Sadler to be honored tonight at Bob Jones Homecoming
Former Bob Jones football Coach Frank Sadler
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
MADISON- Frank Sadler never got to walk the sideline at the new football stadium he envisioned for Madison. Tonight, he will get that chance as he will be inducted into the Bob Jones Hall of Fame at halftime of the school’s homecoming game against Sparkman.
Sadler, 77, was head coach from 1994-2000. The landscape of high school football then was much different than today. Butler and Decatur ruled 6A football. Huntsville and Grissom also dominated. Madison County schools including Bob Jones lagged behind in both facilities and player development.
As early as 1998 Sadler pushed the city for a new stadium.
“If you want to compete in 6A football you need to build a new stadium,” Sadler said he told the Madison City Council. “One day I want to see a new stadium out by the expressway so when people pass by they will know there is football in Madison.”
Sadler’s vision proved prophetic. Madison City Schools Stadium opened in 2003.
Sadler also pushed for a middle school football program which the city did not have when he got here.
“I treasure the time I spent here,” the now retired coach said at a reception honoring inductees Thursday night. “I worked with some good people here. I want to thank you for bringing me back.”
Two current administrators were on Sadler’s staff. Principal Robby Parker coached defensive backs and assistant principal/athletic director John Wilson was defensive coordinator.
“They were very good coaches but they found out they could make more money in administration than coaching,” Sadler said with a laugh.
“It’s outstanding that we honor Coach Sadler now,” Wilson said. “It’s well-deserved and long overdue. Coach Sadler picked Bob Jones up at a difficult time. The program was not established and he made us competitive. He spearheaded the effort to establish football in middle schools. We were at a disadvantage competing against schools like Decatur that had middle school football feeding players to the high schools. He pushed for a new stadium that was ultimately built.”
Sadler’s teams played at Discovery Middle School’s football field. They made the playoffs four times in his eight seasons.
Sadler’s first team won the Class 5A, Region 14 Championship, defeating Sparkman 61-12 that year. He said that Principal Billy Broadway came out of the stands to tell him not to run up the score. In 1996 Bob Jones jumped to 6A and got the program’s first win over Decatur. Decatur then proceeded to win the next 10 games against Bob Jones teams until 2009. In 1997 Bob Jones went 8-3, their best record under Sadler.
In 2000 Sadler stepped down as football coach but stayed on briefly as assistant principal. Then he and his wife retired to their hometown of Troy, Alabama.
“I thought it would be best to bring in a new coach to start his program in the new fieldhouse and weightroom,” Sadler said.
Sadler never coached again after leaving Bob Jones.
Current Bob Jones Coach Kevin Rose remembers interviewing for the job in 2001 that ultimately went to Mike Bates.
“I was head coach at Sheffield and came in to interview and Frank showed me around. He is a class man. I think a lot of him.”
Sadler also had stops as offensive coordinator at UT-Chattanooga (1976-81) and (1990-92) and at South Carolina.
Sadler’s two sons accompanied him on the trip to Madison.
Sadler lost his wife to lung cancer in June of this year. They were married 53 years. His son Shawn is a retired USMC Col. and lives in Chattanooga. His other son Frank, Jr. has lived with his parents since a car accident many years ago left him disabled.
The Bob Jones HOF is located in the lobby of the Zompa Auditorium. Also inducted this year will be Will Atkinson, (class of 1991) current head softball coach at University of West Alabama, Chris Kline, (class of 2005) special needs honoree and assistant football coach and Bobby Hagood (class of 1981), a CPA and Finance Director Athens City Schools.
