Faith Academy names new football coach

Mobile, AL – The Faith Academy Rams have a new head football coach.  The Mobile Christian school announced Tuesday that south Alabama coaching veteran Jack French would be the programs 17 head coach.  

French takes over for interim head coach Jeff Estes who lead the Rams to their second consecutive 3-7 record in 2017.  Estes, who will remain with the program as an assistant, took over from Lance Lawley who left the Faith program last July after only one season citing lingering health concerns.   

The 64 year old French has a career head coaching record of 259-118-2 spanning 35 years.  A Mississippi native, French began his career at DeSoto Academy, Hillcrest Academy, Pelahatchie High, Itwamaba High and Forest High Schools in the Magnolia State before accepting his first head coaching position in Alabama. 

He spent 14 of his 31 years in Mississippi at Forest High School where he lead the Bearcats to three state championships and six seasons with 10 wins or more.  

He took over the Baldwin County program in 2001, leading the Tigers to a combined 21-14 record including three postseason appearances over four years.  His spend the next three seasons back in his home state leading the Starkville Academy and Pearl High School programs before returning to Alabama in 2010, spending one year at  Clarke County before accepting the top job at Mobile’s Baker High School in 2011.   

French lead the Baker Hornets for four seasons, amassing a 27-15 record including a pair of playoff appearances.  Prior to French’s arrival at Baker, the Hornets had suffered through 21 straight loosing seasons.  

French was a recipient of the Lefty Anderson Service Through Coaching award in 2014, the Mobile Press-Register Coach of the year in 2012 and is a member of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame and the Baldwin County High School Athletic Hall of Fame.