HOOVER- Wade Waldrop celebrated his 46^th birthday in a unique way that many high school football coaches can only dream about. The former James Clemens football head coach was named the new head coach at Hoover High considered by most to be the elite coaching position in Alabama. His hiring was approved by the Hoover City Board of Education.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to be the next head coach at Hoover High. I, along with my family, look forward to becoming a part of the Bucs family,” said Waldrop in an exclusive interview with the Madison Record prior to his signing with Hoover.

Waldrop replaced Josh Niblett who left last month after 14 seasons and six state championships with the Buccaneers program to become head coach at Gainesville High in Georgia. It was reported Niblett made at least $125,000 per year.

Waldrop was chosen among 100 applicants for the position at James Clemens in 2013. He replaced Bill Stewart after one season with the program, the school’s inaugural year. In his eight seasons with the Jets, Waldrop posted a 54-35 record including 38-18 in region play. His squads made the post-season playoffs six times including in 2019 where the Jets were 9-3 overall and 7-0 in Region 4 action. His squad lost in the second round of the playoffs, but due to his complete turnaround of his program in the largest classification of schools in Alabama, he was named the Class 7A Coach of the Year.

Prior to making the trek to Madison, he recorded a 41-34 record over seven seasons as head coach at Chelsea. His teams made the state playoffs four times.

A native of Hartselle, Waldrop was a walk-on punter at UAB where he played from 1994 to 1998. He earned his degree in history and a masters in education. He and his wife, Kimberly, have four children.

“We are grateful for our time in the Florence community and appreciate their support for the last year, said Waldrop. “We have been a part of three special communities in Chelsea, Madison and Florence, and look forward to plugging into another great community.”