Alabama High School Team Adds to National Record

Columbia has set a new national high school football record for consecutive defeats

Aug 18, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Sammie Coates (18) warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The last time Columbia High School won a football game was in October of 2015, long before any of the current players were even close to suiting up on a Friday night for the Eagles in Alabama high school football.

And while it is never fun to be part of a long losing streak, Columbia has now put its name in the national high school football history books.

Columbia has lost 94 consecutive games, with the last win coming on October 16, 2015 when they topped Ardmore, 34-16. The latest defeat came at the hands of Muscle Shoals this past week, 49-6.

They have moved well past the old national record, which was set at 82 by Glascock County out of Georgia.

One positive to all of the losing is that Gatorade agreed to do a documentary on the team this season. The team is coached by Sammie Coates, who had a run in the NFL.

Coates in a statement before the season, said “This is bigger than football. It’s about teaching discipline, belief and building something special together as a team, and I’m proud to coach these young men.”

The documentary series is titled “All the Reason Not to Quit - The Columbia HS Story.” 

Sammie Coates Played in the NFL After a Strong Career at Auburn

Coates is in his first season as head coach of the team. He is a native of Leroy, Alabama where he shined as a senior, earning multiple offers before committing to Auburn.

During his NFL career, Coates played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and a number of CFL teams. He earned all-SEC second team honors at Auburn and caught 29 passes and two touchdowns in the NFL.

Coates previously was a position coach at Jensen Beach High School, Ohio Northern University and Virginia-Wise before taking the Columbia job this past January.

Columbia takes on Hartselle this coming week.