‘I’m Back’ — Hubbert back in the saddle at MHS looking for No. 6

Maplesville, Ala. — On the same calendar date that Michael Jordan once faxed “I’m back” to a basketball-hungry Chicago, Maplesville High School received its own two-word jolt of electricity: Brent Hubbert.

The Hall-of-Fame coach, whose 241-59 career record and three straight Class 1A state crowns from 2014-16 made him local royalty, will return as head coach of the Red Devils, replacing longtime friend Brad Abbott after Abbott’s youngest son graduates this spring.

Hubbert, 53, insists the move was never part of a master plan. After stepping away from head coaching, he spent last fall as a Maplesville assistant and called it “the best job I have ever had in my life — just show up and coach football.” But when Abbott signaled his intent to retire and other out-of-town offers would have meant late-night drives, the math became simple.

“My wife was very adamant: we are living in Maplesville,” Hubbert said.

The decision ends a seven-season hiatus from the top post and re-ignites pursuit of a sixth state championship for a program Hubbert once rescued. Following the Red Devils’ 1-8 crater in 2003, he left Jemison High and returned to his alma mater in July 2004. Summer workouts began with 60 hopefuls; two weeks later, 35 remained. The culture shift was underway.

By 2006 Maplesville was 12-1 and in the state semifinals, a feat repeated in 2007. Undefeated regular seasons in 2010 and 2011 preceded the 2013 runner-up finish that finally broke the title barrier. The next three seasons produced a 64-4 record and the historic three-peat.

Now, with the community’s expectations rekindled, Hubbert says overhauling the system would be foolish.

“We want great effort, great attitudes, and we want to be tough,” he explained. “Tough people win in life when football is over.”

He inherits a roster that has continued winning under Abbott, and he plans to keep the machine humming. After all, the town’s belief never left — it was only waiting for its favorite son to circle back.

With induction into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame already secured in 2024, Hubbert’s next chapter is singularly focused: chasing championship No. 6 and further burnishing the legacy that began when he played for his father, Jim, in the 1980s.

Maplesville believes the right man is already home.