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Springwood School announced the hiring of former LaGrange High School head coach Steve Pardue as director of athletics and head football coach.

A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Coach Pardue played football at Christian County High School under KHSAA Hall of Fame coach Fred Clayton. Pardue played on the offensive line at

Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and got his master’s degree at West Georgia College in Carrollton.

Pardue’s coaching career began in 1985 at Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, in football and baseball. In 1986, Pardue coached at Albertville High School in Alabama before moving home to Kentucky as Head Football Coach at Crittenden County High School in Marion, Kentucky.

In 1991, Pardue moved to LaGrange, coaching outside linebackers at LaGrange High School. During his first season with the Grangers, they won the state championship and were declared national champions by USA Today. Pardue then coached the offensive line and was defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach in 1994.

At LaGrange High, Pardue also served as assistant athletic director and physical education department head while building a football program with a 78% winning percentage, eight region championships, and three state championships.

After LaGrange High School, Pardue coached football at the University of Kentucky, East Coweta High School in Sharpsburg, and LaGrange College before retiring in 2018.

“Pardue understands how to build a culture that teaches student-athletes how to achieve and perform at their highest level,” said Lowrie McCown, Springwood’s Head of School. “He will not only bring his attention to detail and his love for developing student-athletes, but he will focus on mentoring our entire coaching staff. We are excited that Coach Pardue has chosen Springwood School as his next opportunity to develop young men and women of impact.”

Pardue’s wife, Pam, teaches fourth grade at Springwood School. They have two children, Morgan Tomberlin, an administrative nurse at Emory Clark Holder Clinic, and Chas Pardue, a teacher and coach at Dunbar High School in Lexington, KY. They also have two grandchildren: Mason, eight years old, and Bennett, four years old. Coach Pardue will begin his tenure at Springwood School on Monday, March 21, 2022.