Henderson State Reddies football | |
---|---|
First season | 1905 |
Athletic director | Shawn Jones |
Head coach | Greg Holsworth 1st season, 8–2 (.800) |
Stadium | Carpenter-Haygood Stadium (capacity: 15,000) |
Field surface | GeoGreen |
Location | Arkadelphia, Arkansas |
Conference | Great American Conference |
Conference titles | 15 |
Rivalries | Ouachita Baptist |
Consensus All-Americans | 25 |
Colors | Red and gray [1] |
Fight song | That Old Reddie Spirit |
Marching band | The Showband of Arkansas |
Website | Reddie Athletics |
The Henderson State Reddies football program is a college football team that represents Henderson State University. The team is a member of the Great American Conference which is in the Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are currently coached by Scott Maxfield, who is in his seventh year at the university. Home games are played at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. [2] Henderson State shares the longest rivalry in Division II football with Ouachita Baptist Tigers, the Battle of the Ravine, which began in 1895. Gus Malzahn, deemed the father of the Hurry Up, No Huddle offense played wide receiver for the Reddies, and is one of their most famous alumni.
The Henderson State Reddies have had 18 head coaches since they began play in 1905. [3]
The team has played 1,028 games in 116 seasons of Reddie football. In that time, Scott Maxfield led the Reddies to four postseason bowl games. Seven coaches have won conference championships: Bo Rowland, Bo Sherman, Duke Wells, Jim Mack Sawyer, Clyde Berry, Sporty Carpenter, and Scott Maxfield. Jimmy Haygood also claimed four Arkansas state championships.
Sporty Carpenter is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 119 victories during his 19 years at Henderson. J.H. Lassiter has the highest winning percentage with .833. Patrick Nix has the lowest winning percentage with .136.
The current head coach is Greg Holsworth, who was hired in 2024.
The Reddies made two appearances in the NAIA playoffs, with a combined record of 1–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | Quarterfinals | Elon | L, 7–21 |
1985 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Central State (OK) Central Arkansas | W, 18–15 L, 9–21 |
The Reddies have made four appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 1–4.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Regional semifinals | Missouri Western | L, 21–45 |
2013 | First round | St. Cloud State | L, 35–40 |
2015 | First round Regional semifinals | Sioux Falls Emporia State | W, 23–16 L, 3–29 |
2023 | First round | Central Missouri | L, 14–56 |
Hendrix College, then known as the Bulldogs, was Henderson's main athletics rival during its early years (1905-1929). After Henderson transitioned from a private Methodist college to a state college in 1929, differences in enrollment numbers and conference affiliations led to the decline of the rivalry.
Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 2,500 students. The campus is located on 156 acres (0.63 km2).
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Scott Maxfield is an American former college football coach. He was the head football coach for Henderson State University from 2005 until his retirement following the 2023 season. He also was the head coach for Pearl River Community College in 2001 and Blinn College from 2002 to 2004. He also coached for Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, Northwest Mississippi Community College, and Northwestern State. He played college football for Louisiana Tech as a guard and center.
Greg Holsworth is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for Henderson State University, a position he has held since 2024. He also coached for Occidental, Herbert Hoover High School, Wyoming, and Saint Joseph's (IN). He played college football for Occidental as a linebacker and tight end.
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