- Robby Pruitt was hired as the football coach at Union County (Lake Butler) last Wednesday, returning to lead a program he once coached to three straight Class 3A state titles from 1994 to 1996.
- Pruitt chose Union County over opportunities in Georgia due to financial benefits and personal ties, as two of his sons were raised there.
- He became the first high school football coach to win 200 games in two different states and holds a 413-101-1 career record over 42 seasons.
When Robby Pruitt was hired as the next football coach at Union County (Lake Butler) last Wednesday, it didn’t take long for my mind to ponder.
With former Union County football coach Andrew Thomas now at Dixie County (Cross City), will we see an Andrew Thomas vs. Robby Pruitt matchup this fall?
Not according to Dixie County Athletics Director John Thomas, who “pretty much had the schedule for the next two years already set.”
But both schools left the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) for the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA), so it’s certainly possible the two could meet in the SSAA playoffs.
While most people felt like Pruitt’s move to Lake Butler was inevitable, the FHSAA Hall of Fame coach had a couple of opportunities to return to Georgia.
“It’s not a secret to anyone that this (Lake Butler) is a special place, but from a financial standpoint, I had to try to do what was best for me, too,” said Pruitt, who made his decision based on the opportunity to draw a full retirement in the state of Florida versus a partial in Georgia. “From a monetary standpoint, it made sense.”
His intentions were to go back to Georgia, but in the end, he felt it was the right situation.
“Union County was my home,” he said. “Two of my three boys pretty much got raised there and brought up there a lot of their childhood. I’ve got a lot of good memories and a lot of good friends still, and it just felt the best for me.”
He returns to lead a program that won three straight Class 3A state titles under his direction from 1994 to 1996.
“Union County has a proud tradition and rich history of championship football dating back to the 1940s,” said Union County Quarterback Club President Aaron Dukes. “Many state championship-winning head coaches have coached in Union County, but in Lake Butler, when we hear the name Robby Pruitt, we remember the elite-level powerhouse program of the 1990s. Those days may be in the past, but we know our best days are yet to come.”
Pruitt’s state championship teams in the 90s also set a then-state record with 52 straight wins.
“The kids, when I was there, were some of the best kids I’ve ever coached, some of the toughest, some of the hardest working kids,” he said. “I don’t know how it is now, but when I was there, the parents expected the same thing. If you had a problem with a kid, the parent was right there behind you.”
He said you don’t win without players.
“It’s not about developing anymore, it’s about gathering, and back in those days it wasn’t like that, it was about developing,” Pruitt said. “We didn’t have any kids that weren’t from Lake Butler. They were close-knit and grew up together. It was just kids that bought into the program and worked hard. I started most of them when they were in ninth grade and they won a state championship as sophomores, juniors and seniors.”
Pruitt, who also won four state football championships at University Christian (Jacksonville) in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1992, won seven state titles in Florida before leaving for Georgia in 2000.
In the Peach State, he led Fitzgerald to the Class 3A final in 2000 and Coffee to the 6A championship game in 2017.
He returned to coaching in Florida and turned around a Williston program that was just 1-8 the previous season by going undefeated during the regular season in his first year.
In his four seasons, he finished 39-9 with a pair of regional final appearances and one trip to the state semifinals. He won his 400th career game last year against Trinity Catholic (Ocala).
This past September, Pruitt reached a national milestone by becoming the first high school football coach in the country to win 200 games in two different states.
He holds a 413-101-1 career record over 42 seasons.
“Coach Pruitt’s résumé is unmatched, and we are excited to see the energy Coach Pruitt will bring back to Union County,” Dukes said. “The Quarterback Club and our business partners are prepared to continue to assist our school district in much-needed facilities upgrades and will continue to show why Union County High School is one of the best high school football coaching jobs in all of the Sunshine State.”