Tim Vakakes introduced as new Spain Park football coach
Spain Park High School’s new football coach is emphasizing a culture of discipline and toughness.
Tim Vakakes, who was introduced as the new head coach of the Jaguars’ football program at a Hoover school board meeting Dec. 14, said the priorities for his program begin with the weight room, where he hopes to build that toughness and discipline.
“That’s where the culture of a football program is created,” he said. “I don’t think you can base a culture off anything but that. That’s where you buy in. That’s where you work. It hurts. It’s not fun. But the results give them a sense of ownership.”
Vakakes spent the past nine years as the head coach at Jackson-Olin, where he compiled a 49-45 overall record and three playoff appearances, reviving a largely dormant program over the previous 15 years.
“I wasn’t going to up and leave J-O just to go anywhere,” Vakakes said. “When you get a chance to work with [Spain Park Principal] Larry Giangrosso and [Athletic Director] Patrick Kellogg, guys who share the same beliefs and are going to give you everything you need, it’s hard to say no to that.”
He takes over at Spain Park following the resignation of Shawn Raney, who was the head coach there for nine years. Raney compiled a 54-43 overall record, leading Spain Park to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons. During Raney’s time at Spain Park, the program saw some of its best days. Raney led the Jags to the Class 7A state championship game in 2015, finishing that year with a 12-2 record and to date the program’s only two victories over crosstown rival Hoover.
But over the past four seasons, the Jags were unable to achieve another winning record, slipping to a 2-8 mark this fall.
“Spain Park is a place that has shown it can win and win big and compete for championships at the biggest classification of football,” Vakakes said.
During his nine seasons at Jackson-Olin, Vakakes led the Mustangs to the state playoffs three times. Jackson-Olin advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs this fall, winning a postseason game for the first time since 1997.
Jackson-Olin was no stranger to the playoffs in the 1980s and 1990s, but the Mustangs had not achieved a winning season or postseason berth since 1999 when Vakakes took over in 2013. After winning eight total games in his first three seasons, he led the Mustangs to an 8-3 season and a playoff appearance in 2016.
The Mustangs posted a perfect 10-0 regular season in 2018 and won the program’s fourth region title. After consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, Jackson-Olin won nine games in 2021 and made it to the second round.
“Nine years later, I feel like we did it the right way,” Vakakes said. “I can lay my head down at night knowing we gave our best to those kids and loved them and did it right. It was hard leaving.”
Prior to Jackson-Olin, Vakakes was an assistant for one season at McAdory following 11 years as an assistant to his father, Jim, at Fairfield. Vakakes played for Bob Newton at Homewood and was on the 1995 state championship team. He graduated from Homewood in 1998 and from Auburn University in 2002.