Tucker Peavey is coming home. The 40-year-old Brookhaven nativehas been named the new athletic director and head football coach atBrookhaven High School.

Peavey, hired to coach the Pearl River Community CollegeWildcats in January, decided to leave the Poplarville campus infavor of returning to Brookhaven. A 1980 BHS graduate, Peaveyreplaces Andrew Hickman whose contract was not renewed after oneyear at the helm.

Brookhaven Superintendent of Education Dr. Sam Bounds said hewas pleased to have Peavey on his staff. “I’m just delighted. He’sa quality young man. He will bring a lot of positive energy andinfluence to our educational community,”

Bounds said Peavey’s hiring was approved by the board lateThursday night after they had come out of executive session. “Wetook care of some other business matters after the executive partof our meeting. One of our board members didn’t leave until 12:20a.m.”

Before his hiring at Pearl River, Peavey coached several yearson the senior college level. His spent the last three years at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, serving as offensive linecoach. Prior to ULL, he was assistant head coach and offensive linecoach at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. During his stay inMonroe, the school achieved landmark wins over Kentucky,Mississippi State and Hawaii.

“I’m happy to be back in Brookhaven,” said Peavey. “I’m lookingforward to coaching my alma mater. I’ve always loved Brookhaven,the town and the people.”

His parents are Billy and Virginia Peavey, life-long residentsof Brookhaven.

Peavey began his full-time coaching career at Petal High Schoolunder both Rush McKay and Pat Davis before going to LSU in1988-1990 as a graduate assistant coach under Mike Archer where heworked exclusively with the offensive line.

He later became offensive coordinator at Itawamba CommunityCollege for one year under Mike Eaton. Following a brief stint asoffensive coordinator at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, La.,he joined the staff at Louisiana-Monroe

Peavey’s first taste of coaching came at Southern Miss, where heserved as a student assistant in 1983 and 1984 before earning hisB.S. in 1986. Prior to that, he played both football and baseballat Copiah-Lincoln Community College for two years after playingboth sports as a prep standout at BHS. He played football for LesBumgarner at Brookhaven.

He and his wife, the former Leah Ann of Holtslander of Natchez,are the parents of two children, daughter Lauren, 19, and sonNicholas, 9.

“My decision to accept a position at Brookhaven High School inno way reflects negatively on PRCC or anyone associated with thecollege,” said Peavey. “It is purely a family-based decision and anopportunity to go home that I cannot pass up. I apologize for thetiming.”

Hickman’s contract was not renewed during an April meeting ofthe Brookhaven School Board following a recommendation by Boundsand a 3-2 vote of the board. Hickman contested the non-renewal andparticipated in a 3-day due process hearing.

Last Thursday night, the board went into executive session toreview Hickman’s appeal and voted 5-0 not to renew hiscontract.