Rebels name Robert Evans head football coach

Vestavia Hills High School has tabbed one of its own to be the next head football coach of the storied program.

Robert Evans was named the eighth head coach in program history Thursday morning, following approval by the Vestavia Hills City Schools Board of Education.

Evans takes over for Sean Calhoun, who left Vestavia Hills after one season and accepted the same position at Colquitt County High School in Georgia. 

“To say I’m excited about Robert and Anne coming home to Vestavia Hills is an understatement. He was a phenomenal student-athlete in high school, and today he continues to be a man of high character and a fantastic coach. This is a great day for Vestavia Hills football,” Vestavia Hills City Schools athletics director Myra Miles said in a statement.

In an interview in his new office Thursday morning, Evans spoke about his plans and vision for the program. 

“The thing that comes to mind is we’re going to be aggressive,” Evans said. “We’re going to be aggressive in fundraising. The mandate to our staff is that we’re going to be aggressive on both sides of the ball.”

Evans comes to Vestavia Hills following four years as the defensive coordinator at Mountain Brook, where he led one of the top units in the state. The 2021 Spartans defense was nothing short of elite, shutting out half of its 14 opponents and surrendering an average of 3.8 points per game in the team’s 12 wins.

“I probably grew more professionally the last four years at Mountain Brook than any other period in my life,” Evans said.

Mountain Brook made the playoffs each of the four seasons he was there and advanced to the Class 6A semifinals the last two years.

“It’s been very rewarding,” Evans said of his time at Mountain Brook.

Evans was a star free safety on the 1998 Vestavia Hills state championship team and returns to his alma mater to lead the program.

After playing for coaches like Buddy Anderson and Sammy Dunn at Vestavia, and coaching with the likes of Bryant Vincent at Spanish Fort, Josh Niblett at Hoover and Chris Yeager at Mountain Brook, Evans has been a firsthand witness to some of the best coaches in state history. 

He plans to build his program from the human development side as well as the player side.

“Coach Dunn, when I played baseball for him, always said if you don’t walk away from this program a better son, brother and eventually a better husband and father, then we haven’t done our job,” Evans said.

Evans plans to emphasize promoting the Rebels’ program through social media with a culture of hard work, adding that there’s nothing holding Vestavia Hills back from competing for state championships.

“All I know how to do is work,” Evans said. “I’m going to hire the best staff possible and we’re going to get our hands dirty.

Before heading to Mountain Brook, Evans spent eight years at Hoover, five of them as defensive coordinator. Over those five seasons, Hoover brought home four state championships and compiled a gaudy 60-10 record. 

Following a stellar baseball and football career at Samford University, Evans had a brief foray in the Boston Red Sox organization. He also spent time on the football staffs at Oak Mountain, Spanish Fort and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Evans will be the third head coach at Vestavia in as many years. Buddy Anderson retired after 43 legendary years following the 2020 season, and the Rebels went 4-6 under Calhoun last fall.