The following is the second in an 11-part series featuring members of the 2019 class of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.
When Brantley High School hired David Lowery as a football coach and mathematics teacher, it quickly added up to be a successful formula.
Ten of his 14 teams at Brantley won 11 or more games. The 2012 state championship squad set a school record for wins, finishing the season 15-0 and scoring a near-state record 730 points. There were 14-win seasons in 1999 and 2009 and 13-win seasons in 2005 and 2006.
Lowery is being enshrined as a member of the Class of 2019 of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame. The annual banquet is March 18 at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. The AHSAA and AHSADCA founded the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Lowery graduated from nearby Georgiana High School in 1983. He played football at Troy University, earning a bachelor’s degree in math and social studies in 1988. He also earned a master’s degree in education administration from Auburn University at Montgomery in 1998.
He began his teaching and coaching career at Evergreen High School in 1988, serving as assistant football, head baseball and junior varsity basketball coach. The following year, he went to Elba High School where he spent 10 years as assistant football coach, defensive coordinator and head baseball coach. He was also head football coach for two years, compiling a 12-10 record.
He moved to Brantley High School in 1999 as athletic director and head football coach. Over 14 years, he compiled a record of 156-27 overall, 88-3 in the region. His 2009 and 2012 teams were Class 1A state champions. He had runner-up teams in 1999 and 2005. Every one of his teams made the state playoffs. His overall career record was 168-37. Every team he coached reached the state playoffs and only two failed to win the region championship.
Lowery was named Class 1A Coach of the Year in 1999 by the Alabama Sportswriters Association. In 2012 he was the Alabama Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year. He was named an assistant coach for the 2000 North-South All-Star Football Game and for the 2010 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.
In 2013, he retired from coaching, accepting a central office position as director of operations. On Sept. 6 of that year, the Brantley stadium was renamed David Lowery Stadium. Lowery was inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
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Kathi H. Wallace, executive coordinator of the School Superintendents of Alabama Association, remembers the day she recommended that Coach Lowery be hired at Brantley.
“I was the principal at Brantley School in 1999 when I made the recommendation to our superintendent at that time, Dr. Craig Pouncey, to hire Coach Lowery. I thank God the day he walked in for the interview because I needed a math teacher/football coach combination. He fit that bill perfectly. But he made an impression on me that day that proved to be accurate. He was more than a math teacher and a coach.
“He was the kind of man every parent wanted his/her children to be around; not only in the classroom and on the playing field, but also for life.
”Speaking about him being the football coach, I said many times that he was a good man to have in charge of our young men. His demeanor on the field and in the classroom was the same. He was always in pursuit of excellence.”
Wallace said the longer she knew Lowery, the more she learned about this special man.
“After leaving Brantley School, which by the way, is my alma mater, I became school superintendent of Crenshaw County,” she said. “As superintendent, I gained a greater appreciation for Coach Lowery. He was an exemplar for other employees for always doing what was right. His integrity in this area was impeccable. It still is. David Lowery is a wonderful family man and community leader. He continues to make this world a better place because of the positive impact he has on those with whom he comes into contact.”
Tony Stallworth, former associate executive director of the AHSAA and administrative assistant for Crenshaw County Public Schools, worked with Lowery as a principal and assistant principal. He said: “Coach Lowery served as head coach and athletic director for many years. He also served as a classroom instructor and system administrator. He has provided leadership and character throughout his tenure at Brantley High School and the Crenshaw County Board of Education. Coach David Lowery exemplifies all qualities and leaderships deserving for this outstanding and prestigious award.”
Lowery is an active member of Mount Zion Baptist Church and is a Woodman Life Insurance representative.
This story originally appeared on the Alabama High School Athletic Association website.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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