Muscle Shoals names Darden head football coach

For the first time since 2007, the Muscle Shoals Trojans football team will take to the gridiron this fall without head coach Scott Basden leading the way.

Basden, who spent 26 years with the Trojans and turned them into a Class 5A/6A powerhouse, announced his retirement earlier this year.

While the Muscle Shoals City School Board had to look for a new head football coach for the first time in almost 20 years, the group did not have to look very far.

After Basden announced his retirement, then Superintendent Chad Holden released a statement congratulating Basden on his career and stating how the program would be moving forward.

“The search for our new head football coach begins immediately,” Holden said. “Offensive Coordinator Michael Darden will assume duties as interim head coach. We will conduct a thorough and timely search process focused on finding the right leader to build on our strong foundation.

“While the process will be deliberate, I do not anticipate it being prolonged. We are committed to providing clarity for our players, coaching staff, and community as soon as possible.”

Holden was correct in his estimate of how long the coaching search would take.

Less than a month later, interim head coach Darden was officially announced as the Trojans’ next head coach during a special-called meeting of the school board on March 3.

Darden has spent the last five seasons as the Trojans’ offensive coordinator.

During that time, the team has scored a combined 2,298 points for an average of 37.6 points per game in Class 6A play.

This includes two trips to the state semifinals, meaning both years the Trojans were among the top four teams in the state in their class.

“I want to assure our community that the program is in good hands,” Basden said in his retirement statement. “It remains steady, focused, and will be ready to compete at a high level next fall.”

Darden has been coaching for 18 years with previous assignments in Oxford and Arab.

“We are excited to support Michael, his wife Taylor, and their entire family as we move forward into the next stage of the program,” the Muscle Shoals football account posted to social media.