E.G. Green stays loyal to Destin, turns down Fort Walton Beach football
FORT WALTON BEACH — When E.G. Green found out Tuesday he’d been selected as the next head football coach at Fort Walton Beach High, the former All-American at Florida State University and NFL alumnus called it “a dream come true, a full-circle moment.”
“My dad (FWB Hall-of-Famer Ernie) was at Fort Walton Beach for 30-something years and always wanted to be head coach,” said Green, who helped lead the 1991 Vikings football team to a 39-14 win over St. Thomas Aquinas for the 4A state championship. “It was a surreal moment being told I was hired to be just that.”
Only the decision wasn’t so cut and dried.
To Green, his loyalties didn’t rest with his alma mater. Instead they were with Destin High, which gave Green flexibility, freedom and the financial stability he saw fit to operate the program. That’s why he’s staying at Destin, ready to finish what he started three years ago as the Sharks embark on their first football season with FHSAA postseason eligibility.
“After much prayer and reflection, I wholeheartedly believe that my mission at Destin High School is to continue building the football program that I founded into a legacy football program,” Green released through a statement from Destin High School. “I made a commitment to the young men and women at Destin High to continue laying the foundation, and I am excited to see the program grow into something the Destin community can be proud of for generations to come.”
Green’s coaching chops have taken him all over Florida — Freedom High as offensive coordinator, American Heritage Plantation as wide receivers coach, IMG Academy as the offensive coordinator, offensive coordinator at Booker T. Washington under Charlie Ward, and the latest Destin’s first-ever head coach beginning with its inaugural year in 2022.
At Destin, Green has ushered in a series of firsts for the upstart program: first win (28-21 over North Bay Haven in just its second game ever) and first winning season, the Sharks going 7-3 in just his second year. The transfer portal — all-area quarterback Hugh Boudreaux left for Choctaw — and lack of FHSAA playoff eligibility hindered the program’s progress in 2024 as the Sharks went 1-8, but FHSAA eligibility this season should only help Green’s crew rebound this season.
“I love Destin and I love what we’ve built,” Green said. “Destin is a great community filled with great people, great parents, great kids and great fans. It’s grown into something special.”
As Green was building a program, Bobby Clayton was hired at Fort Walton Beach in 2023. The Gulf Breeze native went 8-12 over the last two seasons as the Vikings took Niceville and Navarre off the schedule and focused on setting up a schedule full of winnable games. Neither resulted in playoff bids.
Whomever is the next Fort Walton Beach head coach will look to bring stability to a program that’s gone through five head coaches in 10 years and will welcome a sixth before spring football.
Following Mike Owens’ 15-year tenure, Tommy Johnson’s run lasted just a season after failing to pass teaching certification requirements. Phil Dorn went 9-29 over the next four seasons, and then Chip Petree began his three-year tenure promisingly with a 2-1 start to the pandemic-ravaged 2020, but closed with a 1-22 stretch. That set the stage for Clayton, whose promise of being competitive didn’t land the Vikings any playoff trips. His departure for Pensacola Catholic earlier this year surprised no one.
It was Mike Owens who led the Vikings to their last true playoff trip in 2012, although in 2020 the pandemic made playoff admittance automatic for every team. Owens won four district titles (2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009), made the region finals in 2004 and 2008, advanced to the playoffs nine times and finished with an 81-76 record.
Only time will tell if the next hire can right the ship and return to those days.
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