"This is a really good football program and the school system is outstanding for my kids," Stephen Neal said. "I realized also how fantastic it would be to raise a family here."
Neal, 47, was named the head Blackhawk football coach Monday by the Pea Ridge School Board in a special meeting.
Neal, who is not related to superintendent Rick Neal, will begin work March 28.
"I had heard about Coach (Tony) Travis receiving the Rogers Heritage job and ... started doing research into the community and the school," Neal said. "The more research I did, the more appealing it became."
Former head football Coach Tony Travis accepted the head coach position at Heritage High School, Rogers, in February. He has been at Pea Ridge for seven football seasons and served as athletic director, too.
"I'm extremely excited, more humbled, to be a part of this. My family and I are very excited," Neal said, adding that his two younger children are "looking forward to wearing the red and black of the Blackhawks.
Neal and his wife Jessica, who works for a compounding pharmacy, have two children, Colton, 9, and Reagan, 7. Neal also has an older son, Jacob, 25, who is in U.S. Navy pilot training and will be flying Blackhawk helicopters, he said.
"Good to Great" is Neal's motto. It is the name of a book by Jim Collins that inspired both coach Neal and superintendent Neal.
"I read the book a number of years ago," Neal said, adding that when he was looking into the Pea Ridge job, and realized what a "tremendous job Coach (Tony) Travis and his staff had done, I realized I could take the job they've done here, build upon it and make it a great program."
"You guys are on the cutting edge of 4A football. You're going to be on the cutting edge of 5A," Neal said to board members Monday. "That tells a lot about the commitment of the community."
The Blackhawks were 11-3 this past fall and finished in a three-way tie for second place in the 4A-1 Conference. They took a No. 2 seed into the playoffs and defeated Trumann, Pulaski Robinson and Central Arkansas Christian before falling to eventual state champion Nashville in the semifinals.
A graduate of Jenks High School, Neal was involved in both football and track, according to his resume. He attended Coffeyville Community College in Kansas then Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Okla., from which he graduated in December 1991 with a bachelor of arts degree in English education. He is certified in English, language arts and Oklahoma and American history.
Neal was most recently the varsity head coach/defensive coordinator for Union public school in Tulsa, Okla., where he is also a member of the sixth-grade faculty.
He was assistant varsity football coach and head football coach at Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa from 1992 to 1997; head football coach and male strength and conditioning coordinator at Apache Junction High School, Apache Junction, Ariz., from 1997-2003; head football coach at Edison Preparatory High School, Tulsa, from 2003-2007; and has been at Union High School since 2007. He has 24 years teaching experience.
Neal said he has successfully rebuilt three football programs during his years of coaching experience. He is a native of Tulsa.
"He was the one that came in with things that I asked for," superintendent Neal said, when recommending Stephen Neal to the board. "I asked why he wanted to be here, why it was important for him to be with a program going in the right direction and make it better."
Rick Neal told board members he had received 79 applications for the position and narrowed that list to eight which included current head coaches Tim Harper of Mena, Jeff Weaver of Little Rock Christian, Jeff Williams of Inola, Okla., Alma defensive coordinator Jason Reeves, Shiloh Christian offensive coordinator Crosby Tuck, Pea Ridge defensive coordinator Lafe Caton and Pea Ridge junior high head coach Cody Alexander.
The process included personal interviews with Neal, a meeting and interview process with six Blackhawk head coaches and interviews with school administrative staff members.
"He's got a five-year plan of where he wants to take us -- from coaching staff, facilities -- he's very, very, very organized," Rick Neal said.
"What I really want to get across is ... to build upon the building blocks of a really good program," he said. "We want to have a direct impact in the community, in the school and on the field."
Board member Ryan Heckman commended Neal's commitment saying he was pleased to hear Neal talk about contributing to the community.
"It's good to hear you say ... off the field," Heckman said. "The community definitely sees and values wins. Wins and losses are great, but developing young men is very valuable."
Attending the School Board meeting were Jenny Wood, president, Ryan Heckman, John Dye and Sandy Button.
Sports on 03/02/2016