Note: This is a previously recorded podcast episode.

From his childhood in small town Southwest Arkansas to becoming nationally known for his unique approach on the gridiron, we dive into the mind of Kevin Kelley – one of the most unique in the game of football.

Kelley began his coaching career at a junior high school in the Dallas metropolis as a scout and seventh grade coach before taking the offensive coordinator job at Pulaski Academy in 1997 under Kirby Norwood. Kelley hit the ground running after being named head coach in 2003 and won the school's first-ever state championship in his inaugural season. Kelley followed that up with eight more titles in 2008, 20011, 2014-17, 2019 and 2020, totaling 216 wins overall with the Bruins. He was also named the USA Today National High School Football Coach of The Year in 2016 and inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

The immense success and national exposure helped earn Kelley his first Division I FCS job at Presbyterian (S.C.) College, which is where this episode picks up as Kyle Sutherland sat down in June of 2021 with Kelley just weeks after he was hired there. Kelley goes in-depth about his analytical approach to the game including being tabbed "The Coach Who Never Punts," his nine state titles, friendship with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and much more.

Gridiron success is in Barry Lunney Sr.'s bloodline. His father, John Lunney, was a four-time letterman for Arkansas under John Barnhill from 1946-49 and Lunney Sr.'s son, Barry Jr., also earned four letters for the Hogs from 1992-95.

A Fort Smith native, Lunney Sr. went on to play college football at Northeastern State (Okla.) following a successful prep career as a quarterback at Northside. There, adversities regarding playing time taught him multiple life lessons that he would use throughtout his coaching career.

Lunney earned his first job as an assitant in 1974 at Vian (Okla.), and also served stints at Greenwood, along with Fort Smith Southside, before deciding to step away from the game for a couple of years.

Time away gave Lunney a reminder of his passion for the game and he earned his long-awaited chance to be a head coach when he took the job at Beebe in 1987. When Southside, his alma mater's bitter rival, came open in 1989, Lunney went back home and great success was not far behind him.

In 16 seasons leading the then-Rebels, Lunney guided them to four state titles in 1991-92, 1997, and 2002. Having done just about everything possible, Lunney itched for a new challenge and found it at Bentonville in 2005.

As was Southside, Bentonville became a juggernaut under Lunney, earning six trips to the state finals from 2008-2014, winning four of those (2008, 2010, 2013-14) including a thrilling finish in 2014 against rival Fayetteville in his final game before retiring for good.

Since his departure from football, Lunney has been heavily involved with the Fellowship of Christian Atheltes. Hear from him on all that he has going on from that end, his freindship with the legendary John Outlaw - who was key in his offensive switch from the Wing T to the One-Back, and much more.

A Du Quoin (Ill.) native, Lanny Dauksch moved to Arkansas to play at Harding University for the great John Prock before becoming one of the most successful high school football coaches in state history.

Dauksch got his first job under national Hall of Famer Frank McClellan at Barton in 1980. He was the mastermind behind the great defenses of the 1980s and early 90's that helped the Bears win six state championships and a state record 63 consecutive games.

After 15 seasons as McClellan's right-hand man, Dauksch accepted his first head coaching position at McGehee and led the Owls to the state finals three straight years, winning it all in 1998 and 1999. They also advanced to the finals in 1997 where they lost by one point to Osceola.

With the itch to coach in the state's highest classification, Dauksch took over at West Memphis in 2001 where he would win eight consecutive conference titles and took the Blue Devils to the state finals three times from 2003-05.

Jon Watson was born and raised on his family's farm outside of Earle where he learned the meaning of a hard day's work. He had an outstanding prep football career as an all-state offensive lineman who helped the Bulldogs go undefeated in 1968.

Watson attended Arkansas State where he initially planned on earning his college degree in business, but decided to go the physical education route due to advice from a friend. The rest is history.

Upon graduating college as a "Student of Distinction" in 1974, Watson earned his first coaching job as an assistant under the late great Bill Keedy at Paragould for a year before heading to Trumann where he worked from 1976-80 as head junior high coach, as well as assisting the varsity.

The first head coaching position for Watson came at now-defunct Gillett for seven years and led the Wolves to two semifinal playoff appearances. Following two uneventful seasons at Hampton, Watson took the final coaching job he would ever accept at Bauxite.

Watson took the Miners to unprecedented heights winning 177 games - the most in school history - and his 1994-96 teams went a combined 40-3. His 1995 squad went 14-1 and finished as the state runner-up before winning it all in 1996 with a record of 15-0.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone prouder to be a Conway Wampus Cat than Kenny Smith. He was a member of the program's first state championship team in 1964 inder Rex Lovell, later an assistant under Buzz Bolding, and became the school's all-time winningest coach while at the helm from 1991-2008.

Smith lost his father during his sophomore year in high school and it was his coaches who took the roles of being mentors and father figures to him. Other than a couple of other coaching stops, he has spent the entirety of his life in Conway and played offensive line at Central Arkansas during his college career.

In his time leading Conway, Smith won 129 games, six conference titles, and led the Wampus Cats to a state finals appearance in 1993 - the program's last berth in the championship game to date. He is a member of the school's Hall of Fame.

Billy Elmore grew up working the farmlands of West Arkansas near Mansfield where a strong work ethic was ingrained in him from an early age.

As a three-sport athlete Elmore took a preference towards baseball and football, the former which he played during his college career at Arkansas Tech.

He worked as a student teacher/coach at Booneville for Ken Rippy before taking his first full-time job across the state at Barton where he worked on Frank McClellan's staff in 1995-96.

After returning to West Arkansas in 1997, Elmore served as defensive coordinator at Greenwood and was a part of the staff that won a state title in 2000. He was also the head baseball coach during that time and led the Bulldogs to a state championship in 1999.

Elmore took his first job as a head football coach at Glen Rose in 2002 where he built the program from the ground up and led the Beavers to a state title in 2007. Following a short stint at Arkadelphia, Elmore then went to Stuttgart and won his second state championship in 2012.

His final head coaching job would be at West Memphis from 2014-19 winning 28 games in his final three seasons before accepting his current role as athletic director.

A native of West Memphis, Grafton Moore has always bled blue and red. From his time as a member of the Ole Miss baseball team and even when he served time at Helena, Earle - where he won a state title in 1974 - and Marianna in his early career before coming home to West Memphis in 1978 to be the head football coach.

In a career that has spanned over five decades, Moore has mentored thousands of young athletes, both male and female, in multiple sports. He started the baseball program at West Memphis in 1982 and led the football team to the state finals in 1982 and '84.

After retiring as head football coach following the 2000 season, Moore never lost the desire to coach and that itch has continued to last over two decades as he is still currently a volunteer assistant for the Blue Devils' football team. He has served in that position under Lanny Dauksch, Billy Elmore, and currently Robert Hooks.

After starring at Fort Smith High in the late 1950s, Jarrell Williams played for the Razorbacks under the legendary Frank Broyles, along with the likes of Lance Alworth and Wayne "Thumper" Harris. Following his playing career, Williams entered the coaching ranks briefly joining Broyles' staff mentoring the freshman team. He spent a few years as an assistant coach in Oklahoma before accepting his first, and only, head coaching position at Springdale where he turned the Bulldogs into one of the state's premier programs winning 11 conference championships, 4 state titles, and 261 games which ranks seventh all-time in state history.