Contributed
(March 20, 2010)

Following a five-year stint on the coaching staff of the Huntingdon football program, Derrick Ansley has accepted a position with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Ansley, who coached defensive backs for five seasons and served as the Hawks’ Recruiting Coordinator for three years, will join the Crimson Tide as a graduate assistant and work specifically with the secondary.

“As hard as it is for me to leave, working with the coaching staff of the defending National Champions is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Ansley continued. “I am excited about the opportunity to learn more under Alabama’s staff and also to showcase the skills that I learned at Huntingdon and throughout my playing career.”

Among his duties at Alabama, Ansley will work directly with defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kirby Smart and assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt. On a daily basis, he will be involved in all defensive and special teams meetings, as well as assist with video breakdown, daily scheme installation and personnel and substitutions on defense. On game day, Ansley will work on the sideline.

“I am very happy for Derrick,” Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. “He has been such a key part of our staff in helping us get our football program to where it is today. We will certainly miss him here, but know he will do a great job at Alabama.”

During his tenure with the Hawks, Ansley has brought immediate credibility to the Hawks defensive backfield, as three players earned All-South Region honors under his tutelage. He also coached one all-conference performer in the secondary during the Hawks lone season in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In his five seasons with Huntingdon, Ansley has also experienced team success, helping the Hawks defense collect 69 interceptions, including a school-record 22 in 2009, and break up 213 passes.

“This was a very tough decision for me because Coach Turk and President West took a chance on me,” Ansley said. “I was looking for a way to get into the coaching profession and they gave me that opportunity. For that, Huntingdon will always hold a very special place in my heart.”

Ansley joined the coaching staff following a standout career at Troy University. During his career, Ansley started 40 consecutive games for the Trojans en route to becoming the school’s Division I era leader in interceptions with 19. As a junior, he finished fifth in the nation in interceptions with nine and was third in interceptions per game nationally. He went on to finish his playing career with Troy, recording 305 total tackles, a mark which ranks second in the Trojan record book during the Division I era.