Two coaches turned a chapter in their lives this week, and it seems fitting that they do.

Luverne head football coach Mike DuBose closed out his 25th year within the state of Alabama school system and is going back into the college ranks as a defensive coordinator. Meanwhile a fellow coaching colleague, Ronnie Cottrell, is getting back into the high school ranks for the first time in almost 20 years.

The two have taken different paths in their lives, but they also are embattled former University of Alabama coaches who were either fired or forced to resign from the Capstone. The two have a history since they coached at Alabama during DuBose's head coaching stint, which netted the Crimson Tide their latest and 21st Southeastern Conference championship in 1999.

They have had to deal with their own trials and tribulations, but now they are finally moving forward.

If the two men's futures are destined to be alike, then Cottrell could be in for quite a rewarding return.

DuBose spent a winless season at Northview High School in Dothan before coming to Luverne

to lead the Tigers to a state finals berth. In just two seasons DuBose not only put Luverne on the map by just being there, but the state certainly took notice of the caliber of players a DuBose-coached team had.

Cottrell, who is a Brewton native, now gets a chance to revamp a program that has gone through some tough times.

Carroll-Ozark struggled to a 4-6 mark last season under former coach Bobby Bennett. Should history repeat itself, Carroll should be bound for the playoffs in two years.

When Cottrell was named head coach at Flomaton in 1985, he led the Hurricanes to a 6-5 record and a berth in the state playoffs. For the next two seasons, Flomaton completed the regular season undefeated before being bounced from the playoffs.

Cottrell said he had tried for the last four years to get back into the college coaching ranks but "that door was closed."

That door was closed for DuBose, too.

Three years later, DuBose is back in college football albeit at the Division III level at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.

Could it be that in three years we may see that Cottrell is back in the college coaching ranks?

History tends to repeat itself. For Cottrell's and Carroll's sake, let's hope it does.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. You may e-mail him at kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com or call (334) 382-3111 ext. 122.