Glencliff defensive coordinator Tate Thigpen promoted to football coach

Tate Thigpen likes a challenge.

He’ll get it as Glencliff’s next football coach.

Thigpen was named the Colts’ third coach in two seasons on Friday, replacing Scott Smith, who resigned this spring to move to East Tennessee. Smith replaced Brandon Easley, who resigned in December after six seasons.

Thigpen inherits a team that has lost 16 straight games and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. Glencliff is 6-44 since that season.

“To me, that’s what coaching is all about,” said Thigpen, 47, of the challenge of building Glencliff back into being a playoff contender. “There are a lot of people that wait for certain coaching jobs to open up.

“But really as a coach there is no greater challenge than taking it from square one and build it to what it needs to be.”

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This marks Thigpen’s first head coaching position. He was the Dickson County defensive coordinator this past season and had planned on filling the same position for Smith.

Thigpen is originally from Mississippi. He’s been an assistant at Antioch, Overton and Hillsboro as well as Lewisburg and New Albany in Mississippi.

Thigpen said he liked Glencliff’s international student demographic similar to what is at Overton.

“I really enjoyed being around that,” Thigpen said. “I felt like Glencliff would have that. And with coach Smith being there, I felt like I’d enjoy coaching with him.

“That and I wanted the opportunity to take a program that had been down for a while and rebuild it.”

Reach Tom Kreager at tkreager@tennessean.com and 615-259-8089 or on Twitter @Kreager.