Ricky Seale was named to the 1972 honorable mention All-State team by the Birmingham News in 1972 as a quarterback at Thompson High School. Seale played in the Alabama All-Star Game in Tuscaloosa following his senior season.

Seale went on to earn his degree from Livingston where he was a three-time letterman on the football team (1974-77).

Seale served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Thompson High School, in 1980-81. He became the head football coach at Shelby County in 1982 where he led the Wildcat program for three seasons to a 17-17 record. His first team finished 1-9 but quickly rebounded to go 4-7 in his second season.

In 1984, the Wildcats finished the regular season undefeated before falling in the third round of the state playoffs. The team finished with a 12- record.

Coach Seale returned home in 1988 and accepted the head football job at Thompson. Over the next seventeen years he led the Warriors to six playoff appearances and twelve winning seasons. His overall record at Thompson was 96-81.

In the Spring of 2005, Thompson High School athletics director and head football coach Ricky Seale retired at the end of the school year to enter private business. Seale, 50, had been the Warriors' head football coach for the past 17 years. The Warriors were 6-4 in his last season, just missing a playoff berth.

Coach Seales overall football record stands at 113-98 with three of his teams winning area or region crowns.