RHS searches for new football coach
RUSSELLVILLE – Two years after hiring Dustin Goodwin, Russellville High School is back in the market for a football coach and athletic director.
Goodwin has resigned, the school announced Friday after leading the Golden Tigers to a 14-9 record with two playoff berths. He has a 50-48 career record.
Goodwin was hired in February 2024 as head football coach and interim athletic director at Russellville High School.
Dr. Tim Guinn, superintendent of Russellville City Schools, said Sunday the district posted the opening Friday. The position will remain posted for a minimum of 14 days as required by law or until it is filled.
Guinn said the district hopes to move quickly to hire a new coach but does not want to rush the process and risk overlooking strong candidates.
“We’re sad to see them leave but understand the opportunity,” Guinn said. “The sooner we can get the right leader in place, the quicker they can begin developing relationships with our students, players, parents and community.”
Guinn said one of the school’s assistant athletic directors will serve as interim athletic director while the search is He said existing strength and conditioning programs for student athletes will continue during the transition.
Efforts to reach Goodwin on Friday and again on Sunday were unsuccessful.
The school’s announcement Friday said that Goodwin resigned to pursue other opportunities.
However, he has been mentioned as a potential hire at Demopolis, which had an interim coach for the 2025 season following its coach resigning.
Lance Tucker was Demopolis’ coach before leaving last summer. Ricky Woods, previously a head coach for 33 years in Mississippi before retiring, was named the interim coach.
Demopolis went 6-5 in 2025, marking its fewest wins since 2011.
Goodwin graduated from Demopolis where he was an All-State quarterback in 2002.
In Goodwin’s first year at Russellville, the Golden Tigers finished 7-4.
They were second in their region only due to a triple-overtime one-point home loss to Fairview.
A year later, Russellville had to rebuild its offense around a young core. Again, the Golden Tigers were second in their region, this time due to a seven-point loss at Fairview, and finished 7-5.
As a head coach, prior to Russellville, Goodwin was 21-12 from 2015-17 at Plainview and 15-27 from 2018 to 2021 at Chelsea. He was an assistant at Class 7A juggernaut Thompson in 2022-23.
Goodwin was an assistant at Russellville for his dad, Doug Goodwin, for three years. Doug Goodwin was the head coach for four years, going 46-9 with two state runner-up finishes. One of the runner-up finishes was to Demopolis in 2009.
Doug Goodwin, before going to Russellville, was the Demopolis head coach for eight years through 2006.
Dustin Goodwin succeeded John Ritter, who left Russellville for Decatur. Ritter was 52-19 with four region championships in six seasons with the Golden Tigers.
