St. Pius hires football coach
St. Pius hired Pope defensive coordinator Adam Pullen as head coach Wednesday.
Pullen coached the previous eight seasons at Westminster under coach Gerry Romberg, who retired after the 2023 season. Pullen is from Haralson County, where his father, Randy Pullen, was a football coach for 20 years.
St. Pius did not renew former coach Chad Garrison after five seasons. Garrison’s teams were 31-25 overall and 6-4 last season, when the Lions missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Garrison had been a longtime assistant to former St. Pius coach Paul Standard, who is now Gilmer’s coach.
“Change is often difficult, but change can also be exciting,” St. Pius athletic director Joe McCurdy said in a statement. “The difficult part is over. And excitement is exactly the emotion I will feel from now through kickoff next season. We left no stone unturned in our search, knowing we had to move both quickly yet slow enough to make the right choice for our future. We’ve found that future in Adam.”
St. Pius said the job drew nearly 100 applicants.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
