Former Charles Henderson coach Hugh Fountain passes away after fight with cancer
Published 9:43 am Tuesday, March 25, 2025
- Messenger Photo/Thomas Graning Charles Henderson High School head coach Hugh Fountain walks the sideline during a second round playoff football game in Troy, Ala., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. Fountain announced Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 that he resigned from the coaching job.
Longtime football coach Hugh Fountain passed away on Monday after a battle with cancer at the age of 61.
Fountain had previously beaten a cancer diagnosis in 2023. After losing a considerable amount of weight suddenly, a kidney scan revealed a mass on Fountain’s kidney. Surgery was performed to remove the mass and keep the cancer from spreading at that time.
Just last week, Fountain and his family made the trip to world renowned MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, for treatments to battle a new diagnosis of cancer. Fountain’s son, Troy Fountain, confirmed to AL.com his father’s passing.
Fountain had been the coach at WS Neal from 2022, going 18-17 during his second tenure at his high school alma mater. Fountain was a star player at WS Neal and went on to play college football at Troy State University. His first head coaching job came at Evergreen in 1988 before taking over his high school alma mater in 1989.
During his first stint at WS Neal, he led the school to a 49-29 record and 12-2 record in 1995 before heading to Troy, where he coached Charles Henderson High School for 16 years. Fountain’s Trojans went 106-67 under his tutelage, including a 12-1 season in 2007. Fountain mentored a number of star players that went on to play collegiately.
Current CHHS head coach Phillip Jones, fresh off his career as a running back at Troy, started his coaching career as an assistant for Fountain at CHHS.
In 2012, Fountain retired from CHHS and took the head coaching job at AISA school Escambia Academy. He turned Escambia Academy into a private school power house, winning two state championships and turning in a record of 94-31 with four region crowns.
Interestingly enough, Fountain’s coaching career saw him return to Troy in 2022 to accept the head coaching job at Pike Liberal Arts School before returning to WS Neal just a week after taking the job at PLAS.
The students and faculty saw Fountain off to MD Anderson last week, according to the school’s Facebook page.
“In a powerful moment, the sun shone brightly over our students and our school, reminding us that hope and strength are always with us,” the post read.
