Jemalle Cornelius steps down as head football coach at Fort Meade (Florida)

Cornelius leaves after 15 years with the Miners

Since the 2009 season, Jemalle Cornelius has been a mainstay in the Polk County high school football coaching fraternity. 

It was always a consistency knowing Cornelius would lead the Fort Meade Miners out on the field on Friday nights. 

On Monday morning, Cornelius announced he would no longer be the man leading the way at Fort Meade. Cornelius announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will be stepping down as the team’s head coach after 15 seasons at the helm. 

pic.twitter.com/uYwivDEIFL

— Coach Cornelius (@coach_cornelius) January 8, 2024

“Miner Nation, it has been a pleasure leading the Miners the last 15 football seasons,” Cornelius said in his release. “After much thoughtful consideration, I have decided to step down as the Head Football Coach at Fort Meade Middle Senior High School. Thank you to all the Administrators, Coaches, Players and other Staff that have supported me over the years. Most importantly, thank you to all the fans for their constant love and support.” 

Ever since stepping in after Mike Hayde as head coach, all Cornelius did while he was at Fort Meade was win, guiding the program to 11 winning campaigns of the 15 seasons. 

Cornelius played collegiately at the University of Florida before moving on to play in the National Football League (NFL) with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl