Luker takes head job at Neshoba Central

After 19 seasons as a head coach in Alabama, Stacy Luker is ready to try his hand at the Mississippi high school football ranks.

Luker, who resigned last week after 12 seasons and five state championships at Sweet Water, has accepted the head coach job at Neshoba Central High School in Philadelphia, Miss.

“I’m retiring and moving over to coach in Mississippi. It is a good opportunity at this stage of my coaching career. I have 26 years in the public school system here. It is kind of a phase of life that I have entered into, so to speak,” Luker said.

Luker said.

Luker will finish the semester at Sweet Water but will use a day or two a week to travel to Philadelphia to work with his new team.

“I’m going to be going a couple of days a week, so I’m going to try to start as soon as possible,” Luker said.

Luker, who is 177-61 in his career, assumes the helm of a Rockets program that won just one game in the 2013 season. Neshoba Central has just one playoff appearance in the last 11 seasons and finished 1-10 in 2013, its only season under Chuck Friend.

“It’s going to be a situation that needs work and needs patience. I understand that,” Luker said. “I think it is going to be a good challenge, but I also think it is going to be a good working situation.”

Known for his physical defenses and his ground-centric Wing-T offensive attack, Luker will look to infuse the same philosophies into the Class 5A Neshoba Central program.

“I think a lot of times you go into a situation and you try to fit to the kids that you have. But, at the same time, offensively I’ve got to do what I’m comfortable with. So it will be up to me as a coach to make that work,” Luker said. “We’re going to do the things we’ve always done. I want us to put our hand in the dirt. I want us to be physical. I want us to be disciplined and I want us to play hard.”