Continuing a legacy: AHSAA Hall of Fame coach is back on the sidelines
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (BVM) — Everybody strives to be the greatest at what they do. Everybody wants to be remembered in the name of success. For longtime boys basketball head coach Jack Doss, that’s what he was able to achieve.
He’s a 10-time state champion coach, winning titles at four different schools, an AHSAA record. This feat got him inducted into the AHSAA Hall of Fame, etching his name in history.
In 2017, he led Mae Jemison to a 33-4 record and 5A state title, retiring after the season. He wanted to go out on top, a choice that not a lot of people get to make.
But after his three-year hiatus from the game, having accomplished a lifetime’s worth of successes, Doss is back. Back in Huntsville, Ala., where he’ll be taking over the Grissom High School boys basketball team in the 2020 season. He can’t stay away from the game.
In his time off, Doss spent time with his family. The 73-year-old crossed some things off of his bucket list. At the same time, he was able to rejuvenate, and the basketball juices began flowing once again.
The legendary coach says he was called to Costa Rica to do some mission work and teaching the game of basketball in a prison in San José. That experience, which he proclaimed a “life-changing” experience, was what got him thinking about making his return.
“I came back and basically prayed about it (the decision to come back into coaching),” Doss said. “I’m back coaching and we’ve been doing it for about 60-70 days…coaching is my passion…it’s exciting to see young men grow and be a part of their lives.”
This time around though, Doss will have his work cut out for him. Grissom has finished the past two seasons under .500, and hasn’t been to the state tournament in 20 years. But, it’s nothing the likes of a Jack Doss can’t handle. He knows exactly where his new team has to recalibrate.
“You have to change the mental culture of losing,” Doss said. “They’ve lost big in middle school, and the last two years in high school.”
Their attitudes have already been changing since he’s taken over. The Tigers’ constant focus on the weight room and consistent repetitions have them doing things they’ve never done before. They are starting to realize that hard work is allowing them to do things they never thought possible.
“It’s fun watching their eyes open like ‘I didn’t know we could do this,’” Doss said. “I had one bench 200 pounds last week. I think they had one dunking last year, now we’ve got six or seven dunking. Our strength and conditioning is paying dividends and we are gaining a lot of confidence through that.”
But Doss didn’t get this good at coaching on his own. He had a lot of mentors growing up through the game of basketball, and through Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Doss met some of the best coaches to ever walk the Earth.
Coaches like Hubie Brown, Dean Smith and John Wooden.
“I’m from Anniston, Ala., and I’d have a two-hour drive home from the clinic. We finished and John Wooden said ‘coaches, you need to finish every practice with something positive,’” Doss said. “It dawned on me to say the Lord’s Prayer, so we’ve been saying that for 50 years now.”
So Doss’ faith and support from top-of-the-line mentors has helped him become such a celebrated name in the game of basketball. He’s fourth all-time in AHSAA history with 812 wins. He was named USA Today’s 2017 boys basketball coach of the year. He was a head coach for the McDonald’s All-American game. Things that most people can only dream of.
“I try to develop the whole person. The person and the player,” Doss said. “… My intention is to help these young men out. We learn through trials and tribulations, not by just walking out there and winning.”
Having accomplished everything he could’ve wanted to, it’s not about him anymore. Truly, it never was. Doss does this because he has a passion for bettering other people, both on and off the court. Already being an AHSAA Hall of Fame inductee is a nice reward for his career, but it’ll not stop him from continuing on.
“As long as I’m healthy I’m going to coach,” Doss said. “Coaching is my passion and I just love seeing young men grow.”
