Shores is an Elmore County High School graduate.

David Shores spent the morning of his third day on the job as Pell City’s new athletic director attending a signing party for senior soccer player Jessica Cook.  The following night, he watched the Panthers’ wrestling team defeat ASB.  

“I’m enjoying being at Pell City,” he said.  “I’m still trying to put names to faces, but I’ve met a lot of good people.   I’m anxious to get moved over here, because driving back and forth is tough.”

Shores and his wife Carrie plan to relocate here from Jefferson County, to a place that reminds the Elmore County native of the town in which he grew up.  

“Pell City is a lot like Eclectic.  The whole place shuts down on Friday nights, and everybody shows up at the stadium.”

Shores hopes local football fans will have plenty of reason to show up at the Pete Rich Stadium this fall.  He’s taken the helm of a Panthers team that has posted losing records for the past two seasons but is confident in its potential to be a post-season perennial.

“Any time a town loves football and athletics as much as Pell City does, there’s the potential for success,” he said.  “This community is hungry for its athletic programs to get better, and the kids I’ve encountered seem to be eager and excited, so good things are going to happen.”

At a table in the school library, as Miss Cook celebrated with her teammates, Shores also discussed his beginnings in football, why he enjoys helping student athletes qualify for college scholarships, and coaches he admires.

High school glory:  Shores graduated from Elmore County High School, where he played every position on the offensive line for the small Class 3A team.  “When you’re the strongest kid on the team, you’re going to end up playing on the line.  I never got to carry the ball.  I always wanted to do that.”

College days:  He attended Auburn, where he walked on and played on the Tigers’ scout team, eventually becoming a student assistant “when I knew I would be going into coaching, and that gave me the chance to start learning from some of the top guys in the SEC.”  Upon graduating, he was hired by Tommy Tuberville as a graduate assistant.

On helping students play at the next level:  Shores, who coached at four high schools before coming to Pell City, has a good record of placing his players in college football programs, an effort he describes as gratifying.  “Every kid deserves the opportunity to further their education.  The problem is that the economic situation in this country has made it so difficult to pay to go to school, which means that more and more parents are depending on academic or athletic scholarships.  I claim that it’s part of the job description of a high school coach to help kids get to the next level, and I also think it’s part of the reward we get for our job.”

How his experience as a recruiter for LSU helps:  “Being on the other end of it, I understand the business and money side of things, which helps me explain to parents that just because a kid has potential to play college ball, he may not fit into certain programs because of their needs.  College programs are need-based, and it’s really important to understand that.”

Avoiding an oft-made mistake:  “Sometimes kids have offers to places that really want them, but they’ll go somewhere else that was flirting with them but didn’t have as much of a need.  They end up not getting much playing time, and it’s a disappointment.  Go to the school that really wants to.  You’ll be much happier.”

Coaches he admires:  “It sounds cliché because of my Auburn connection, but Gene Chizik is a phenomenal coach.  He and Nick (Saban) are very different in their approach to the job, but the two of them together are great role models for young coaches like me.  Saban is very business-minded and organized.  He makes decisions based on logic with not a lot of emotion.  Chizik is emotional and has a program built on family and tradition.  Combine the two of them, and you’d have Super Coach.”

Who he pulled for in the Super Bowl:  “I didn’t have a real favorite, but I was happy Green Bay won, since they hadn’t in so long.  If it hadn’t been for that, I’d have gone with Pittsburgh.  I generally pull for the underdog.”