Building One Florence: Myra Miles begins role as FCS athletic director

FLORENCE, Ala. — For new Florence City Schools Athletic Director Myra Miles, returning to Florence feels like a full-circle moment.

A 1979 graduate of Bradshaw High School, Miles said coming back to Florence City Schools to lead Falcon Athletics was an easy decision. Before taking the role, she had also taught and coached at Coffee High School.

"I was at Coffee when they built the gym," she said. "It's been something; I really think this is a God thing, to be quite honest, that it just opened up and happened the way it did."

Miles said walking through the former Bradshaw building again brought back immediate memories.

"When I walked through The Dome the first time, I had flashbacks," she said. "I played ball here, and I immediately thought of Ms. Kennard and Joyce Tatum, who were my coaches, and just remembering all of the great teammates and classmates that I had, and all the wonderful teachers."

She added that memories of her past gave her a sense of reward, fulfillment, and Bruin pride.

Miles said that as athletic director, one of her priorities is reconnecting FCS alumni.

"I want them to get back involved," she said. "I've got a lot of friends that went to Coffee High School, and they're reaching out, along with Bradshaw, so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting more people involved in seeing what we're trying to do here."

With previous experience at Vestavia Hills and Hoover, Miles said she sees no reason Florence cannot become a leader in its new classification.

"They've changed the classifications to six classifications instead of seven. So we're going to be 5A, and we'll be the largest 5A in the state," she said.

Miles added that the goal will always be for Florence to be the best.

"We've got a few mountains to climb and get over, but we're going to get there," she said. "I'm looking forward to us really putting this thing on an upward trajectory."

For student-athletes, Miles said success begins in the classroom.

"I want our student-athletes to have every opportunity in the world to experience everything at the highest level," she said. "It's important to me for them, number one, to be great students in the classroom first and foremost, and our coaches have to make sure that we are making that message loud and clear."

She also wants students to have opportunities to travel and compete in major events that broaden their experiences beyond the game itself.

"I think you get better by playing tough competition," she said. "At the same time, I want our kids to have a great experience—to be able to experience and see the things that are going to help them down the road."

With any leadership change, Miles understands that culture can shift, and she said that culture matters just as much as wins.

"We got to have high energy in everything that we do," she said. "I'm not going to expect more out of any coach or child that I'm not willing to do myself."

And one way to improve culture, she said, is to strengthen support among student-athletes across all sports.

"Our focus is to develop a program to where everybody is supporting everybody," she said. "Not just us being a football school, or a track school, or a baseball, softball, or volleyball school."

She added that expectations for Florence student-athletes will remain high both on and off the field.

"Our kids are going to act right, look right, dress right, talk right," she said. "Our expectations are going to be extremely high."

Miles continued that her goal of Florence being the best applies across several areas.

"There's no reason with us being the only public high school in this city that we can't excel in everything—academics, athletics, arts, everything," she said. "There is no excuse. We just have to build and work together."

Miles said building the culture starts with visibility and involvement from coaches and administrators throughout the community.

"My expectation of our coaches is to get in the community—be in the elementary schools, be in the middle school, be out in the community, be seen doing the right thing," she said. "That's the only way we can build it."

As she begins her first year in the new role, Miles said she is grateful for the opportunity.

"I'm really looking forward to it," she said. "I feel very blessed to have been hired by this superintendent, board, and principal, and I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity and look forward to us moving this thing forward."

With deep roots in both Bradshaw and Coffee history, Miles now steps into the future with Falcon Athletics and a clear vision for what "One Florence" can become.

By Jeremy Jackson