My time spent playing football for Harding was one of the most profound experiences of my life. When I arrived on campus in 1973, I immediately became part of a very special brotherhood that impacted the rest of my life and, very particularly, my coaching philosophy.
Back then, we were the Harding College Bisons, a group of about 65 guys from all over the country, much smaller both numerically and physically than our team today.
What we did have in common with today’s team was a very strong connection to each other — a love that allowed us to focus on helping the team achieve our goals rather than on individual accomplishments. We encouraged each other through typical freshman problems such as homesickness and grew to love each other through that special bond that is formed by working through long, tough practices together, sharing defeats and victories, and standing with each other at weddings, funerals and other landmark occasions.
Although we dressed in a cramped dressing room, worked out with antiquated weight lifting equipment and wore less than ideal equipment and uniforms, we had a unity that was just as strong as any team.
That unity was fostered and nurtured by our coaches, particularly our head coach John Prock, who passed away this summer at the age of 83.
Harding football was a family to coach Prock, and he instilled in all of his players a passion for the game and for each other that I believe was unique for that time.
Most of us that played for coach Prock and decided upon coaching as a profession have carried that with us to all of the football programs where we have worked. That has been my continued wish for the young men that play for us today — that the “brotherhood” of Bison football be an additional family that supports each other as we pursue spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional maturity.
As a testament to what I have written, several of my teammates from my time playing football at Harding remain my closest friends that I have in this world — they truly are my brothers.
