Former T.R. Miller Tiger athlete and coach Justin Marshall has recently joined first-year Escambia Academy head coach Hugh Fountain’s staff in Canoe.

Marshall, 24, is a 2006 graduate from T.R. Miller High School. A 2009 graduate of Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, Marshall then earned a degree from the University of West Florida in 2011.

“When I saw this opportunity at Escambia Academy I knew that this would be a great opportunity for me,” Marshall said. “After talking to coach Hugh Fountain about this job, I found him to have great knowledge of the game and it would be an honor to work under him. Under coach Fountain and the coaching staff at EA we hope to give them a fill for what it is like to be in a bigger football program. Coach Fountain has done a great job already hiring a new staff to help lead EA to a successful season.”

Involved in sports all his life, Marshall was involved in high school sports at T.R. Miller—something he says had a great impact on his life.

“Through coaching, I hope to be able  to have the same impact on developing student athletes,” Marshall said.

After coaching at T.R. Miller from 2009-2011 where he coached baseball and football under coach Jamie Riggs and coach Jim Hart, this past year Marshall coached at Dale County High School under Atmore native Jeff Torrence where he served as the defensive coordinator and head girl’s basketball coach.

“Being a part of T.R. Miller’s football program had a great impact on my life,” Marshall said. “All of the coaches at Miller were great mentors and I think that did influence me on becoming a coach. If I had the opportunity in the future to return to Miller as a coach that would be a great honor to carry on the tradition.”

While at Dale County, Marshall said it was a pleasure to work under Torrence—a connection that helped him get the job at EA.

“Coach Torrence was our head coach and was a mentor in all aspects of the game and working with student athletes,” Marshall said. “Coach Torrence gave me the opportunity to be the defensive coordinator where I gained valuable hands on experience. We had a very young team so we had a lot of adversity through the season, but we as a team learned to keep working hard and trying to get better week in and week out.”

While he is young in age and in his years in coaching experience, Marshall does have advice for those looking to coaching as a career.

“To someone who is pursuing a coaching career,  the advice I would give them would be to volunteer in sports that they are wanting to coach,” he said. “Also, being a referee would help them to learn the rules of the game or the sport that they are pursuing.”

At Escambia Academy Marshall will be teaching science in grades 8-12 along with having one PE class. He will also be the head softball coach.

“I am very excited for this opportunity,” he said.
Marshall is the son Bobby and Renee Marshall of Brewton and he is married to Jennifer Flowers Marshall.