Vernon Wells grew up in Moss Point, Mississippi and attended the local high school that at the time was a powerhouse in the state. He played quarterback at the University of Southern Mississippi, earning three varsity letters and graduating in 1949.

Wells began and ended his head coaching career at Albertville with stops in between at Butler, Fort Payne and Rainsville, resulting in a 37-year record of 211 wins, 135 losses and 11 ties.

He accepted the head coaching position at Albertville in 1949 where he remained for five seasons. His 1953 team finished the season with a 7-2-1 record and was named State Champions by the Birmingham News for Class AA District 4. Wells moved over to Butler for three years beginning in 1954.

In 1958 he took the head job at Fort Payne where his 1964 team won the Class 3A State Championship. He left Fort Payne following the 1967 season for Plainview. His five teams at Plainview all had winning records.

His final stop during his head coaching career was where it all began when he returned to Albertville. Wells teams won over 200 games but he never had a team reach the state football playoffs during his 36 year career.

Coaching honors for Wells include serving as the head coach of the Alabama All-Star game, two-time state Coach of the Year, and inductee into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame and the DeKalb County Sports Hall of Fame.