PHOTO GALLERY: Hunter Adams Introduced as New Football Coach at Middlesboro High School

Photos by Jamie H. Vaught

Several days after assistant football coach Hunter Adams was named the head coach at Middlesboro High School, he was formally introduced today at MHS before a nice crowd.

"He's a fourth-generation Yellow Jacket football player, a Middlesboro Sports Hall of Famer, and someone who undersands this program not from the outside -- but from the inside," MHS athletics director Ben Slusher said of Adams at the introductory press conference. "Hunter loves this place, and that matters. He chooses to raise his family here, his wife Sally serves as our head girls basketball coach, and his sons Case and Cam will be fifth-generation Yellow Jacket football players, and their future daughter, who is due in May of 2026, will grow up in the Fuson Brothers Gymnasium and Bradner Stadium.

"And I trust him to lead our young men the right way -- with toughness, accountability and pride in that M on their helmet."

Before taking his new position, Adams served as the school's offensive coordinator for the past seven seasons, following several years as a position coach within the program. During that time, Adams worked under legendary head coach Larry French at MHS and was a key member of a staff that captured three district championships and one regional championship.

(French, who recently retired after a 48-year coaching career, is the third-winningest coach in Kentucky high school football history with coaching stops at Mercer County, Meade County, Lincoln County, Boyle County, Southwestern and Middlesboro.)

While at MHS many years ago, Adams earned numerous football honors. A 5-11, 190-pound athlete, he was named all-state defensive back by Louisville Courier-Journal. He was a member of the Lexington Herald-Leader's annual Class of the Commonwealth (state's top 22 seniors). Also, he was a 2008 Mr. Football finalist in the state of Kentucky.

Adams played collegiately at Tusculum University, the University of Kentucky, and finally finished his career at the University of Pikeville, where he later earned his bachelor’s degree.