By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
RUSSELLVILLE - Tony Seals has announced that he will not return for a fourth season as head coach of Russellville High School's varsity boys basketball team.
The school board will officially accept Seals' resignation at Thursday's meeting.
The Golden Tigers were 21-8 in Seals' first season before slipping to 11-15 the following year. They finished 12-9 this past season, losing to Athens in the area tournament.
Seals said the recent success of the Golden Tiger football team, which advanced to the Class 5A state championship game during each year of his tenure, made it more difficult to take the basketball program to the next level.
Another factor in Seals' decision to resign was the amount of traveling he had to do between Russellville and Starkville, where his wife, Tina, is head volleyball coach at Mississippi State University.
Otherwise, Seals said he will continue teaching physical education at Russellville.
Seals has worked in education for 19 years, including the last 10 in Russellville. He was an assistant under Barry Pace for two years and then Elmore for five more before becoming head coach.
Seals' brother Dale is head coach at Winfield, and his sister June coaches the varsity girls at Sparkman High.
Seals said coaching not only runs in his family, it's in his blood.
Ray said the school board will post the vacant coaching position immediately.