The search for a new Ardmore High football coach is over.

The Limestone County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to hire Clint Legg as Ardmore’s new football coach.

Legg, a former Ardmore assistant, replaces Shannon Brown, who resigned last month to take an administrative position in Madison County. With a young team that started several freshmen and sophomores, Ardmore finished the 2012 season 5-5, just missing the Class 4A playoffs.

Legg, an 18-year veteran football coach, had stints as an assistant coach at Ardmore, Tanner, Sheffield, Hazel Green, East Limestone, Lee-Huntsville and Giles County (Tenn.).

“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” said Legg, a 1987 Clements graduate. “I’ve got to give props to a lot of great guys who I’ve coached with who helped get me to this point. Guys like Jimmy Don Nave, Mike Nave, David O’Conner, Chris Tucker, Don Thomas, John Meadows and Jeff Pugh, they all helped prepare me for this experience.”

Legg spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Ardmore. Now that he is a head coach, Legg said his football philosophy will not change.

He said Ardmore will play a physical brand of football, one that begins with a strict offseason program in the weight room.

“We’re going to get to work immediately,” he said. “Winning begins in the weight room, and one of the things I love about Ardmore is that we have great facilities and strong support from the community and boosters.

“Being familiar with the kids helps. I believe we’ve got some good football players coming up through the system. There is a lot of promise here at Ardmore.”

East Limestone coach Jeff Pugh, who worked with Legg at Hazel Green before bringing him on as an assistant during his first two years at East Limestone, said his former co-worker will “do an outstanding job” at Ardmore.

“This has been a long time coming for Clint,” Pugh said. “If anybody deserves this shot, it’s Clint. He’s going to work those kids hard and he will do an outstanding job with their football program. You can mark my words on that.”