Elmore leaves Chelsea, takes job at alma mater

There are some opportunities that are too good to turn down.

Chris Elmore encountered one of those recently and made it official on Thursday, April 26. Elmore was approved as the next head football coach at Fort Payne High School following five years in the same position at Chelsea.

Fort Payne represents home for Elmore. It’s his alma mater and where his dad coached from 1984-1998.

“I really wasn’t looking for a job,” said Elmore. “I really like Chelsea and didn’t want to leave, and could’ve seen myself there for a long time.”

Paul Ellis served as the Fort Payne coach the last 14 years, but his position was made vacant when he took a new job in Georgia. But Elmore wasn’t going to return home just for the sake of doing so. He wanted to make sure it was the right opportunity.

“Being home is a big deal, but I didn’t want to just do it because of that,” he said. “I think it is a great opportunity, great town. Always has been.”

Elmore left the program at Chelsea in “great shape,” according Chelsea athletic director Michael Stallings. Elmore led the Hornets to three winning seasons, including consecutive playoff berths in 2015-16, and compiled an overall record of 27-25.

Prior to coming to Chelsea, he spent eight years as an assistant coach at Hueytown. Fort Payne has had a run of success in recent years, qualifying for the playoffs in 13 of the last 15 years.

“He is going to be tremendously missed by not just the coaches and the players, but just the faculty in general,” said Stallings. “Great guy to work with, always set a great example.”

Elmore said the most difficult aspect of leaving Chelsea would be the kids and coaches left behind.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, was telling them I was leaving,” he said. “I still get emotional talking about it. I can’t tell you how special those kids are there.”

“I think Chris was very happy here,” Stallings said. “In his professional and in his personal life, it’s a good opportunity to get to go back home. There’s a lot to be said for getting to go back home. I don’t fault him one bit for the decision.”

Last season, Chelsea finished with a 2-8 record, but picked up both wins over the last three games of the season. The Hornets replaced every starter on the offensive side of the ball, but with a year of experience under their belts, Elmore said, “they’ve got a great future.”

“I was looking forward to having a great season,” Elmore said.

Defensive coordinator Zeb Ellison will serve as Chelsea’s interim head coach through the spring, as the search for the next permanent head coach begins.

“The mission now is to find the next guy that’s going to lead them and keep that culture and keep the direction of the program moving the right way,” Stallings said. “We will start that process of finding our next head coach and I am sure within the next couple of weeks we will start interviewing candidates.”