In 1983, he moved to Oneonta and then was hired at Fort Payne in 1984. He took over a program that only had one winning season in the past 14 years.While at Fort Payne his teams won 95 and lost 63, and the Wildcats made the playoffs five times. Jerry was elected by the coaches of Eighth District in 1986 to serve on the District Athletic Board. He also served 12 years on the Central Board of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. In 1997 he was selected to coach in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game. Jerry and his wife Connie have three children, Chris and Jenni Lynne. After 28 years of education, Jerry retired in 1999 to take a position as an insurance and securities broker with AIG.
