Coach Harris

The phrase “to catch lighting in a bottle” dates to the 19th-century and was reference to trapping literal electricity in a jar. An easier translation is “the near impossible feat.”

In sports, the phrase is used on several occasions. Winning a Super Bowl, for instance.

But to catch lighting in a bottle not once, but twice, is what Benton football Head Coach Brad Harris is currently living. With his second successful position at the helm of a winning program, the 54-year-old Panther Head Coach is living a dream.

“As a kid you dream of being a professional sports player, but I wasn’t good enough to do that. So, I did the next best thing—coach! I had Jim Stiffler as a coach,” Harris said. “He was a great man. He set in me what I wanted to pass on to players as a coach. He was a lot like I am now. I knew from a young age I wanted to coach.”

Harris’s coaching journey began in 1998 a few miles from his childhood home, up Interstate-30 in Arkadelphia. Harris grew up watching and playing football in Gurdon.

The trek was bumpy along the way after dropping out of college after his first year. Harris said he needed to work and decided to cut ties with school for a bit.

Knowing he always wanted to get back to his education, Harris would earn his degree years later, ultimately embarking on his coaching journey.

From a rookie assistant to head junior high coach, Harris made a name for himself early.

“We had done really well there at the junior high. John Launius was the head coach at the time at the high school,” Harris said. “We had grown up together. I loved working with him, but he ended up taking a job in Texas. They hired Butch Alexander for a year, and I moved up to the high school as defensive coordinator.”

A spot at Arkadelphia opened the door for his first big break in the coaching world.

“They didn’t have very many people apply, so I was named the head football coach at Arkadelphia,” Harris said. “Tony Prothro was our superintendent at the time (formerly at Benton) and I had a really good relationship with him. He thought I had done a good job with the junior high.”

Harris would ride that momentum into an eight-win season, his best during his stint with the Badgers. ”Everything after that was tough,” Harris said. “We didn’t have any big runs or anything.”

Having coached nearly a decade at this point, Harris decided it was time to make a move, something he made sure his family agreed with.

In a coincidental turn of events, Harris would leave Arkadelphia for Lincoln—hired by the same man who’d given him his start in Clark County nine years prior: Dr. Frank Holman.

“He and I ran across each other one day and he asked me to come to Lincoln,” Harris said. “Lincoln is not known for football. We did have a tie there because my wife’s family was from nearby. We had been in and out of Lincoln. Never envisioned us moving there or coaching there. 

“When Dr. Holman called, I knew I’d have a lot of support there. I took over a program that had lost 20 games in a row. We didn’t win a game our first year. But people would come to me at halftime with us losing 21-0 or 14-7 and say things like ‘y’all are so improved,’ so they saw some obvious improvements.”

Harris and his family spent six seasons at Lincoln, going 11-2 the final year. 

“We ended up winning two games in the 4A playoffs,” Harris said. “When I moved there, we were a 3A school at the time. We were the smallest 4A in the classification.”

Harris led Lincoln to the playoffs during the last year in 3A before falling short with the step-up in class. The triumph would follow in 2013.

“We had a phenomenal group of guys. My son Drew was a junior and my son Brayden was a freshman,” Harris added. “You see on TV how small towns shut down on Friday nights when you win; that’s what Lincoln had done. It was an exciting environment.” 

While the ride in Lincoln had turned into lasting memories and unforgettable moments, Harris leaned on the one thing that matters most when deciding to depart for Central Arkansas: family.

“In February of 2014 my dad had a heart attack and was not doing well, and I felt like I needed to get back closer to him,” Harris said. 

Looking at the move and leaving a lucrative environment, Harris found his next gig at Benton. “I knew Benji White, being from Gurdon, and he was on Scott Neathery’s staff here at Benton for a while. He knew my situation with my dad. We resigned and came to Benton as Scott’s defensive coordinator.”

Harris would quickly become head coach for the Panthers, after leading the defense in 2014 and 2015 following a promotion for Neathery to school Athletic Director.

“He came to me and said he was interested in talking to me about being the head coach,” Harris said. “I was excited for the opportunity to be head coach again. I didn’t know if that would happen again with me having left Lincoln, but I was content with that, needing to be closer to mom and dad. It was a great move for us.”

Harris’ father passed away in 2023.

“I got to spend a lot of quality time with him. That was good. If I was in Northwest Arkansas, I wouldn’t have gotten to see him as much his last several years,” Harris added. “But it has also worked out for the football part, too. I feel like I am at one of the best schools in the state of Arkansas. We have great community support and great facilities. Our administration has always been very supportive, and we have good players who work hard. That is why we are winning games.”

Having led Benton the past nine years, Harris is entering possibly his most exciting season yet. With the start of the 2025 season weeks away, Harris is five wins away from the all-time mark at Benton, just behind Saline County legend Dwight Fite.

Currently Fite’s record sits at 83-70 from 1985-1998, while Harris is quickly approaching at 78-30 since 2016.

“I don’t keep up with a lot of the wins, but to be mentioned alongside Dwight Fite is great,” Harris said. “Everybody around Benton still talks about Dwight Fite and the fighting Benton Panthers. I have had him come and speak to our team before, which is really cool. I feel very privileged and honored to be here. I have had offers to leave Benton, and I would not consider it. I love it here and would like to finish my coaching career here.”

Harris added that he is fortunate to be at Benton during this time of winning and success, spotlighting a “dry time” before Neathery’s tenure.

“They struggled for a while,” Harris said. “He helped get that ball rolling in the right direction and now we have taken it and run with it.”

Harris has accomplished major feats aside from the wins record, including trips to the 6A State Finals.

However, moments that speak the loudest for Harris include walking through the tunnel for his first Salt Bowl in 2014.

“I had never been to the Salt Bowl because I was always coaching,” Harris said. “I had talked to Paul Calley, and he always said we needed to attend one. That’s 18 or 20,000 people. It’s phenomenal.

“I remember walking down the visitors’ ramp at War Memorial for pre-game beside both of my boys. When we hit the field, there were already several thousand fans there. I looked down and had goosebumps on my arms. Drew and Brayden were the same way.”

While Benton does not have a strong track record in the “Salt Bowl” against rival Bryant, sitting at 21-2-2 since 2000, this year’s game could be the sea change the Panthers have been longing for in the state’s biggest game of the year.

With every Salt Bowl to this point taking place in Little Rock, the rivalry returns home to Saline County with Benton hosting in Week 0.

“Winning a Salt Bowl and winning a state championship at Benton, that’s what the community deserves,” Harris said.

With all the honors and acknowledgement as a coach, Harris says he is still the same person he has always been.