Charlie Strong is coming home to Batesville. The championship football coach and 1978 Batesville High School graduate will be honored as the Batesville School District’s Hometown Hero on Friday, November 6, when the Batesville Pioneers host the Valley View Blazers at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium.
“One of our favorite sons, Charlie Strong, of course, a legendary college coach,” Batesville Athletic Director Coach Stu Smith said. “We’re excited to have him here. We’ve been trying to get him here.”
Senior Night and the Season Finale
Friday is Senior Night and the Pioneers’ last 5A conference game of the regular season. Batesville has already earned a playoff bid.
“We’re trying to improve on that record by beating the Valley View Blazers,” Smith said.
Senior football players, band members and golfers will also be honored.
Free Meet-and-Greet Before the Game
The public is invited to a free meet-and-greet with Strong from 5 to 6 p.m. in the new Performing Arts Center cafeteria on the Batesville High School campus, 1 Pioneer Drive. Food and drinks will be provided, and Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh will officially introduce Strong at 6 p.m.
Before kickoff, Strong and his family will be recognized at the 50-yard line, and he will serve as an honorary Pioneer captain for the coin toss. He will then head up to the press box for an interview and be available for fans to stop by and say hello.
“Big night for us Friday night at Pioneer Stadium,” Smith said.
From Pioneer to Head Coach
Strong was born in Batesville on August 2, 1960. He played football for the Pioneers, then played defensive back at the University of Central Arkansas, lettering from 1980 to 1983.
Smith said Strong became known as one of the greatest recruiters in the country. He was defensive coordinator for Lou Holtz at South Carolina, then joined Urban Meyer at the University of Florida, where he helped the Gators win national championships in 2006 and 2008.
In 2010, Strong became head coach at the University of Louisville. In 4 seasons, he went 37-15, took the Cardinals to a bowl game every year, won 2 Big East titles and was twice named Big East Coach of the Year. He coached quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and his 2012 team upset Florida 33-23 in the Sugar Bowl.
Strong was head coach at the University of Texas from 2014 to 2016, where he was the first Black head football coach in school history and beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. “A lot of Arkansas fans might not like that one too much,” Smith joked. Strong then led South Florida from 2017 to 2019, winning the 2017 Birmingham Bowl. His career record as a head coach is 74-53.
According to Smith, Strong has coached 12 first-round NFL draft picks and 46 players taken in the first 4 rounds.
He later served as co-defensive coordinator for Mario Cristobal at Miami and as a defensive analyst for Nick Saban at Alabama during a national championship season. He also spent a season each in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith said Strong is currently an analyst for ESPN’s SEC Network.
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