Brad Hood’s first decade as head coach of the Allen County-Scottsville football team has included a stretch of three seasons during which the Patriots won 33 games, a season (2010) in which AC-S went 13-1 and came within a touchdown of a state championship, and more victories (61) than losses (55). But those aren’t the most important numbers to Hood.
Ninety-one is. That’s the number of players on the Patriot roster this season, and it’s a number that has been rising faster than the inflation rate since Hood took over the AC-S program in 2006.
When Hood arrived, the Patriots were coming off back-to-back 2-8 seasons and interest in putting on pads and a helmet was not high in Scottsville.
“When I got here, I felt the biggest thing we needed was participation,” Hood recalls. “If a kid had a pulse, we got him out to play football. We tried to get as many kids out as we could. We welcomed anybody who wanted to come out.”
That strategy has paid off, as a roster approaching triple digits attests. But Hood isn’t after numbers for numbers’ sake. He believes that having high participation in football is good for the student-athletes, the school, and the community.
“I firmly believe that football is the best sport ever invented,” Hood says. “I don’t believe any kid who loves football should be denied the opportunity to play. We treat every kid the same – the fastest, the slowest, the biggest, and the smallest. We love our kids. I believe that’s one of the reasons they do come out. My job is to let every one of them know they’re important, and it’s not just football. We’re trying to make better men for tomorrow.”
Football as preparation for life isn’t a new concept, but Hood has taken that philosophy to a new level. The result has been not only more players on his roster but also greater support for his program.
“We live in a county that really loves the school, and that means a lot to me,” Hood says. “When you come to Allen County on a Friday night, you’re going to have a good crowd. The town has a lot of pride in the school and its athletic programs.”
That was most evident in 2010, when the Patriots advanced all the way to the Class 4A state championship game at Western Kentucky University’s Houchens-Smith Stadium. It seemed that Scottsville’s entire population migrated to Bowling Green that December day.
“I will never forget walking out on Western’s field and seeing the whole town of Scottsville represented,” Hood recalls. “The feeling we had was special. That has kept me here.”
That championship game was doubly special for Hood because his ailing father, Royce Hood, was there to enjoy it. It was the last game Royce Hood would see. He died less than three months after that 21-14 loss to Boyle County. A veteran football coach, Royce Hood was a big influence on his son’s career path.
“My dad spent 17 years as an assistant or head football coach here,” Brad Hood says. “I cut my teeth on this football field. It was important to me to come back. To have my dad on the sideline with me in the state championship game was really special.”
Another big influence on Brad Hood’s coaching career, his uncle Joe Hood, was also part of that state championship game. Joe Hood, who coached Warren Central in two state championship games, joined his nephew’s staff at AC-S and was on the sidelines that 2010 season.
“I really enjoyed it,” Joe Hood says of that 13-1 season. “I got to see first-hand how Brad handles kids. They always play hard, and that’s a tribute to him. He keeps everybody excited about playing. He’s good at it and enjoys it. He puts his heart and soul into it.”
Interestingly, Brad Hood nearly didn’t go into coaching. After playing for his father at McLean County and then at Ohio County, he played defensive back, tight end, and some quarterback at Campbellsville College, but he didn’t see that as a stepping-stone to coaching.
“Growing up the son of a teacher and coach, my dream was to NOT be a teacher and coach,” he says. “I wanted to be a Marine.”
Those plans changed after his father suffered a stroke and Brad Hood had to become a caregiver. He worked briefly as a warehouse manager in Louisville but wasn’t happy, so he went back to Campbellsville as an assistant coach under Mark Peach. He then joined Larry French’s coaching staff at Lincoln County before making his way to Scottsville.
Today, he says he can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“I’m doing what I believe I was called to do,” Brad Hood says. “It’s the greatest job on earth. I love my job. I don’t know what else I would do.”
