Arguably the biggest story from the first two weeks of the 2026 high school football season was the end of the nation's longest high school football losing streak.
That streak belonged to the Columbia (AL) Eagles as they had not won a game since 2015. Sitting at 101 games, the streak came to a screeching halt as the Eagles opened their season with a dominant 41-14 win over Greensboro (AL).
Leading the charge for the Eagles' new era is someone familiar with championships and witnessed in-person a turnaround for a program that went from struggling for wins to one that playedfor a national title.
For Auburn standout receiver and Pittsburgh Steeler Sammie Coates was named as the program's new head coach in 2025. In just over a year, he turned the Eagles into a program wondering when a win would happen to one trying to keep a winning streak going.
Here's a look at Coates' road from former high school standout to Columbia's newest head coach.
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Coates was a member of an Auburn 2011 recruiting class that 247Sports ranked as the fifth-best in the cycle. A standout at Leroy High (AL), Coates was ranked as the No. 171 player in the class, the No. 25 wide receiver and No. 6 player out of Alabama.
During his senior season, Coates caught 57 passes for 1,170 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was originally committed to the University of Southern Miss but flipped his commitment to Auburn just before his senior season.
A foot injury sidelined Coates during his true freshman season and as a redshirt freshman, Coates appeared in 12 games making six catches for 114 yards.
He had a much bigger role as a sophomore in Auburn's run to the 2014 BCS National Championship game, finishing the year with 42 receptions for 902 yards and seven touchdowns. Against Florida State in the national championship, he led the Tigers in receiving with four receptions for 61 yards.
Coates was once again one of the Tigers' leading receivers his junior year, catching 34 passes for 741 yards and four touchdowns. However, he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round with the 87th overall pick. He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh with his second being the most productive in his NFL career, catching 21 passes for 435 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Following his stint with the Steelers, Coates played with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans over the next two seasons. In 2019 he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs before being released in May of that same year.
With this time in the NFL over, Coates signed with the XFL's Houston Roughnecks in 2020. In December of 2020 he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and in 2023, played the preseason with Edmonton Elks.
During his time in the XFL and CFL is when Coates' coaching career began. In 2020 he was hired onto the coaching staff of the Jensen Beach High School (FL). In 2023 he moved up to the college ranks, being hired as the Ohio Northern University wide receivers coach and a year later took the same role at Virginia-Wise.
On January 21, 2025, Coates earned his first head coaching role, taking the job at Columbia. The Eagles went winless during his first season but so far this season are unbeaten.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Sammie Coates? Meet the former Steeler who helped Columbia snap its losing streak
