Stacy Luker

Stacy Luker was a football player under Coach Nolan Atkins in 1981-82 at Sweet Water High School where the Bulldogs won the 1982 State Championship. Following graduation, Luker received his degree from the University of West Alabama. After graduating from college, Luker, with the help of his former coach, was hired at Sweet Water as a P.E. teacher and defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs. His first head coaching job came in 1995 at Washington County High School in Chatom. Luker led two teams to a combined 10-11 record before moving over to Thomasville as the head football coach in 1997. In five seasons as the Tigers head coach, Luker, went 30-23 with three playoff appearances. Following the 2001 season, Luker returned to his alma mater as the head coach. Through the 1990s, there was a lot of turnover at the head coaching position for the Bulldogs, and along with that came no consistent success like the school and fans were accustomed to. All that changed in 2002 as Coach Luker returned the Bulldogs to the top of the football mountain in Alabama. In his first season, he led the Bulldogs to 7-3 regular season and a region title before losing in the first round of the playoffs. The next year the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs, and made it to the second round before losing. The 2004 team finished 13-2 with and the Class 1A State Championship, their first since 1986. Beginning in 2004, the Bulldogs won five of the next Class 1A State Championships. In 2006 they dominated Cedar Bluff, 48-0. In 2007 Sweet Water outscored their opponents 712-133 in the 14 games. The championship game was another blowout, as the Bulldogs defeated Talladega County Central 42-7 for Luker's third title in four years. Coach Luker's 100th win came in 2007 against St. Jude in the second round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs dominated their opponents again in 2008 by outscoring them 730-101 in 15 games. Although their 36 game winning streak did come to an end that season against Leroy, the Bulldogs cruised through the playoffs again and demolished Speake 42-0 in the championship game. 2010 saw the Bulldogs finish 12-3 with another title as they coasted by R.A. Hubbard 36-0 in the title game for Luker's fifth state title and the ninth in school history. In 2015 Luker took over the football program at Demopolis before moving on to Clarke County in 2017. Coach Luker's overall coaching record is 245-102. His teams made the playoffs every season while he was at Sweet Water. They also won seven region titles. His Clarke County team won the 2A state championship in 2021 with a 13-2 record. His 135-33 region record ranks among the best of all-time. Luker's playoff record of 58-17 is considered a great winning percentage against the states best competition. Coach Luker was named Class 1A Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association in 2004. Coach Luker retired from the sidelines following the 2013 season at Sweet Water. After a single season at Neshoba MS where his team went 6-5, he returned to Alabama and accepted the head coaching duties at Demopolis.