Clearing a Path: JHS’s Bailey relies on faith, family, and football

Words by Thomas Ingle | Images by Ryan McGill and Al Blanton

Philip Bailey lost his mother to COVID-19 on Thursday, September 16, 2021. That following Monday, she was buried in a quiet ceremony in Birmingham. Only a few hours later, Bailey was back at football practice.

"I didn't know what else to do," he said.

Some might see this as cold or unfeeling, but people often grieve in different ways. It was a difficult moment, so Bailey went to a familiar place. The football field was like home, and the players were family. Instead of retreating into darkness, Bailey used football as a light to guide him through.

A Birmingham native, Bailey, and his family moved to the plains of Auburn, Alabama, when he was just a baby. His passion for sports slowly started to catch fire during this time. While growing up, he played football and baseball throughout high school until he graduated from Lee-Scott Academy in 2005.

After graduation, Bailey attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, and played football under head coach Mike Turk, offensive line and strength coach Charlee Goodyear, and receivers coach Mike Rader. These coaches would have a significant impact on his life.

"I have always said that if I could ever do for other people what those guys did for me, I would be doing good," Bailey said.

Bailey graduated from Huntingdon in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Coaching Education. He then moved on to Georgia Southern University, where he received a Master's in Sports Management and served as a Graduate Assistant (GA) from 2009-2010.

By that time, Rader had become the head coach at Maryville College (TN) and soon turned to his pupil to fill the position of offensive coordinator and strength and conditioning director. This was an enjoyable time where Bailey had much success, married his wife Molly, and had two of his three children, Cooper and Wallace.

After five years at Maryville, Bailey moved on to Eufaula High School, where he spent one year as the team’s offensive coordinator. He left in 2018 to join Jasper High School as offensive coordinator under then-head coach Bryan Moore. He became Vikings’ head coach in 2020.

Through the years, Bailey has developed a holistic philosophical approach to coaching where the players are grown physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This was influenced largely by Rader, who gave Bailey a shot when he was only 24 years old and helped build his coaching philosophy. At the end of their high school experience, Bailey wants his players to be "young men that are good husbands, good fathers, that are productive members of their community, that are people of character, that are people of substance. Those things are going to last you a lot longer than football."

A significant point in his philosophy is getting the player to grow spiritually. Bailey's faith is essential to him, and he has fond memories of attending church with his family every Sunday while he was growing up. Though he was distant from the church during college and graduate school, living life how he wanted to, two people helped bring him back to the church. The first was Rader, a strong man of faith; the second was Molly, who has had a tremendous influence on him due to her substantial personal faith.

“God placed both of them in my life for a reason, and they are glowing examples of Christ’s love,” said Bailey.

After his mom's passing, Bailey would lean on his faith, family, and community more than ever. "The love that surrounded us engulfed us, my family, and me during that time, from the people in this room, building, and the people in this community will always mean a great deal to me," Bailey said. "God is God, my ways are not His, and my thoughts are not His. He is the Sovereign King in control of all things."

This July, just on the verge of Bailey’s third season as head coach of the Vikings, Philip and Molly welcomed their third child, Beau. This newest addition has provided joy in the midst of a difficult season for the family.

This season, the Vikings (0-1) have moved from 6A to 5A classification, but Bailey believes the team is competing in the toughest region at that level. The Vikes face rival Cullman this Friday at Oliver Woodard Stadium in Cullman.

Just as Bailey once cut a path as a star offensive lineman, the ideals of faith, family, and football have cleared the way for him to overcome the loss of his mother. And these are the things that give him the strength to push forward. 78