The longest losing streak in high school football history is not over. Columbia High School lost its first game with Sammie Coates as head coach.
It was a blowout.
This demoralizing high school football streak started in 2015. The year is now 2025.
Where is Columbia High School?
Located in the heart of Alabama, Columbia High School serves ~950 students in grades 9-12. Its campus sits just a few miles west of downtown Huntsville, north of the airport.
Minority students make up approximately 88% of the student body, with a student-teacher ratio of approximately 18-1. It is the only authorized IB World School in North Alabama.
In terms of athletics, the Eagles compete on the 6A level of competition in the Yellowhammer State.
They are objectively awful at football. Quite literally, the worst team of all-time.
Sammie Coates will try to turn things around.
If you are a true fan of football, you already know Coates. You probably have not heard his name in awhile but you know who he is.
The 32-year-old former wide receiver played two seasons with the Steelers, one year with the Browns and one year with the Texans. He also spent a few years in Canada after his NFL career expired.
However, Coates is best known for his time at Auburn University.
Most major recruiting services ranked him as a three-star recruit out of Leroy High School in the Class of 2021. He ranked as one of the top-50 wide receivers in the country and a top 200 player overall.
Coates developed into a crucial deep threat for the Tigers as a sophomore and junior, catching 76 total passes for more than 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. His average of more than 21 yards per reception was among the best in the country over those two seasons.
Auburn finished as the national runner-up in 2013. Sammie Coates was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Now, 10 years later, he is the head coach at his alma mater.
Columbia High School hired its former star pass-catcher in January. He spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Jenson Beach High School in Florida, Ohio Northern University and the University of Virginia-Wise.
The losing streak continues… for now!
Coates has an uphill battle ahead of him. The Eagles have not won a game since he has been gone.
Columbia High School began the 2025 football season on the heels of 91 straight losses. It last won a game in 2015.
This demoralizing losing streak officially became the longest losing streak in history last season. Glascock County High School in Georgia lost 82 games in a row from 1990-99.
The Eagles lost their 92nd game in a row on Friday night. Sammie Coates lost his debut as head coach by 47 points, 53-6.
Their next opportunity to finally get back in the win column after more than a decade comes next Friday when Columbia will host Huffman for its home opener. I won’t say it is a winnable game but a win is not that far-fetched.