Another twist in the crazy offseason inside the Valdosta (Georgia) High School football program. The school board was scheduled to meet Monday to consider re-hiring controversial head coach Rush Propst, less than a month after firing him. That meeting never took place, because the board decided to cancel the meeting.
Related: Valdosta fires Propst
The cancellation may signal an end to Propst’s one year at America’s winningest high school football program.
Propst’s firing on April 27 came on the heals of the Georgia High School Association rejecting the school’s appeal of sanctions leveled against the program under Propst direction. Last month, the GHSA fined the Valdosta High School football program $7,500 and banned it from the 2021 Georgia high school playoffs for rules violations relating to recruiting and a lack of administrative control. In addition, the school is on probation for the upcoming season and was forced to forfeit seven 2020 wins in which ineligible players were used.
Most believed the April firing closed the book his one season with the Wildcats, which made national news after a secretly-recorded conversation with former booster club member Michael “Nub” Nelson was made public. During the conversation Propst, who was hired by Valdosta last spring, told Nelson he needed “funny money” to help pay for living expenses for players and their families who moved into the district.
Related: Propst talks about hiring at Valdosta
Propst owns seven high school football state titles, five of them at Hoover in Alabama and two at Colquitt County in Georgia. His 2015 Colquitt County team was named High School Football America’s “mythical” national champs. He was fired after from CC amid controversy between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Related: Colquitt County HSFA “mythical” national champs
In 2007, Propst left Hoover under a cloud of issues. He became nationally-known when he was the central figure in the MTV show Two-A-Days that chronicled his 2005 and 2006 teams.
Last year, Valdosta finished 7-5, losing in the Class 6A state semifinals and finishing No. 106 in the High School Football America national rankings powered by BlackMP Living Water. With the GHSA-ordreed forfeits, Valdosta heads into the 2021 season with 929 all-time wins, which is the most in America.
