Buck James
BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL
COACH OF THE YEAR .................................
>> WHY HE WON
In his four seasons as Bryant High School’s head football coach, Buck James has lost just eight games. He couldn’t remember how many games he won, saying it is easier to remember the losses than the wins.
“It is my setbacks and failures that keep me humble,” James said.
For the first time in school history, the Bryant Hornets finished the season undefeated and captured the school’s second-straight Class 7A state championship by defeating North Little Rock High School — again — at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
“First, we have really good players, and second, we have a really good coaching staff,” James said. “We also have good administrators and parents who allow us to coach.
“It all works together. It doesn’t just happen. You can’t be lucky; you’ve got to be good.”
For his leadership, James is this year’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Coach of the Year.
“It is really a great honor, and I was really surprised it happened,” James said.
“It’s about as prestigious an honor that one of our coaches can earn,” said Mike Lee, athletic director for the Bryant School District. “Coach James has come on the scene and, with his leadership, has branded our athletic department with #Be212.
A motto that James brought to the football team, #Be212 is connected with the boiling point of water to power a train. Once the water reaches 212 degrees, steam from the water can power a train, but it is that extra degree that makes a difference.
“It is another honor for Bryant athletics, for sure. He is a tremendous leader and visionary. One of his greatest attributes is his ability to attract and keep a consistent staff in place.”
Lee said there are many variables that play into the school’s success.
“No. 1 is our school board, and the administration supports [James] and supports the way he goes about his business,” Lee said. “Our parent group has 100 percent bought in, and that’s huge, and I have to give most of the credit to the athletes.
“It has all paid huge dividends. All of those ingredients have mixed together well, and it has been a very successful concoction, for sure.”
James, who coached at Camden Fairview High School before coming to Bryant, said football is all he has ever known, beginning in the second grade.
“It was just a natural fit,” he said. “I knew in the eighth grade that I wanted to be a coach, and I went through college playing football, and I studied to be a coach.
“That was my passion all along.”
James was the starting right tackle for the University of Arkansas at Monticello football team, graduating in 1988. He was inducted into UAM’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
James said there wasn’t really a turning point this year for the program, as the Hornets played every game at a high level, starting with the season’s scrimmage. He said the kids were focused and determined and expected to go out and win every Friday night.
“I think they were self-motivated, and our coaches did a really good job of preparing them and not letting them burn out or peak too soon,” James said. “Our players really bought into the team concept, and teams that win championships go above and beyond and play at a high level in games and practice.
“They expected to go out and play and destroy their opponents. I think that was their focus.”
James said going into last fall, the Hornets lost six starters on offense and defense, but he said the defense really stepped up and gave the team a chance to win every ballgame.
Daylon Land played outside linebacker for the Hornets and graduated this spring. He is planning to play football at Morehouse College in Atlanta in the fall. He said that at first, he and Coach James didn’t get along.
“We didn’t see eye to eye, but as I got older, I saw how he was making a better man out of me,” Land said. “I grew to love him and how he prepared me for the next level of manhood.”
Land described James as an old-school-type coach and very disciplined and focused.
“He is going to make a man out of you before he makes you a football player,” Land said. “He is going to tell you when you are right or wrong.
IT IS REALLY A GREAT HONOR, and I was really surprised it happened.” — Buck James, ALL-ARKANSAS PREPS COACH OF THE YEAR
… The weight room was very important to him, and if you miss a weight-room [session], you might not even play.”
Land said that when he started playing football in the 10th grade, he weighed 165 pounds, and by his senior year, he was a little above 200 pounds. He credited Chris Jordan, the strength-andconditioning coach, for taking Land’s body and making it ready to play. Land said James may be the head coach, but it takes an entire staff to put together a championship team.
“Coach James made sure we were in the weight room, but it was Coach Jordan who guided us,” Land said. “He played a big part in the program, and I don’t think we would have won two state titles without him.
“I really appreciate Coach James, for real. When I get older, I get to stick my chest out and be proud that we won back-to-back state titles. The chemistry we had our senior year and the way we played together — it really was fun. We had fun out there, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”