By Robert Wilson
Centreville Academy coach Bill Hurst – the winningest high school football coach in Mississippi history – starts his 47th season as a head coach, all at Centreville, Friday night when his Tigers play host to Riverfield, La., Academy at Centreville.
And don’t look for this to be the last season for Hurst, who is 74 years old.
Said Hurst: “As long as I’m healthy, I’m going to coach.”
Hurst said he was in good health and has a checkup scheduled with his cardiologist later this month. He 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 2006 Honda Accord 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. He used to drive a pickup truck, but the Accord gets better gas mileage. 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.
According to MaxPreps, Hurst is the 25th all-time winningest football coach in the country and has the 12th most wins among active coaches as of Sept. 22, 2022. He had a 423-143 record going into last season and with a 5-7 record last year would give him a 428-150 record, a 74.0 winning percentage. Hurst has won nine MAIS state titles, 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.
“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 in
Hurst became the winningest coach in Mississippi history in 2013 when he passed Jim Drewry. Drewry won 346 games from 1958-2009 at Kossuth, Booneville, and Tishomingo.
Hurst and his wife Pat (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 at basketball teams at Centreville and is a student at Southwest Mississippi CC. John Austin started at running back last season and gained 900 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. His dad, Adam Sterling, was a 6-5, 300-pound star at Amite School Center. Kynslea (eighth grade), Karson (seventh) and Luke (third) are students at Centreville.
Hurst likes his team and thinks they will have a successful season. In addition to his grandson coming back, there are six offensive starters and six defensive starters returning. Sophomore quarterback Parker Nettles, 6-4, 295-pound Cade Arnold (son of former Centreville star and freshman All-American and four-year starter at LSU Will Arnold), 5-10, 225-pound senior lineman Grant Jeansonne, 5-11, 300-pound senior lineman Dirani Garcia, sophomore wide receiver-linebacker Preston Redmond, senior running back-middle linebacker Ace Sellers and senior defensive end-running back Hunter Wilson are expected to lead the Tigers this season.
Hurst believes the best coaching he has ever had. Not only does he have a former head coach in Stutzman as his offensive coordinator, Centreville grad and now head of coach, Jason Brabham, is the defensive coordinator who was head coach at Oak Forest, La., Academy for many years and won a state championship. Hayden Burton, who played on a national championship team at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC and played at South Alabama, is Hurst’s strength coach.
“This coaching staff is tremendous,” 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.”
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 two 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.
“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 invited me to come down to a celebration of him being at Centreville for 50 years recently, but I was unable to come. He deserves all the recognition and success he has received. We had a great conversation, talking about his coaching staff and also about our grandsons (Black’s grandson Gray Clayton is a sophomore offensive lineman at Prep and Hurst’s grandson John Austin Sterling is a sophomore running back at Centreville). Bill has always been a friend and I admire the job he has done.”
Hurst doesn’t even know how many wins he has. He just wants to make an impact on the young men he coaches.
“I’ve been blessed by the Good Lord to coach for many years,” Hurst said. “I’ve had great kids and been fortunate to stay healthy. God has been good to me.”
