Joe Eatmon Unseats Incumbent Matthew Wilson In Tuscaloosa District 1 Runoff

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Shelton State administrator and former men's basketball coach Joe Eatmon won in a landslide runoff to unseat incumbent District 1 Councilor Matthew Wilson for a seat on the Tuscaloosa City Council Tuesday night.

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The unofficial totals before absentee ballots are counted show Eatmon pulling in 582 votes or 58.85%, while Wilson garnered 407 votes or 41.15%.

“I am honored to have been chosen by the people of this district to represent them as their city councilor," Eatmon told Patch. "Their support and belief in me is humbling. As I have said on the campaign trail, I will work hard every day for every one in every room making our community a better place.”

As Patch previously reported, Wilson — seeking a second term on the Council — grabbed 408 votes (38%) in the March 4 municipal election, while Eatmon received 337 votes (31%).

This came before a video was made public on Saturday showing Wilson vandalizing one of Eatmon's campaign signs. What's more, Wilson was also backed with endorsements by two sitting councilors — Cassius Lanier and Raevan Howard.

The campaign was a contentious one from the beginning as a three-candidate race with Wilson defending his seat against Eatmon and Que Chandler.

Eatmon narrowly edged out Chandler to appear on the runoff ballot and went on to become the only candidate to unseat an incumbent this election cycle.

Eatmon is a 2001 graduate of Central High School, where he was a standout in basketball and went on to play at Jones Community College in Mississippi and Bevill State Community College in Jasper, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

He later completed a master’s degree in teaching at the University of West Alabama while continuing his basketball career.

Eatmon has worked as a teacher at Livingston High School and as a basketball coach at Linden High School before advancing to college coaching roles, including a decade at Shelton State.

His teams achieved a 100% transfer rate for his sophomores to four-year colleges during Eatmon's tenure and he was named Alabama Community College Conference Coach of the Year five times.

Eatmon has also worked with the Re-enter and Re-claim nonprofit program that aims to help incarcerated youth earn educational opportunities, including the first detention center GED graduate in the program’s history.

Eatmon and his wife, Erica, have three children, JJ, Jordyn, and Joi.

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