Elba taps Marc Sieving as new football coach

Elba High School announced on Tuesday, Feb. 18, the hiring of longtime Enterprise High School and Dauphin Junior High football coach Marc Sieving as its next head football coach.

Sieving – who played at EHS under legendary coach Bill Bacon – has spent the past 21 years as a coach in Enterprise. Sieving spent time at Enterprise High as a defensive line coach, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator before taking over as Dauphin Junior High’s head football coach in 2014.

At Dauphin, Sieving’s teams went 46-7 and won the South Alabama Football League (aka Wiregrass Conference) Championship in four of his six seasons there. That includes a 6-0 season and conference championship this past season.

“I understand and have a lot of respect for the history and tradition of this town, this school and this football program,” Sieving said to the Elba School Board after being hired. “I understand what the expectation is. I know you want to win and want to win state championships, and that’s why I wanted the job.”

While Sieving has spent his entire coaching career in Enterprise, he said that it wasn’t a difficult decision to make the move across the county to Elba.

“It wasn’t really difficult,” he flatly said. “I appreciate all of my years there and everyone I’ve had the opportunity to work with (there) but I feel like I’m ready for this and this is my focus now and what I’m excited to do.

“I’ve worked with some great people and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me and helping me and they’re all supporting me now. I’ll definitely continue to lean on them in the future.”

Sieving said that the opportunity to coach with great football minds like Bacon, Kevin Collins, David Faulkner, Buck Hanson and Rick Darlington has helped meld him into the coach he is.

“They’re the roots that I owe everything to,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some really good coaches over the years and I’ve picked different things from them and that’s how I’ve come up with the program I’m going to run.

“I’ve always wanted to do this ever since I played football. It’s always been a goal of mine and to have an opportunity to do it at a place like (Elba) is a blessing.”

A number of Elba players and assistant coaches stood near the entrance at the board meeting and after Sieving thanked his family and the school board, he turned his attention to his new players.

“I assume some of those guys back there are players and I cannot wait to get after it with you guys,” he said to the players. “I look forward to meeting all of y’all and getting to work.”

Sieving was selected out of a field of nearly 50 candidates and it was character that stood above everyone else, according to Elba Superintendent Chris Mosley.

“We had several great candidates but when we looked at the overall picture – not just thinking about winning and losing football games – what he was already doing and has done at Enterprise is something we felt like we needed here,” Mosley said. “I want to win football games just like everyone in the community here does.

“My expectations are for him to do his best to win as many football games as he can but to also make sure he’s taking care of the character of our kids and make sure that they’re great young men when they leave here, too.”

While Sieving’s oldest children – McCain and Madison – will finish out their senior years at Enterprise, his youngest Ty will be heading to Elba next year. Sieving will immediately take over duties at Elba in March, however.

While it’s still early in the process Sieving said that he’s excited to get started at Elba and plans to continue working with the coaches already on staff.

“I’m looking to work with the guys that are here,” he said. “My No. 1 goal is to come in here and get our offense and defense going. Their coaches have done a great job of keeping things going since the last coach left.”