CULLMAN, Ala. — Cullman High School has found its new varsity head football coach. Danny Stiff, who brings high school and college coaching experience to the position, has officially been hired to lead the Bearcats on the gridiron this season.
Stiff most recently coached at Hoover High School, and previously coached at Hueytown High School, Spain Park High School and Gadsden City High School. Stiff also has experience at the collegiate level, with stints on staff at the University of Alabama, the University of Tennessee and Jacksonville State University.
As a high school coach, Stiff led his teams to two quarterfinal appearances and two semifinal appearances. At the collegiate level, Stiff was a part of three conference championships at Jacksonville State and a national championship at the University of Alabama.
Along the way, Stiff has coached on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, as well as coordinating special teams. As a position coach, Stiff has coached an all-state or all-conference player every year at his position.
Stiff takes over for former CHS coach Oscar Glasscock, who retired after posting a 28-17 overall mark in his four seasons at the helm of the Bearcats.
“I’m extremely excited and humbled to be selected as the new head football coach at Cullman High School. Cullman is a great city and community that me and my family can’t wait to be a part of,” Stiff said. “I look forward to meeting the players and staff and getting to work on building a championship program. The first thing I want to do is establish a relationship with my team. If we want to maximize our capabilities as a team, there must be a level of trust and accountability. At the end of the day I want us to be smart, tough, and resilient competitors.”
Cullman City Schools Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff said he’s excited to see what Stiff can do with the Bearcats program, tapping into his wealth of experience at every level of the sport.
“I am looking forward to the excitement and energy coach Stiff is going to bring to the football program, Cullman High School, as well as the community,” Kallhoff said. “Danny has been around and learned from some of the best in the business. Coach Stiff is going to have a team of student athletes who have character, integrity and class off the field, but are aggressive, physical and play smart on the field.”
Cullman High School Principal Allison Tuggle said she believes Stiff has the unique expertise necessary to help carry the Bearcats program to the next level.
“Coach Stiff exhibits mastery skill for football, displays energy for competitiveness, along with a passion for molding young men on and off the field,” she said. “He also shares a passion for academic excellence for his athletes which is an expectation for all of our students. He will work well with our faculty and staff to ensure students are being held to a
higher standard. Coach Stiff aligns with our mission at Cullman City Schools, ‘Inspiring students through character, citizenship, and scholarship.’”
Cullman City Schools Athletic Director Mark Stephens has known Stiff since they worked on the same staff years ago at Spain Park High School, and said he has seen firsthand the intensity, ingenuity and discipline he can bring to a program. Stephens added that Coach Stiff’s offensive influence comes from former University of Tennessee Offensive Coordinator and current staff member at Georgia Tech Coach Jim Cheney. He said Bearcat fans can expect to see a physical but balanced attack that will highlight the abilities of Cullman’s student-athletes.
“When it comes to football in the south he has been coached and mentored by some of the best names in the business. Coach Stiff played on championship teams at Hoover under Rush Propst and then defensive coordinator Todd Watson along with defensive backs coach Jeremy Pruitt. Coach Stiff’s first coaching position was at Spain Park with me when I coordinated the defense there. Danny then served as defensive coordinator with two different stops at Hueytown and at Gadsden City. After Gadsden City, Coach Stiff joined Coach John Grass’ staff at Jacksonville State beginning his run in collegiate football,” he said. “Coach Stiff left Jacksonville to join Coach Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama working in player development and recruiting. Coach Stiff left Tuscaloosa for Knoxville joining Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s staff at Tennessee eventually being promoted to Director of Player Personnel at The University of Tennessee. I feel like Coach Stiff’s cerebral approach coupled with his ability to create relationships and genuine love of mentoring young men makes him a great fit for our community. I anticipate him bringing a disciplined but tough team to Oliver Woodard Stadium this fall.”
