Benton Panther Super Fan Freddie Rhinehart

Freddie Rhinehart is happy to talk about anything related to the Benton Panthers. His face lights up when his beloved team is mentioned. A fixture in the Benton community, he’s perhaps best known for his love of the Panthers. In fact, he’s often referred to as their “No. 1 Fan” and even has a shirt that says so.

The 66-year-old has called Benton home his whole life. He retired from the Saline County Road Department after 34 years of work. “I did whatever they asked of me. I would do anything except drive,” he said. County officials and employees still gather each May to celebrate Rhinehart’s birthday in the clerk’s office.

He’s often described as the man with a “warm smile and child-like innocence.” He’s such a part of Benton sports that Jim Gardner made him a focus of the local radio football broadcasts on Fox Sports Arkansas. Gardner first met Rhinehart through a church connection. “My first impression of Freddie was that he is a very sweet gentleman
to everyone he knows and meets. People around town, sports players and their parents, all consider him an icon because he’s a good person. He is their number one fan and best friend to those kids.”

Rhinehart says he continues going to games simply because he loves football and loves the kids. His Thursdays and Fridays are blocked out during football season so he can cheer on the junior high and high school teams. For away games, he rides with Gardner.

Going to games “keeps me going and gives me something to look forward to,” Rhinehart said. When he’s not attending a live football game, he’s watching it on TV. “I love the Cowboys, too.” You can catch him watching the St. Louis Cardinals on TV during baseball season. But football is his favorite. “I’ve got more football cards than I do baseball or basketball,” he noted.

There’s a good chance that while he’s watching sports on TV, he’s also busy doing a task like shelling peas. The day he was interviewed, he said his fingers were purple from the task the day before. “Have you ever shelled peas?” he asked, shaking his head. “It’s a job, but it’s got to be done.”

Fox Sports Arkansas gives an award at the end of each football season, Gardner said, and it’s been renamed the Freddie Rhinehart Award for “players who are loyal, dependable and put the team first.”

Rhinehart’s favorite spot to watch the Benton Panthers play is from the sidelines. However, for the upcoming Salt Bowl Game at War Memorial Stadium, he will enjoy the view from the press box, he said. His wish for that anticipated game against rival Bryant Hornets: “I hope we win.”

Terry Benham first met Rhinehart at a Panthers game when he was a boy. “Rhinehart is one of the sweetest people you will find,” he said. “My son asked who he was and why we say he’s the No. 1 Panther fan. My reply was that I had met Freddie at Panther games when I was about 12 years old. I’m 48 now. I have no idea how old Freddie is, but I promise when the good Lord calls him home they will have to have the service at Panther stadium to hold the people.