By Robert Wilson
Centreville Academy coach Bill Hurst – the winningest high school football coach in Mississippi history – missed the first five games last season after having back surgery.
But the 76-year-old Hurst is ready to go for the 2025 opener as he starts his 49th season as a head coach after recovering from valve replacement surgery in July.
Said Hurst: “I feel better and I’m ready for this season to start.”
Centreville plays at Amite School Center Friday in Liberty, about 20 miles east of Centreville in South Mississippi.
Hurst has a 434-156 career record, a 73.6 winning percentage, and has won nine MAIS state championships, the first one in 1976 (his second season as a head coach), and the last one in 2014. Hurst took two years off from coaching (1994 and ’95) to watch his son Brian play football at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
According to MaxPreps, Hurst has the 12th most wins among active coaches in the country and the 23rd in all-time wins in the country going into this season.
Centreville finished 6-6 and lost to eventual champion Tri-County Academy in the MAIS Class 4A quarterfinals last season, the second straight year that Tri-County had beaten Centreville in the playoffs.
Hurst had a heart surgery to replace a valve in 2012 and had prostate cancer three years ago, but Hurst said he is all clear now. He drives his pickup truck from the community of Felixville, La., close to Clinton, three miles south of the Mississippi-Louisiana line on a 20-minute ride up north across the state line to school to practice and games. Hurst has stepped away from his long-time role as head of school and athletic director at Centreville several years ago and is just focusing on being the football coach.
“Coach Hurst loves his players and expects the best out of them,” said Brian Stutzman, who played for Hurst from 1987-90 and won a state title in ’89 and coached with Hurst from ’97-2014 and is back coaching with Hurst after six seasons at head coach at Parklane. “He instilled in us that you put God first and family second in your life. Coach Hurst is a great coach and motivator. He was my second dad after mine passed away.”
Hurst and Pat (his wife of 53 years who has never missed a game Hurst has coached), have one son, Brian (who is helping Hurst coach), and two daughters, Kimberly and Kelli and five grandchildren, Lexlea, John Austin, Kynslea, Karson and Luke. Lexlea played on state championship softball and basketball teams at Centreville and is a student at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. John Austin is a senior wide receiver on his grandfather’s team. His father, Adam Sterling, was a 6-5, 300-pound star at Amite School Center. Kynslea (sophomore), Karson (freshman) and Luke (fifth grade) are students at Centreville.
“I have a great coaching staff,” Hurst said. “I don’t have to do much. These guys have a lot of knowledge and know the game. I’m blessed to have them.”
“We might have more coaches than players,” Hurst joked. “We have 16 or 17 varsity players, 13 of them are seniors.
“We should be better than last year. We don’t have much depth though. We have five lineman and might have to play some players from other positions there if the linemen get hurt. We had a lot of injuries at the first of last season and never could get healthy. Our quarterback (junior Kayde Redmond) has improved. We have a whole stable of receivers, Preston Redmond (Cade’s brother), East Mississippi CC commitment John Austin Sterling (Hurst’s grandson), Payton Toler, Kameron Willson, Reed Thompson, and West Feliciana High transfer Brennen Fooshee. Ethan Hall, Ethan Riddle, Bryce Watts, Eli Brady, and Tanner Shorey are the linemen. Garrett Jeansonne is starting at running back for the fourth season. Matthew Wells and Kenneth Crowe are two more running backs. Most of our guys will play both ways. Our defense will be better. We have more speed and can run to the ball well.”
Hurst’s dad (Lea Fulton Hurst, who passed away at age 94 in 2012) was a pulpwood man and cattle farmer. Even when times were tough, Hurst’s dad made sure he fed his family (wife, Hazel, and children, Bill, brothers Cliff and Roger and his sisters Dorothy and Bonnie). Bill Hurst was taught by his dad that you worked hard and worked long to be successful. Hurst graduated from Clinton (La.) High School and played guard on their football team. But he said he wasn’t good enough to play college football. He went to Southwest Mississippi Community College, LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana. After graduating college, he met his Pat on a blind date and they were married in 1971. Hurst got a chance to get a job at Centreville because the school board president, Dr. Bill Craft, knew Hurst’s dad and they hired him as a teacher and assistant coach. Hurst took over as head coach for Mike Mullens two years later.
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame member and former National Coach of the Year Ricky Black is the only other coach with 400 wins (401) in Mississippi history. Black, who retired four years ago from Jackson Prep, was a head coach for the first time in 1975, like Hurst. They have been friends for a long time. Black called Hurst this summer and they had a good visit.
“We would see each other every spring at track meets,” said Black, who split in two games with Hurst during their coaching careers. Centreville won 20-14 in 1998 and Prep won 24-7 in 1999. “He deserves all the recognition and success he has received. Bill has always been a friend and I admire the job he has done.”
Black, Jim Drewry (346 wins), Joe Bradshaw (336), Mac Barnes (334), Bobby Hall (310) have all retired, but Petal coach Marcus Boyles with a 308-82 record (a 79.6 winning percentage) is second to Hurst in wins among active coaches.
“I’ve been blessed by the Good Lord to coach for many years,” Hurst said. “I have a great wife, great kids and been fortunate to stay healthy. God has been good to me.”
