What Columbus High School football fans can expect from their team’s new head coach
For the first time in 15 years, Columbus High School had to hire a new head football coach, but the man the administration selected is mighty familiar with the program.
During a news conference Wednesday in the school auditorium, CHS athletics director Chad Mathis announced the promotion of offensive coordinator Robert “Bob” Peters to head coach.
Peters, 46, succeeds Phil Marino, who plans to retire at the end of this school year.
In his acceptance speech, Peters thanked his family, the administration, coaches, players, parents, teachers and students for their support.
“Thank you for the opportunity to represent this school, the students, the football team and everything that Columbus High embodies,” he said.
Strive for improvement
The Blue Devils went 43-112 under Marino, including 1-9 in 2023. The Blue Devils had two winning seasons and two state playoff appearances with Marino: 8-5 and a first-round loss in 2015, then 7-5 and a second-round loss in 2018.
“I can’t guarantee wins,” Peters told reporters. “I can’t guarantee state titles. … But one thing that we are going to strive for is improvement.”
CHS is a total magnet school, meaning it doesn’t have an attendance zone and all of its students (1,131 as of October) can reside anywhere in Muscogee County. Students must apply to enroll in CHS and must pass an entrance exam, then maintain a certain level of academic and behavioral performance to remain at the school.
“Columbus High demands a lot,” Peters said, “and as a football program, we demand a lot. Just understanding that these young people are here for their education, and we’re lucky enough to be able to coach them, we just have to take advantage of the opportunities that we do have with them, even when Columbus High School pulls them everywhere else.”
U.S. News & World Report ranked CHS as the second-best public high school in Georgia for the third straight year in 2023. But excellence in athletics can be achieved along with academics, Peters insists.
“I just look forward to seeing these young men succeed,” Peters said. “I mean, they can succeed. I think if we can change their belief system and give them a firm foundation to build on, which I’m going to impress on them, there is a philosophy that they will follow. And if they can follow that philosophy, live by it and play by it, then we will be successful.”
Coach Peters’ philosophy
That philosophy is based on four core fundamentals: commitment, discipline, toughness and unity. Peters said the players can expect him to be stern but also showing them a lot of heart. And the CHS fans can expect a competitive team, he said.
“Our young men are going to go out and fight tooth and nail just like anybody else,” he said.
They also can expect their coaches to properly treat the players, Peters said.
“We have high standards for our coaches too,” he said.
Peters emphasized the need to grow the roster, which had 53 players at the end of last season.
“We need numbers,” he said. “There are a lot of players in this building that for some reason aren’t playing, and we need to find a way to get them on the football field.”
Coach Peters’ background
Peters joined the CHS coaching staff in 2010, first working with the defensive line. In 2012, he moved to offense. He previously coached at two other Muscogee County schools: Marshall and Double Churches middle schools.
At CHS, he chairs the physical education department and teaches physical conditioning and Advanced Placement psychology.
Peters earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and corrections from Auburn in 2000, a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Auburn in 2003, a master’s degree in sport and fitness administration and management from Troy University in 2010 and a specialist’s degree in physical education from Jacksonville State University in 2021.
He graduated from Wetumpka (Alabama) High School, where he played offensive guard and was selected for the all-metro, all-county and second-team all-state football teams.
Why Columbus High chose Coach Peters
The CHS selection panel, comprising Mathis, principal Sonya Allen and assistant athletics director Danielle McCoy, chose six candidates to interview out of approximately 25 applicants, Mathis said. He explained why the panel decided Peters is the best fit for the program.
“Absolutely, he stood out,” Mathis told reporters. “There were a number of candidates that we felt could come in and be the guy for us. But Coach Peters came in, did very well, spoke well, knows the program, and it’s my honor to have him part of our coaching staff.”
The administration “truly made the right decision,” Marino told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Peters has “incredible knowledge of the game,” Marino said, “and our players will continue to benefit from that knowledge. Bob has a great rapport with the players, and they truly respect him as a coach and a teacher. He will have high expectations and will get the best out of every player. Bob’s loyalty and hard work the past 13 years has been second to none.”
Peters praised Marino for the life lesson he taught by continuing to coach the Blue Devils while going through prostate cancer treatments.
“If I can take his perseverance and apply that to my life,” Peters said, “then hopefully that will reflect on the student athletes.”
CHS senior Joseph Baker, who played defensive line for the Blue Devils, also welcomes the promotion of Peters to head coach.
“I think it’s going to be a great change for the program,” Baker told the Ledger-Enquirer. “He’s a guy who likes to keep people together. He really focuses on the brotherhood . . . I think that’s something we struggled with last year. There wasn’t really the team bond that other teams have, that sense of excitement and joy when you play. But I also think he’s going to focus on the weightlifting and the eating, taking care of yourself outside of practice.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 9:03 AM.
