One of the state’s winningest college football coaches is hanging up his whistle for good.
Henderson State’s Scott Maxfield announced Wednesday that he is officially retiring after nearly 40 years in the profession.
“Henderson State University has been a very special place for Beth Ann (his wife) and me,” Maxfield said in a school news release. “We enjoyed every minute of our 19 years as head football coach at Henderson State, as well as being a part of Arkadelphia and the university communities. I am proud of the legacy I left and the process we went through with our players to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. we proposed as a team.”
The school didn’t have to look far to find a replacement for Maxfield. Assistant coach Greg Holsworth was promoted to the head coaching position after serving as the Reddies’ defensive coordinator since 2017. However, the Washington native will have big shoes to fill after what his predecessor accomplished during his tenure at Henderson State .
After a successful coaching career at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, where he went 7-2 in 2001, and Blinn (Texas) College, where he went 20-10 from 2002-04, Maxfield, 63, He took over at Henderson State in 2005 in place of Jesse Branch and immediately turned the program around.
The Reddies, who had nine consecutive losing seasons before Maxfield’s arrival, won just three games in their initial season before enduring just two losing seasons over the next 18 years. In fact, he led Henderson State to at least eight wins on 10 occasions, including three seasons of at least 10 wins.
During that period, the Reddies earned a share of a league title in 2010 when they were a member of the Gulf South Conference and won three Great American Conference titles (2012, 2013, 2015). Henderson State also made the NCAA Division II playoffs in those three GAC championship seasons and in 2023.
All of that success resulted in Maxfield becoming the team’s all-time winningest football coach with 134 wins.
“We are incredibly grateful to Scott Maxfield and what he has meant to Henderson State University,” HSU athletic director Seth Dutton said in the release. “His name will always be synonymous with Reddie football, and that is a testament to everything he stood for as head coach here for 19 years: character, toughness, self-discipline and unwavering competitive spirit.
“His teams embraced his personality and our program is better for it. We’ll miss having him on the sidelines, but we wish him and Beth Ann the best in their retirement.”
The Reddies, who went 9-3 last season and finished No. 24 in the American Football Coaches Association’s final NCAA Division II poll, will have a familiar face patrolling those sidelines in Holsworth. The 34-year-old oversaw a Henderson State defense that finished last season second in the conference in yards allowed (325.5 per game) and third in points allowed (22.2 per game). His unit also recorded 40 sacks, the second most in GAC history.
“I am excited and honored to be named the next head football coach at Henderson State University and follow in the footsteps of one of my mentors, Scott Maxfield,” Holsworth said. “Both Coach Maxfield and Beth Ann have been a great support to me in my career, and I wouldn’t be here without them. Arkadelphia has been my and my family’s home since 2017, and in that time, we have developed a deep love and appreciation for this university, the people and this program. Reddie football has a rich tradition of excellence and has everything a student-athlete needs to be successful.
“I’m excited to build on the winning culture this program represents and continue to push for more as we work to take Reddie Football to even greater heights.”
Dutton also expressed confidence in Holsworth, who also spent time on the university staffs at Saint Joseph’s (Indiana), Wyoming and Occidental (Calif.).
“I have tremendous faith and confidence in (Holsworth) to build on the success that Coach Maxfield has built here at Henderson State,” he said. “Greg has been a key part of our success for many years and has proven to be an excellent football coach, a hard worker and someone who has the respect of our players. He has earned this opportunity through his preparation and commitment to our program.”
For Maxfield, he will finish his head coaching career with an overall record of 163-77. That win is the fourth-most all-time by any college coach in state history, regardless of level. But according to Maxfield, his relationship with his players was of utmost importance.
“I have always strived to do things well,” he said. “And my main goal was to help the players create more value for their future. As a team, our number one goal was to teach our players responsibility, graduate, be great communicators and instill in them the discipline to be successful in their endeavors. life.”
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Reddie Rebirth
Scott Maxfield made an immediate impact when he became Henderson State’s football coach in 2005. He produced 14 winning seasons during his 19-year career. In the 19 years before he arrived, Henderson State posted numbers above .500 only three times. Here’s a look at the team’s year-over-year record with Maxfield:
YEAR; RECORD
2005;3-8
2006;8-3
2007;7-3
2008;5-5
2009;3-7
2010;7-4
2011;6-4
2012;10-1
2013;11-1
2014;9-2
2015;11-2
2016;8-3
2017;6-5
2018;5-6
2019;9-3
2020;Season canceled
2021;9-2
2022;8-3
2023;9-3
TOTAL 134-65
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