A Life Poured Into Purpose: Coach Welch Leaves Lasting Legacy on and off the Court

By Shelia Mader

In the small, tight-knit town of Malone, where basketball is more than a game, it's a heritage—few names have become as interwoven into the legacy of the orange and navy blue as that of Coach Steve Welch.

For the past 20 years, Welch has done far more than coach basketball at Malone School. He has served as a mentor, a teacher, a preacher, a father, and a husband, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His life, lived in the rhythms of faith, family, and fierce dedication to his community, has impacted generations of young athletes and townsfolk alike. And now, after two decades of coaching, Welch steps away from the court having cemented his place among the legends of Tiger Country.

A 1992 graduate of Malone School, Welch played basketball for six years in the very gym he would later call home as a coach. As a junior in 1991, he helped bring home one of Malone’s 14 state championships, an incredible legacy that dates back to the 1950s and has seen the Tigers make more Final Four appearances than some larger cities’ entire school districts.

“I was just a shooter,” Welch humbly recalled. “My sons? They can do a whole lot more on the court than I ever could.”

After high school, Welch took what he describes as a “non-traditional” college route, one that included time spent working various jobs, including on the farm, before ultimately earning his master’s degree. When the call to coach came, he answered not out of convenience, but out of calling.  “Doug Powell and Max Harkrider came to me and asked me to apply. Basketball had always been in my blood, and it just felt right. The rest is history.”

Welch’s first season as head coach came in 2005-06. Nine years later, in 2014, he led the Tigers to their 14th state championship, a poetic milestone as he had also been part of championship number eleven as a player.

“Winning that fourteenth championship was special,” Welch said. “To win it as a player and then again as a coach, it was special.”

But to Welch, the wins have never been the full measure of his success.

“The best thing about coaching is seeing kids learn how to navigate life. Basketball is just a tool. It's about learning to show up, work hard, and believe in something bigger than yourself.”

What makes Welch’s journey remarkable isn't just what he accomplished between the lines of a basketball court. It's the way he has lived his life wholly committed to his roles as a father, husband, and preacher. Even while coaching and teaching full-time, he has remained the faithful pastor of First Baptist Church of Malone.

“I never could have done it without Kelsey,” he said, referring to his wife. “She’s our steadying force. She’s kept us grounded. Coaching my sons would never have worked without her balance.”

Welch’s two sons, Jackson and Everett, have both followed in his basketball footsteps, though he’s quick to point out they’ve surpassed him in skill and potential.

“They’re better players than I was, and that makes me proud,” he said. “But more than that, they’re hard workers. They’re not genetic anomalies; they’ve earned what they’ve got.”

Jackson, having recently graduated, is walking on as a red shirt at Chipola College, where Welch hopes he will grow further under the guidance of Coach Donnie Tyndall.

“They take it seriously at Chipola. Jackson’s going to develop there. I’m excited for him.”

Everett, entering his junior year, has transferred to Dothan High School to face new challenges at a higher level of athletic competition. While the move was bittersweet, Welch sees it as a chance for growth.

“He’ll still be close,” Welch said. “We’re not going anywhere. We’ll be driving back and forth. I’ll still be preaching in Malone and staying connected to the community.”

When asked about the influences that shaped him, Welch is quick to name his mentors and peers—Coach John Ellerbee, Coach Matt Anderson, Coach Doug Powell, and Max Harkrider among them. But he speaks most fondly of Cottondale coach Chris Obert.

“Coach Obert and I have probably talked every day for 19 years,” Welch said. “We’ve been competitors, sure, but we’ve also been brothers in the profession. I admire him a lot.”

Malone’s gym is more than a building, it’s a sanctuary for the town. Year after year, fans pack into its small bleachers to watch their Tigers play, each game a communal event. For many in Malone, basketball is the lifeblood that binds generations together, and Steve Welch has been its beating heart.

Basketball brings this whole place together,” Welch reflected. “It’s a way of life here. It’s always been that way.”

Now, as he shifts his focus to family and ministry, the legacy he leaves behind isn't just trophies or titles, it’s the countless lives he’s helped shape.

Coach Steve Welch didn’t just coach basketball. He coached character. He coached perseverance. He coached life.

And in doing so, he became one of Malone’s finest sons, not just for what he did, but for who he is.

Thank you, Coach Welch, for living a life worth emulating, on and off the hardwood.