NEWPORT-The search for Cocke County's next football coach has ended with the hiring of Tusculum College assistant football coach Caleb Slover.

Slover becomes the 14th coach in Cocke County High School history. He recently emerged in a near two-month search process to replace Greg Hacker, who resigned in late November before he was terminated from his coaching position.

Hacker went 9-21 in three seasons at Cocke County, including leading the program to its first playoff berth in nine years during the 2011 campaign.

Slover, who most recently served Tusculum College as its running backs coach and director of football operations on head coach Frankie Debusk's staff, interviewed as recently as last week for the job and toured campus facilities on January 23.

Slover was a seven-year assistant coach for Debusk at the Tusculum College, where he is a member of the school's athletic Hall of Fame.

Slover, a native of Lake City, Tenn., played quarterback for the Pioneers from 2000-01 where he established a number of then school records for the Pioneers. In two seasons at Tusculum, Slover threw for 4,973 yards and 34 touchdowns and was an All-South Atlantic Conference selection in 2001.

Following his collegiate playing days, he played three seasons in the Arena Football League 2. He returned to Tusculum as an admissions counselor in 2005 and has been on the coaching staff since.

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