Athens High School will have a few new head coaches for the 2024-2025 school year after approval from the city school board of education Thursday, July 18.

New Athens High School’s softball coach, Chuck Smith, has more than 15 years of coaching experience and he served as the head coach of Athens’ baseball team since 2015. Smith has earned a total of 364 career wins as a head coach, with 191 of those at Athens. Under his tutelage, 27 Golden Eagles were able to continue their athletic and academic journey at the collegiate level.

”I am extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Smith said. “I think we can continue to build upon the success our softball program already has in place. There is a great core group coming back that will be the leaders of this program. I can’t wait to get started on the 2025 season.”

Smith will take over a program that’s coming off of a 29-14 season and a second 6A State Championship win in three years under former Athens softball coach Travis Barnes.

“I think the girls will accept that he is there, and the transition will be smooth with him taking over,” Barnes said. “He has a young daughter who plays softball, so I think he will be committed to keeping the program excelling. He will come in and work hard and do a good job.”

Barnes, who earned Class 6A Coach of the Year honors for his second time in June, officially departed from the program after being listed under “Employee Contract Cancelation” at Thursday’s school board meeting.

“I enjoyed the girls and the players there at the program, we were pretty successful as far as winning games and championships,” Barnes told The News Courier Friday, July 19. “It’s the relationships with the kids that I’m most proud of, you can look at championships later down the road, but it’s those relationships that I’ll miss.”

Barnes confirmed that he and his family will be moving to Austin, Texas, where he will coach junior varsity volleyball.

“I feel like this is the right time for me and my family to move on,” Barnes said. “My wife will be helping with varsity volleyball and both of our kids play volleyball, so that’s just kind of the step we are taking.”

Mike Murphree has been named interim head coach of Athens High School’s baseball team. Murphree originally joined Athens baseball coaching staff in the summer of 2023, working under Smith at the time. Previously, Murphree spent 20 years coaching baseball at the collegiate level, including a long tenure at Jacksonville State University (2011-2023), Gulf State Community College (2009-2011), Troy University (2003-2006, 2007-2009) and Northwest Shoals Community College (2006-2007).

“I am blessed beyond measure for my family and I to be a part of this community,” Murphree said. “I am truly thankful to God and humbled by this opportunity to serve as the head baseball coach at Athens High School. Coach Chuck Smith has built the Athens High School baseball program into an extremely competitive program statewide. We will do our best to build on what he has built here.”

The Athens High School track and field team will be led by Patrick Chambless who has accumulated more than 20 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as the athletic director for Limestone County Schools.

Chambless has coached football, girls basketball, softball, wrestling and soccer. He is said he’s excited to add track and field to that list of sports, and he is equally excited for the opportunity to coach at Athens.

“My family and I are incredibly excited to join the Golden Eagle family,” Chambless said. “I very much look forward to working with the talented athletes with Athens track and field. I can’t wait to get started.”