A Warhorse again
Brint Russell named head coach of Owen High School football program
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 24, 2021
Coach Brint Russell, a Black Mountain native who graduated from Owen High School in 1997, introduces himself to the football team, June 24. Russell was hired to be the third head coach of the Warhorse football team since 1985. Photo by Fred McCormick
Many of the memories from Brint Russell’s high school football career were made on the field at Owen, where he was a graduate of the class of 1997.
As he returns to his alma mater, he plans on making more in his new role as head coach of the Warhorses.
Russell, a Black Mountain native who has coached at East Rutherford since 2015, was introduced to his players on June 24, becoming the third head coach of the Owen football team since 1985. He was hired to fill a vacancy that was created when former coach Nathan Padgett stepped down after six seasons to accept an assistant principal position at A.C. Reynolds.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Russell, who told his new players that he wanted to lead the Warhorses since playing for longtime head coach Kenny Ford.
“I told Coach Ford when I was just about your age that one day I was going to take his job,” he said. “This is the realization of that, and it’s a special feeling.”
Russell, who will join the school’s faculty as a physical education teacher, was a middle linebacker and tight end under Ford, and was once a teammate of Padgett. He was eager to return to his former team in his new role.
“Addressing that team today and seeing these guys here was awesome, it made me feel like I was home,” he said.
Owen High School head football coach Brint Russell stands on the field at Warhorses Stadium with his players after being introduced as the new head coach of the football team on June 24. Photo by Fred McCormick
Russell was one of at least 15 candidates to apply for the position, according to Owen principal Meg Turner, who established a committee of administrators, faculty, students and parents to search for a new football coach. His passion for the community and program stood out among those who interviewed for the position, according to the principal.
“Coach Russell is obsessed with football, and he has an incredible football mind,” Turner said. “It’s great to find someone with that kind of coaching expertise who also has such a passion for the Valley.”
The coaching staff of the Warhorses, who finished the 2020 season 4-3, will look much different when the 2021 campaign begins in August. Anthony Lee, who was the team’s offensive coordinator under Ford and Padgett, retired after the school year, creating another significant vacancy on the staff.
Filling that role won’t be easy, according to Russell.
“You really can’t replace someone like Coach Lee, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for,” he said. “We have some holes on our staff right now, but we’re working to fill those roles. But, at the same time, we have some very dedicated coaches who are already here. We have a good nucleus and we’re going to try to add some pieces to that.”
Russell and his team will begin preparing for the upcoming season at 9 a.m., Tuesday, June, 29.
“The first thing I want you to know about me is that I’m just like you,” he told the Owen players at midfield. “I ran those stairs, lifted in that weight room and I’m excited to be here. This place is special to me, and it means a lot to all of us.”
Russell’s first priority in his new position is to increase participation in football after the COVID-19 pandemic, which he believes left some student-athletes hesitant to return.
“We’re going to build a new excitement for athletics here,” he said. “I want this stadium to look and feel just like Shuford Field did when I played. The Valley is a better place when this stadium is rocking on Friday nights.”