FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Fairhope High School athletic director and head football coach David Faulkner officially accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse Tuesday in Enterprise.

Fairhope principal Dr. Beverly Thomas confirmed Faulkner’s resignation Tuesday and said the resignation is effective Jan. 2.

The City of Enterprise school system’s board offered him the head coaching job of the football Wildcats without any athletic directorship duties.

“It really was too good to refuse,” Faulkner said after returning from Enterprise. He had met with his Fairhope players Monday to break the news.

“That’s always the toughest part of this job. But coaching is a career. And it’s a career that involves changing jobs sometimes. This was a career decision and it’s also in the best interest of my family. They offered us substantially more money just to coach football. But we love Fairhope. Dr. Thomas has been a great principal from day one. We’re happy here, but opportunities like this don’t come along everyday. I believe Enterprise is definitely on the rise with tons of potential.”

The new Enterprise campus, rebuilt after the deadly and devastating EF4 tornado outbreak of March 1, 2007, has about 1,500 students and is growing.

“They have a long and proud tradition there,” he said. “They have not been so successful in recent years, but I believe we can turn things around and soon.”

Starting next year, The Wildcats will be in the same region — 6A Region 2 — as the Fairhope Pirates and as it turns out the two will face off in week two of the 2012 season at Fairhope Municipal Stadium.

“It will be kind of tough, coming back, but that’s part of what coaching as a career is about.”

Faulkner earned $58,140 as the head coach at Fairhope plus a $9,950 annual athletic director supplement which each Baldwin County AD receives.

“He did a great job here and we appreciate that,” Thomas said. “But that’s what happens when you do a great job. You get noticed. You get offers. It’s hard to compete with a city system like that. They have one school, one program. In a county system like ours, (seven high schools) you have to divide by seven. Plus he can concentrate on football there. The AD’s job can be a lot of work. So it is a win-win for him.”

Thomas said she hopes to have the position filled by February. She received 47 applications in 2009 after Mark Lasseter left.

Faulkner led Fairhope to a 28-9 overall record in his three seasons and a Region 2 title with a 10-0 regular-season run in 2009. He also continued the string of playoff appearances by the Pirates—now at 11 — started by Lasseter in 2000.

Enterprise finished 3-7 in Region 3 last year.