After winning a Division II National Championship, having a 69-40 coaching record and earning a Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year award, former Harding football head coach Ronnie Huckeba passed the hat to former Bison football player and graduate assistant Paul Simmons in 2017. To honor Huckeba and his legacy, current and former players, alumni and friends of the Harding football program fully funded a field house named after the former head coach set to be formally dedicated this weekend.
\nThe field house includes a 77,146-square-foot facility, with a 133-yard Hellas turf field and large lobby, complete with photographs and displays that tell the story and history of Bison football.
\nAthletic director Jeff Morgan was asked in an interview for the Harding sports page about the stadium while it was being constructed in February. He said the field house was a great way to commemorate the Huckeba legacy.
\n\u201cNaming the facility after Coach Huckeba is a great tribute to him and the investment and influence he has had on Bison football for most of his life,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBeing a player, assistant coach and head coach covers many years of great service and lifelong work. Coach Huckeba has been a great teacher, mentor and coach for many. This is a great way to honor him and also a way to honor all his fellow teammates, coaches and players through the years.\u201d
\nCurrent Head Football Coach Paul Simmons wasn\u2019t just a player for Huckeba, but also worked for him as a graduate assistant. Simmons loved the fire and passion Huckeba had, not only for the team, but for Christ.
\n\u201cIt was very important to him to model Christ,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cHe wanted to teach things such as how a man should treat his wife and how a man should father his children. He was intentional in teaching us this. The biggest and most important thing for him was to be a man of God.\u201d
\nHuckeba now lives in northwest Arkansas, and said he is happy to be back on Harding\u2019s campus for Homecoming weekend. When he found out earlier in the year that the field house was going to be dedicated to him, he said he felt honored.
\n\u201cI feel very humbled and grateful,\u201d Huckeba said. \u201cI am sure most people that have been honored in such a way feel undeserving of being blessed like this, and I would say that this describes me for sure. Bottom line is that it is a tremendous honor for me and my family and I am very, very thankful.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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