The DeKalb County Board of Education appointed and approved Dusty Darnell as the new head football coach for the Crossville Lions.
Dusty graduated from Crossville in 1997. He served as an assistant coach for the Lions from 2002-2006. He then left and joined the coaching staff at Sardis High School from 2007-2016 before finally returning to Crossville in 2017.
Coach Darnell will be replacing Coach Miles Holcomb who resigned after two seasons to become an assistant coach at Hoover High School.
When asked how he felt about the job Darnell said, “I feel good about it. We ended the spring with 55 to 57 players, and overall we had a really good spring.”
He has also dreamed of becoming the head coach at Crossville. “I applied for the position twice but never got an interview, so I kind of gave up on it,” he said. “It has always been my dream ever since I played and even back when my dad was filming ballgames back in the ‘80s.”
Principal Jon Peppers also commented on having Darnell as the head coach. “Coach Darnell did an exceptional job as the interim coach after the departure of coach Miles Holcomb to Hoover High School,” Peppers said. “His hard work and great job during the transition was a key factor in the decision.” Peppers also added, “My main goal was to find a coach that wanted to be here at Crossville High School and not be spending their offseason looking for their next job.”
Coach Darnell and his Lions will make their season debut by hosting Geraldine in the Battle of Skirum Creek on August 24th.
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