TCHS Debuts Field House Renovations As Winegarden Era Begins

NORTHPORT, AL — The Adam Winegarden Era at Tuscaloosa County High School is off to a fast start as the new football coach unveiled recent renovations and discussed future plans during an open house at the W.G. Sullivan Field House Sunday.

Here's everything you need to know before getting your first look behind the scenes of Wildcats football.

Renovations were made possible in-part by contributions from the Tuscaloosa County Commission, including: Rubber flooring for the weight room ($25,000), speed area flooring ($7,000), painting ($6,000), landscaping ($2,000). (More on Patch)

Worth noting: From his first days on the job, Winegarden, along with other TCHS staff and community supporters, put in their own sweat equity hours painting and providing in-kind labor to make the renovations possible.

Quotable : "This is just a small example, something you can see, something you can touch. It shows you what can happen when we all do something together. This is a facility. I'm talking about what we can do this season. Talking about what we can do to prepare young people for the future. I've met so many people who played here and went to school here, all of these kids coming through this program are the next generation of leaders in our community, so everything we're doing has a much bigger picture right now" — Winegarden to attendees of an open house held Sunday to show off the new facilities.

Patch Opinions

• If the hiring of Coach Winegarden was intended to energize the County High fanbase, then so far, so good. The beleaguered Wildcats football program has struggled through large-scale changes and its move to 7A in recent years, but many in the community, including school administrators and elected officials, are believers that the former Hillcrest High coach is the man to elevate the program to the next level.
• It's also worth pointing out that Winegarden already has a great relationship with TCHS Principal Darrell Williams, who served on Winegarden's coaching staff at Hillcrest. Williams is fairly new on the job, but has also been visible and vocal in his support of moving the program forward. That support and buy-in from the administration will be a key ingredient for success down the road.
• While I know it sounds like "coach speak," it's obvious in only his first few months on the job that Winegarden has big plans for changing both the culture and attitude around the program and inside the locker room. Winning programs aren't built overnight, but Winegarden has proven he knows how to build a winner, so big things could be on the horizon as County High looks to return to glory.

Here's a look inside the W.G. Sullivan Field House