Former Alabama Great Sherman Williams Named Murphy Head Football Coach

MOBILE, AL – Sherman Williams, a former football standout at Blount High and the University of Alabama, has been named the head football coach at Murphy High School in Mobile. His selection was approved during Monday morning’s Mobile County School Board meeting. Williams takes over from Justin Hannah, who was relieved of coaching duties in September. Interim coach Dwight Lambert led the Panthers for the remainder of the 2024 season.

This marks Williams’ first time stepping into a head coaching role. He is set to meet with the Panthers football team on Tuesday morning to begin his tenure. 

“Sherman Williams brings extensive football expertise and experience to the program,” said Murphy principal Ed Sanderson in a statement. “More importantly, he is dedicated to being a positive role model and mentor for all students on campus. We are excited about his leadership and the positive influence he will have on both our athletic program and the entire school community.”

Williams’ football career is filled with achievements. At Blount High, he became the first player in Alabama high school history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a single season, ending his senior year with 3,004 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. His performance carried Blount to the Class 5A state championship in 1990 and earned him the Class 5A Player of the Year award.

Following high school, Williams played at the University of Alabama, where he recorded 2,486 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 535 carries over his college career. He also contributed 424 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft, where he played for five seasons and tallied 1,162 rushing yards, 302 carries, and four touchdowns.

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Williams now takes over a struggling Murphy High football program, which has found wins hard to come by. Once a dominant force, the Panthers have only secured four wins in the last three seasons and have not reached the playoffs since 2019. Their last playoff victory came in 2011. 

Competing in the fiercely competitive Class 6A, Region 1, Murphy’s schedule pits them against top programs like Saraland, Spanish Fort, St. Paul’s Episcopal, McGill-Toolen Catholic, Gulf Shores, Theodore, Blount, and Baldwin County.

Williams has a steep challenge ahead, but his extensive playing career, coaching experience, and drive to mentor young athletes bring renewed hope to the Panthers program.

FEATURED IMAGE Courtesy of The Palmer Williams Group