When the Russellville High School varsity football team hits the field for its season opener in less than a month, the Golden Tigers will be coached up on the sideline by a couple of names that may ring a bell to local football fans.
Russellville head coach Dustin Goodwin, entering his first season in charge of the program, bolstered his defensive coaching staff with the additions of former Deshler High School and University of Alabama player Deion Belue as defensive backs coach and Russellville High School alum Torey Baird as inside linebackers coach.
“We’re extremely blessed to have all of our new coaches in,” Goodwin said. “(Belue and Baird) both came from two really successful programs, so being a part of a winning culture and being part of good staffs always helps.
“With success comes expectations and both these guys know those expectations. I think both of them are going to do a fine job, and we’re glad to have them,” he added.
Belue, who was hired at the July 16th Russellville City Schools Board of Education meeting, was a two-time Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State First Team selection during his career at Deshler. After two seasons at Northeast Mississippi Community College, Belue transferred to Alabama where he started 25 games and, as a senior, helped the Crimson Tide win the 2013 BCS National Championship, routing Notre Dame 45-14.
“(Belue) was playing at Deshler when I was first here so we got to see what a special player he was first-hand,” said Goodwin, whose first stint at Russellville as an assistant under Doug Goodwin overlapped with Belue’s high school career. “He was able to further his education and playing experience at Alabama and a little bit in the NFL. Anytime you can get someone in who the kids know has done it before and at a very high level, that’s just sort of validation that what they are saying is true.
“Deion is someone we started to make contact with back in May and we’re blessed to have him. I’m looking forward to working with him,” Goodwin added.
After closing the book on his playing career, Belue decided to get into coaching in order to help give players a chance to fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level.
“Whenever I got done playing and when I got back home I wanted to pour into the kids as much as possible, to give them the opportunity like I had for a chance to go play college ball,” Belue said. “I’m not saying that’s got to be at an Alabama, but just a chance to go.
“As much as I can, I want to help push them in the right direction,” he added.
Belue, who previously coached for a couple years at Sheffield, said he’s elated about joining the Russellville coaching staff and looking forward to working under Goodwin.
“It came down to timing and it was the right opportunity,” he said. “It was one of those things I couldn’t turn down, and I’m excited to join Coach Goodwin because of the experience he brings in from Chelsea and Thompson and schools like that.”
Belue’s first game as a Russellville coach will be against his alma mater on August 23rd. The Russellville and Deshler series goes back to 1923 and the two have met every year since 1988 (Deshler forfeited the game in 2020). The rivalry is a tight one with the Golden Tigers holding a narrow 47-46-4 series lead. On the black and gold side this time, Belue is anticipating another tough fight between the two Tiger teams.
“I’m expecting a great game, and I’ll probably be reliving some of those moments when I played against Russellville,” Belue said. “When those two teams meet it’s always a great game. I’m going to be coaching my guys as hard as I can and expecting a Russellville victory, of course, but also enjoying that rivalry once again.”
Next to Belue on the sidelines this season will be his former high school opponent Baird, who graduated from Russellville in 2008. Baird—coached by two Alabama High School Sports Hall of Famers, Perry Swindall and Doug Goodwin—was a member of Russellville’s state runner-up football team in 2004 and a football class that won three region championships and finished with a 47-7 record over four seasons. He was also a standout baseball player for the Golden Tigers, helping the team to a Class 5A playoff semifinal appearance in 2007, a quarterfinal appearance in 2008, and he earned ASWA Class 5A All-State First Team recognition as a catcher his senior season.
“(Baird) is a Russellville guy, a Russellville native. He played for us and he’s been a friend for a long time,” Goodwin said. “He’s done a good job on the field everywhere he’s been, and he was definitely a guy I was interested in bringing back to Russellville to help us win football games and do things the right way. I’m glad to have him.”
Before coming back to Russellville, Baird had coaching stints at Deshler, Holtville, Prattville, and Colbert County. In his first year as head baseball coach at Holtville in 2018, Baird led the Bulldogs to an area championship and an appearance in the Class 4A playoff quarterfinals.
After all this time, Baird said to come home is a great feeling. As a former Golden Tiger player Baird knows the expectations that come with putting on the uniform; now as a coach, he said it’s surreal but invigorating to be back in that same environment.
“I think this is year 15 coaching but year 10 teaching, so to finally get to come back home, I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Baird said. “One of the things that I’ve found to be pretty cool is, you know, walking down the same hallways that you did when you played and now you’re seeing these guys go through the same things you went through.
“What the expectations were then, those haven’t changed. Now to be on the other side of it, it’s very cool just to try to help these guys have the kind of success we had back in the day. They have the talent to do that,” he added.
Goodwin also added Thomas Goode to his defensive staff. Goode, who was hired during the July 16th RCS Board meeting, as well, will join Belue in coaching the defensive backs.
“Goode is another guy I met several months ago, and we struck up a good relationship,” Goodwin said. “He’s good with speed training and conditioning and has trained kids at all ages.
“Sitting down and talking about how we want to do things and who we’d like to get involved, he was definitely high on that list,” he added. “We’re happy to have him and give him an opportunity to do what he loves to do.”
Football was not the only program to add new assistants. In total, Russellville announced on July 17th the addition of five other varsity assistants who will coach in the boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and softball programs.
KJ Melvin and former Belgreen boys’ basketball coach Marty Cooper will join Patrick Odom’s staff in the boys’ basketball program, while Russellville alum Angela Woods was named assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team. Head softball coach Rick Lawson added two assistants: Annalise Rogers and Taylor Cameron, who played college softball at Northeast Mississippi Community College and Northwest Shoals Community College, respectively.
Head strength and conditioning coaching duties for Russellville’s athletic programs have been assigned to Jacob Danley.
