Eagles basketball coach Chris Love announces retirement

Following 37 years in coaching, Oak Mountain High School boys basketball coach Chris Love announced his retirement Monday afternoon.

Love has been at Oak Mountain since the inception of the basketball program in 1999, serving as an assistant for 10 years before leading the program as head coach over the last 13 years. 

“It’s just time step away and let somebody younger come in with more energy and enthusiasm and give us a new spark and lead us on to bigger and better things,” Love said.

Love led the Oak Mountain basketball program to unprecedented heights, taking the Eagles to the state final four twice and winning the Class 7A state championship in 2021.

“I’m thankful to be a part of a very special program at Oak Mountain for the last 23 years. I’m so honored and thankful to all the coaches and players I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I don’t know if they’re better for being around me, but I know for a fact I’m better for being around them,” he said.

Love spent his first six years in coaching at Huffman High School, where he was an assistant coach for the football and basketball teams. He was at Chelsea for four years after that, serving as the head boys coach two of those seasons.

In 1999, he moved over to Oak Mountain and coached under Jerry North, who led the program from day one before handing it off to Love 13 years ago. Love also spent time as an assistant football coach at Oak Mountain for 10 years and was the offensive coordinator on the Eagles’ 2005 team that reached the state semifinals.

“Jerry North was my mentor, he’s the reason that whatever knowledge I had about the game of basketball and whatever I bring to coaching, is because of him,” Love said.

As a head coach, Love compiled an overall record of 230-187, taking Oak Mountain to at least the regional final in four of the last seven seasons. He gave praise to his staff of Donald McMahon, Kevin McMahon and Kent Jackson, who have all been with him for the last 10 years.

“I’m so grateful for them and everything they have done for me and our program,” Love said.

As for the future, Love said he plans to continue teaching at Oak Mountain for at least one more year and being “dad from the stands” as his youngest son Eli completes his senior year on the Oak Mountain basketball team.

After that, all options are on the table.

“Anything is an option,” Love said.