it out. Guys came out and helped support. We built the program, and it’s coming. We ain’t there yet, but we are coming,” the head coach emphasized.
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Greensboro took a commanding lead through the first quarter when they scored two touchdowns early on. However, Columbia stepped up and scored the final 41 points to start the 2026 season with a win. When the clock hit zero, the fans rushed the field in celebration.
“I’m just happy for the kids, man. It ain’t nothing about me,” Coates said, according to The Athletic. “It’s about the kids that worked their tail off. I’m glad these kids can experience this. It’s a great experience for them. Now they see what it feels like. They can add to it, and we can go back to work next week.”
Coates, an Auburn University all-star, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 3rd round (87th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Over his career, he played 44 games with 29 receptions for 528 receiving yards. He also played for the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
After four years in the NFL, Coates took the helm at Columbia High School. In his first season, Coates began with just 28 players and a can-do attitude, but the team still lost every game. However, he’s turning things around for the 2026 season and now has 57 players and nine other coaches. Running back Christian Richey was the standout player of the game as he garnered 200 total rushing yards.
Having a coach who played the game at the highest level helped build the Columbia High School football program to what it is now, but it’s the fact that Coates put God and the players first that truly helped break the 101-game losing streak.
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