Hattiesburg High School Head Football Coach Tony Vance, who guided the Tigers to the state 5A championship and undefeated regular season in 2017 will take on the additional role as the Hattiesburg Public School District’s (HPSD) new Athletics Coordinator. The new position oversee athletics programs for grades 7-12.
Vance replaces Cheyenne Trussell, who served as the district’s Director of Student Activities, which along with athletics included responsibility for student hearings on discipline, residency and enrollment. Trussell left Hattiesburg last year to serve in a similar capacity with the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
Those additional duties that Trussell held will be divided among HPSD Superintendent Robert Williams and associate superintendents Teresa Poole and Michael Battle.
Vance took the HHS head coaching job in 2013, and has consistently put a winning team on the field. He has previous athletics administration experience, having also served as head football coach and athletics director at Charleston High School before coming to the Hub City.
“It’s good to have someone internally that you can turn to for this role, and we believe Coach Vance is perfect for the position,” said Williams following the May 1 Board of Trustees meeting. “Dr. Trussell did a great job here, and I think Coach Vance can continue to move us forward.”
Vance wants to see all of the school’s athletic programs continue their winning ways, pointing to the recent successes of not only the football team, but boys and girls track, baseball and the recent state championship secured by the Lady Tigers Basketball team. However, he wants to academics be the first priority.
“I want our students to graduate -- that’s first and foremost -- and I want us to have good coaches who are also good teachers. I believe you can have both,” he said.
Vance believes the right personnel are in place to help him balance his new administrative duties and keep the Tigers among the state’s elite football programs. “You win with people, and we have great people to help me here at Hattiesburg,” he said.
