Former Emma Samson, Gadsden City and Southside coach Scott Rickles passed away last week
Former Emma Samson High School and Southside High School football coach Scott Rickles passed away last Tuesday.
Rickles, 52, was the last coach of Emma Samson before it consolidated to form Gadsden City High School, where he served as an assistant. He coached the Rebels for two seasons, 2004-05 going 10-11. He would become an assistant at Gadsden City before taking the head football coach and athletic director job at Southside. He coached there for four years from 2007-10 going 13-28.
Rickles graduated from Southside in 1989, earning all-area and county nods at middle linebacker in 1988. He also wrestled there before moving onto Auburn where he earned a masters in science education. While there, he was a student assistant under Jimbo Fisher, who later went on to lead Florida State and Texas A&M. In 1995, he was awarded as a Spade, a prestigious accolade given to Auburn students.
Rickles helped lead the Panthers to a playoff spot in 2009 and had led the effort to build the new field house. Before entering coaching and teaching Rickles was a pharmacist.
Rickles is survived by his children Casey, Mary Ann and Miles Rickles and his parents Jerry and Jane Sims Rickles among other family.
Rickles was laid to rest on Sunday. No cause of death was given.
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Former Emma Samson, Southside coach Scott Rickles passed away
