Gary Nelson named Southside-Gadsden head football coach

Southside, AL – One month after parting ways with former head football coach Ron Daugherty, the Southside Panthers have landed their next leader on the gridiron.

The Etowah County program announced Monday evening that Montgomery Academy’s Gary Nelson will be the Panthers 29th head football coach.

During four seasons at the helm of the Montgomery Academy program, Nelson lead the Eagles to a combined 30-16 record including a 21-5 mark in region play. The South Alabama native’s squads posted four consecutive class 3A postseason appearances and claimed a region title in 2013.

Prior to his eight year stint at Montgomery Academy, where he served as an assistant before being named the program’s head coach and athletic director, Nelson spent time as an assistant at Hope Hull’s Hooper Academy. During his three year tenure on the Colt’s staff he helped lead the AISA program to it’s first winning season in a decade. He also lead the Colt’s baseball and track and field programs.

The Huntingdon College and Auburn University alum takes over a Southside program who is coming off a 2-8 campaign in 2019. The Panthers will be making the jump from 5A to class 6A in the fall joining defending state champion Oxford and tradition power Fort Payne along with Arab, Pell City, Scottsboro and Springville.