New University of Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt made reference to his father, Dale, being a coach and to being raised in nearby Rainsville, Ala
He also mentioned being an elementary school physical education teacher at Fort Payne, also not far from Chattanooga.
Although it was not mentioned at the press conference, his father also coached at one Tennessee high school very near Chattanooga — Marion County High School.
In 2004-05, Dale Pruitt was the head coach of the Warriors.
According to one longtime follower of Marion County High, he was probably the most successful coach between Ken Colquette and coach Ricky Ross, who was there in 2014 and 2015.
Dale Pruitt was also the head coach at Pisgah High from 1982-83, at Plainview High in Rainsville in DaKalb County, Ala., from 1984-2000 and 2006-14; at Fort Payne High from 2001-03; and at Albertville High in Alabama from 2015-present.
While Dale Pruitt was serving as head coach of Fort Payne High, Jeremy was his assistant and taught elementary school.
Jeremy Pruitt played quarterback for his father at Plainview and then attended Middle Tennessee State University and became a defensive back under Boots Donnelly. He transferred to Alabama and played on the 1995 and 1996 teams.
In the 1995 game at Birmingham’s Legion Field, Tennessee broke a 10-year drought in the rivalry with several scores early under quarterback Peyton Manning and won 41-14. In the 1996 Tennessee-Alabama game at Neyland Stadium, running back Jay Graham broke loose on a 79-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to give the Vols a 20-13 win. Both games are considered among the more memorable for Tennessee in the series.