After making history by coaching the final two seasons of Hopkinsville Tiger football, Dustin Lopez is making history once again. During a news conference Tuesday morning at the Christian County Board of Education offices, Christian County High School Executive Principal Ken Carver announced that Lopez had been selected to be the first head football coach for the Christian County Tigers when they take to the field for the first time in the Fall of 2026.
Carver pointed out that “He understands our traditions, our students, and the pride our community has in its athletic programs. His connection to our kids and his commitment to their success make him the ideal coach as we build a new legacy for Christian County. ”
Lopez is a Hopkinsville native whose football journey began as a standout player at Hopkinsville High School before continuing at Minnesota West Community College, where he earned Junior College All-American Honorable Mention honors.
He later transferred to the University of Memphis, starting in 18 of 31 games from 2004–2006. He then went on to play three seasons of arena football for multiple teams.
Lopez began his coaching career in Tennessee and was named the Metro-Nashville Assistant Coach of the Year by the Tennessee Tribune in 2015 and helped lead teams to numerous district, regional, and state playoff appearances.
Before being named head coach in February 2024, he spent ten years as an assistant with the HHS Tigers. Over the past two seasons, he helped guide the program to a 10–12 record. After a 1-9 finish the prior season, his first team went 3-7, just missing out on a spot in the playoffs.
This fall, the Tigers rebounded by going 7-5 and reaching the second round of the Class 6A playoffs, losing to state finalist South Warren. Hopkinsville was among the highest scoring teams in Class 6A and won 4 of the last 5 games to close out the season.
An emotional Lopez addressed a full room and spoke about the opportunity and moving forward to bring players from Hopkinsville and Christian County together to begin the new program.
