‘Family has always been important to me’: Athens football head coach shares what it’s like to coach & work with his sons

ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) — For many, family is everything.

But for Athens football head coach Cody Gross, those words have a very literal meaning.

When he puts on his and hat and grabs his whistle, he doesn’t say goodbye to his family at home.

Instead, he says hello to them at the Athens Football Field.

Cody gross has been a head coach for over a decade, the majority of that time he’s been at the helm of the Athens golden eagles program.

His oldest son Peyton has been roaming the Athens sidelines with his dad for nearly every season.

When Cody’s second son Braden decided to suit up and hit the gridiron in high school….his dad was also his head coach.

And after Braden hung up the cleats, he went to college.

But the Athens sideline ..,and dad.. were never far from his thoughts.

So, Braden joined his father and brother on the Golden Eagles coaching staff three seasons ago.

Now, Cody’s third and youngest son Brogan is in his senior season and will soon leave the gross nest.

It’s safe to say it’s kind of a family affair over in Athens, and when it comes to coaching his own children, Cody’s tried to treat them like any other player.

“I asked, brogan when he was going in the ninth. Right. If he was ready for me to coach him. And he his response told me a lot. He said, I don’t know. Are you going to coach me like you did Jordan Scott? Are you going to coach me like you did Braden,” said Cody.

“It was no joke,” said Braden.

“It was a challenge for sure. But, looking back on it, you know, he had my best interest at heart, for sure. He just wanted me to fulfill my potential.”

“He didn’t want it to seem like it was any kind of special treatment. So, I think he went a little over the top with that to him and just really made sure there was no special treatment. I think he’s got a little bit of a brogan. He’s still he demands more of him probably than anybody, added Peyton.

“Brogan got it easy let’s just put it that way,” joked Braden.

But in hindisight, Cody sees that maybe he was a little too intense coaching his second son.

“Looking back on, I was too hard on Braden and, they thought I was. They still think I love Jordan Scott more than I love my sons,” joked Cody.

Brogan, Cody’s youngest son, put it best when he said that when a Gross boy is born…”your born with a ball in your hand.”

So it may be strange to learn that they don’t talk ball under their own roof.

“I don’t talk about football at home,” said Cody, “I kind of wanted to leave it up to them. You know, and I think there needs to be separation, you know, I don’t know. I didn’t want to be on them all the time.”

Brogan’s reasons for not talking ball at home were v ery simple.

“I just kind of wanted to have him as a dad. We can talk about football here, and I like talking about football, but at home, it’s a nice time to just relax because you don’t need to be talking about it all the time,” said Brogan.

If you’ve ever seen a Golden Eagles game first hand, then you know that Coach Gross is a pretty passionate guy.

As time has passed, his sons have noticed that Cody has loosened up a little bit.

“He has a lot more patience just in everyday life, I think. And I don’t know, I feel like that’s the main thing. He’s growing in that way, just having more patience and then having grandchildren now, too. He’s definitely getting softer and softer as the year goes by,” said Braden.

“He’s not going to like you calling him soft,” joked Peyton.

“e’s not a scary guy all the time. He’s pretty soft. Don’t tell him I said that,” added Brogan, slightly worried his dad may here him.

Your secret is safe with me Brogan, but I think Coach Gross knows that he’s softened over the years, especially now as his youngest son is approaching his final game in a Golden Eagles uniform.

“You know, you coach all these years, and you don’t coach your son and you coach him, and then there’s there is life after that. And, I’m sure it’LL be different, but. And I just love football. I love like, I get I love our team. I love having a team,” said Cody, “I hope this chapter lasts for a while, but once it ends and we’re on to the next chapter, I gotta on long enough to coach my grandsons.”

Cody has coached for years, and he also played the game at the high school and collegiate leve.

So, to have his entire family basically be apart of the Athens program means the world to him.

“Man, I am a blessed man,” sighed Cody

“Family’s always been important to me. I had a great mom and dad and great unbelievable grandparents. My sister across the board, and I got the greatest wife in the world, the mother of our children. And now we’ve got grandchildren and a wonderful daughter in law with three sons….I don’t know why the good lord blessed me like you did. Sure. I’m grateful.”

As for this chapter of Athens football, Cody gross and his sons will continue their quest to return to the playoffs.

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