GAC PREVIEW HARDING

Huckeba prepared to hand over reins of Bisons

Harding Coach Ronnie Huckeba is set to retire at the end of the season after spending 31 years on the team’s staff, but he believes the Bisons will be in good shape when assistant coach Paul Simmons takes over the program.
Harding Coach Ronnie Huckeba is set to retire at the end of the season after spending 31 years on the team’s staff, but he believes the Bisons will be in good shape when assistant coach Paul Simmons takes over the program.

This is the second in a series of articles previewing the state’s Great American Conference football teams.

SEARCY — Paul Simmons was gracious enough to allow a visitor into his office for a short conversation before a preseason practice last week.

Harding’s defensive coordinator had trouble sitting still, though, and as soon as the brief meeting was over, Simmons was sprinting from his office to meet his players on the turf field at First Security Stadium.

Simmons wasn’t being rude. The former Harding All-American and veteran assistant knew the Bisons had plenty to do entering their final week of preparations for Saturday’s opener against Oklahoma Baptist. Simmons, who is in his 11th season as a Harding assistant, may already know that he’ll be his alma mater’s head coach in four months, but he’s assured that hasn’t clouded his judgment heading into this season.

“It doesn’t change the preparation,” Simmons said.

On the day players reported for fall camp earlier this month, Coach Ronnie Huckeba announced that this season would be his last leading the Bisons. The former Harding letterman is in his 31st season on the Harding staff and 10th as a head coach. In the same announcement, Simmons was named Huckeba’s successor, keeping alive a succession of Harding assistants taking over the top spot.

Huckeba, who played for Harding in 1976 and returned as an assistant in 1986, is believed to be the last remaining football coach in the state who once coached in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, which disbanded in 1995. He’s been at Harding through moves to NCAA Division II and in affiliations with the Lone Star, Gulf South and now Great American Conferences.

He’s 56-39 heading into this season, including a 36-10 record the last four years, a renaissance sparked by a move to the triple-option offense that has led to the school’s first two Division II playoff berths and a bowl game appearance.

Huckeba said this week that he’s at peace with his retirement from coaching — he’ll slide over into the university’s advancement office following the season — and he said he hasn’t even gotten emotional as the last of 31 Harding fall camps comes to a close.

“As long as we’re in the race, I don’t think I’m going to have those feelings,” Huckeba said. “If we get to Game 7 and you’re out of the race, then you’ll start thinking about ‘this is the third to last Tuesday.’ But that’s really not our plan, we want to be in the race until the very end.”

That’s part of why this season is so important to Simmons. He’s excited for his first opportunity to be a college head coach — he spent eight seasons as a head coach at a Memphis high school— but some of that would go away if his former coach, boss and mentor went out with a thud.

As Harding’s linebacker’s coach, Huckeba helped recruit Simmons to Harding in 1991. He coached him at the position, was his boss as defensive coordinator when Simmons returned as an assistant and even preached Simmons’ wedding.

For the last several seasons, they have shared a wall in Harding’s football offices while leading its ascent to among the GAC’s top programs.

“We’ve had a special relationship beyond football for a long time,” Simmons said. “He’s been a mentor and a father figure to me. It’s kind of hard to imagine Harding football without him being here every day.”

Simmons’ presence is part of what made Huckeba’s decision to walk away so easy.

“It was a 100 percent no-brainer for everybody involved,” Huckeba said.

Athletic Director Greg Harnden, hired as Harding’s women’s basketball coach the same year Huckeba arrived as an assistant, said he didn’t even make a list or form a committee to decide Harding’s next move. Huckeba’s recommendation only helped.

“As an AD, you think you know the program, but you really don’t know the program,” Harnden said. “Coach Huck does, so that was huge.”

Huckeba mentioned Harding’s “culture” as his proudest achievement during 31 seasons on its sideline, even more so than playoff appearances in 2012 and 2014 and a victory in the 2013 Live United Texarkana Bowl over Texas A&M-Commerce.

“The emphasis in the program, how we love and take care of each other, how we have competed and represented ourselves on the field,” Huckeba said. “that’s what I’m most proud of. And it’s not a me accomplishment, it’s an us accomplishment.”

The recent track of winning has been nice, too. Harding posted consecutive nine-victory seasons in 2012-2014, the winningest threeyear period in school history. Last year, Harding dipped to 7-4, a finish called “unacceptable” by senior defensive end Trevon Biglow.

While Huckbea agreed, he noted to consider that mark unacceptable is a sign of significant progress, considering Harding hadn’t had more than six victories in any season since 2002.

The way in which Harding lost those games was the most bothersome. The Bisons led in the second half of all four of their losses and in the fourth quarter of three of them before falling late.

Huckeba and others are hoping the experience of 17 returning starters can get them through the late moments more this year.

If so, a seamless handoff from mentor to protege will take place, and then Huckeba can do what he hasn’t been able to — sit back and watch his friend take over.

“I see the program going forward from here and just knocking it out of the park,” Huckeba said. “And I say that without trying to put pressure on him, but I just feel like he’ll be able to take what is in place and run with it.”

Harding at a glance

MASCOT Bisons

COACH Ronnie Huckeba (56-39 in 10th season at Harding and overall)

LAST SEASON 7-4 overall, 7-4 GAC

OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH RB Michael Latu

DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH LB Daylan Skidmore

COMMENTS After three consecutive nine-victory seasons, Harding took a step back with a 7-4 record last year. What was worse, the Bisons held second-half leads in every one of their losses and led Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech in the fourth quarter before losing. Coach Ronnie Huckeba, in his last season before retiring from coaching, said he’s bothered by the close losses, but encouraged by what returns. The Bisons return quarterback Park Parish (1,674 yards of total offense), who is among their top three returning rushers. Harding also returns nine starters on defense, including leading tackler Daylan Skidmore. Harding cracked 4,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season last year with 4,035 and ranked second nationally for the second year in a row. Its defense gave up 127.3 passing yards per game, 120th in Division II.

SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME

Sept. 3 Oklahoma Baptist 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at Southern Nazarene 6 p.m. Sept. 17 Southern Arkansas 6 p.m. Sept. 24 at Arkansas-Monticello 6 p.m. Oct. 1 Ouachita Baptist 6 p.m. Oct. 8 at Henderson State 2 p.m. Oct. 15 SE Oklahoma State 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at East Central (Okla.) 6 p.m. Oct. 29 SW Oklahoma State 2 p.m. Nov. 5 at NW Oklahoma State 2 p.m. Nov. 12 Arkansas Tech 2 p.m. Great American Conference game

UP NEXT:

Southern Arkansas

Upcoming Events