Vestavia Hills High Names Robert Evans As Its New Football Coach

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL —Robert Evans, a 1999 Vestavia Hills High School graduate, was named the school's new football coach on Thursday after his hiring was approved during a called morning meeting of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education.

The new coach replaces Sean Calhoun, who stepped down after the 2021 season and accepted a job in Colquitt County, Georgia.

Evans returns to his alma mater after serving as the defensive coordinator at Mountain Brook High, a position he held since 2018. He previously spent eight years as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Hoover High and he has been on the coaching staff at Oak Mountain High, Spanish Fort High and UAB.

Evans was a member of Vestavia Hills' 1998 state championship team, which defeated C.F. Vigor 10-7 in that year's AHSAA 6A State Championship game at Legion Field. He was named Most Valuable Player of that contest. Evans also played high school baseball for former Rebels coach Sammy Dunn.

After high school, Evans was a standout football and baseball player at Samford University, and he was inducted into that school's Baseball Hall of Fame. He later signed a minor-league contract with the Boston Red Sox.

According to a press release put out by Vestavia Hills High, Evans said he was thrilled to be returning to his old high school.

"We will look to provide the same core values to our players that have been synonymous with Vestavia Hills football for decades: toughness, discipline and humility," Evans said. "We will play a physical and innovative brand of football that this community can be proud of."

Evans' hiring was celebrated with an emotional video tribute on the Vestavia Hills High Twitter account. After a message with the words "Welcome Home, Coach Robert Evans," A video montage featuring Evans' high school highlights played out accompanied by the Diddy song "Coming Home."

The school also announced that a meet-and-greet event for Evans and his wife Anne will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the Vestavia Hills High Gymnasium.

"To say I'm excited about Robert and Anne coming home to Vestavia Hills is an understatement," Vestavia Hills Director of Athletics Myra Miles said in a statement. "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."

Evans will be trying to lift a program that went just 4-6 and did not make the playoffs in Calhoun's only season in charge.