On Monday, Meridian High School football coach John Douglass announced that he is stepping down as head coach after four seasons leading the Wildcats.

Douglass said he made the decision to step down because he did not feel the Wildcats’ program had made the progress that he had hoped for and that Meridian High School deserves.

He led Meridian to a 4-5 record in 2022. The Wildcats missed out on the playoffs this season after going 3-4 in Region 3-6A. They never made a playoff appearance under Douglass.

“Tough decision, but I just felt like it might be time for something different for me and for Meridian High School,” Douglass said. “There’s a chance that I could coach again.”

He played for Meridian’s 1985 state championship football team as an offensive lineman before graduating in 1987. He then went on to coach at Meridian as an assistant in 1993 and 1994.

Douglass came back to Meridian from Northeast Lauderdale, where he led the Trojans to a 7-5 record in his only season as head coach, prior to the 2019 season.

“It was literally a dream come true,” Douglass said. “The fact that I was from Meridian and I played at Meridian even made it more special for me. So, I couldn’t have been happier for the opportunity.”

School officials are currently searching for Meridian High’s next football coach. A press release stated their goal is to have a new coach hired by March 2023.

“I would like to thank Coach Douglass for everything he and his coaching staff have done for the Wildcat football program,” Meridian High athletic director Cheyenne Trussell said in the press release.