Coached by former Auburn standout, Alabama team snaps 101-game losing streak

One of the nation’s longest losing streaks in high school football ended Friday night.

Columbia High School, out of Huntsville, Alabama, had lost 101 games in a row. Coached by former Auburn star receiver Sammie Coates, Columbia defeated Greensboro (Alabama) 41-14 in its season opener, giving the team its first win since October 2015.

“This is amazing,” Coates said to AL.com after the win. “I’m glad these kids are experiencing it. This is a great experience for them. Now they can go see what it feels like, and now we can add to it.

Coates, a third-round NFL draft pick in 2015, was hired in January 2025. The team went 0-10 in his first season.

Gus Malzahn, who coached Coates at Auburn, posted on X saying: “Bigtime proud of you @sammiecoates11″

According to a 2024 MaxPreps report, Columbia’s run was the longest all-time losing streak. Glascock County in Georgia claimed the second-longest streak all time at 82 (1990-1999).

However, MaxPreps writer Kevin Askeland has since clarified that Red Lake (Minnesota) has lost 150 in a row since 1999, though that team has gone years without fielding a team, playing 9-man football or other variations of a full varsity schedule.