Full circle moment: From coach and player to now watching sons compete 30 years later

In 1991, Bill Rickman took an assistant coaching position at Pickens Academy.

He remained on the coaching staff at Pickens Academy until 2001 and was even the head coach during the 2005-06 season. During Rickman's time on the sidelines at Pickens Academy, he helped lead the Pirates to five-straight state titles between 1994-99. One of his players during that time was Chris Neel, who was a senior on the 1994 state championship team.

Rickman and Neel have kept in touch over the years, but now, nearly 30 years later, the two are meeting on the field again. This time, it is not Rickman on the sideline coaching Neel, instead it is their two sons going head-to-head in one of the most deep-rooted rivalries in West Alabama when Gordo travels to Fayette County on Thursday night.

Rickman's son, Jake, is a freshman and the starting quarterback at Fayette County. So far this season, he has completed 77 of 143 passes for 895 yards and 12 touchdowns. Neel's son, Jase, is a junior and also the starting quarterback at Gordo, where has gone 48-for-86 on the season for 849 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The rivalry between Gordo and Fayette County started in 1984, when Gordo coach Waldon Tucker, who was at the helm of the Green Wave program for six years from 1978-1983 and won a state title in 1980, left and took the coaching job at Fayette County, where he stayed for 27 years, compiling a 230-95 record and winning the 1996 state championship.

"The rivalry is big between Gordo and Fayette County," Chris Neel said. "Coach Waldon Tucker, he used to coach at Gordo and then found success at Fayette. Since we have been at Gordo it's been a huge rivalry, but it has been that way for decades."

Jake and Jase know of each other, but do not know each other personally. They know what their dads have told them about their past, that Rickman coached Neel all those years ago, and now they are coming together in one of the area's biggest rivalries.

"(My dad told me) just that Mr. Rickman coached him and now his son is playing quarterback, that's about it," Jase Neel said. "I think it's pretty cool that it has gone from generation to generation, that his dad coached my dad and now we are playing against each other."

VOTE FOR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Vote now for your Tuscaloosa area athlete of the week, for the week of Oct. 6

TUSCALOOSA AREA TOP-10 RANKINGS: Alabama high school football: Tuscaloosa area top 10 rankings heading into Week 7

The matchup will have big playoff implications for both teams. Gordo is tied with Oakman for the No. 1 spot in 3A-Region 5 with a perfect 4-0 region record, while Fayette County sits in the No. 3 spot with a 2-1 region record. Gordo has won the last four matchups over Fayette County, including a 35-0 victory last season and a 27-0 victory in 2021.

"Our kids know the magnitude of the game and I think we also know it is kind of towards the end (of the regular season)," Gordo coach Gus Smith said. "It will pretty much be the region championship right there, and all of our kids know each other and keep up with each other so they know the magnitude of the game."

Both Rickman and Neel have older children. Alongside Jake, who is 15, Rickman has sons Brent, 28, and Brandon, 25, along with daughter Allie, 18. Brent and Brandon both played football at Fayette County, with Brandon also playing baseball and going on to play at Bevill State Community College. Neel has an older son Lawson, 21, who used to play football and baseball at Gordo and now plays baseball at Shelton State Community College.

Jake and Jase, though, are the first of their kids to compete against each other on the field. Thursday night will serve as a big contest between Gordo and Fayette County, but it will also serve as a full circle moment between Rickman and Neel, who have gone from the coach to player dynamic to now getting to watch their sons compete on one of the biggest stages in their high school careers. A lot has changed between the two over the years, but a lot has also stayed the same.

"(Seeing our kids compete) makes me feel old, I'll tell you that," Bill Rickman said. "His boys and mine too are a lot better athletes than we were. Time flies, it's been almost 30 years and it seems like it was yesterday. It is just weird seeing a kid you coach have kids of his own."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA football: From coach and player to now watching sons compete