By Jennifer Webb
“‘Then David said to Goliath, you come at me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God almighty...’ - this is the mentality that we have to have as we go out there and attack our opponent today. Together, with your brothers, with passion, with great love for one another.”
— Coach Paul Simmons, Head Coach, Harding Bison Football
“Yes, SIR!” the team enthusiastically chorused back.
Honor God. Brotherhood. Warrior Mentality. Loyalty. Finish.
Each young man felt it in his heart. Their goal was not to win, but to go out and fight for their brothers, on their field, in front of their people. Each had the heart of a fierce warrior and the gentle soul of a child of God. They were tough and driven but also tender in their love for God and in the love that comes with the brotherhood that defines the Harding University Bisons.
“The biggest thing for us is that we’re going to continue to honor God. That’s been our goal every season and it will be our goal this upcoming season.”
– Jhalen Spicer, Runningback Harding Bison Football Player
This attitude begins on the first day of fall camp when they define their goals. Most football programs talk about winning games. They talk about winning in life. They spend the entire first day simply addressing the question, “ How can we do everything in our power to have the very best culture in all of college football?” What does that mean? How do we measure it?
The answer starts and ends with trying to honor God in all things.
“As Coaches, how do we Honor God with the way that we treat our young men and speak life into them?”
– Coach Paul Simmons, Head Coach, Harding Bison Football
What do they believe Honors God? Toughness, accountability, work ethic, loyalty, humility, passion, love for one another – the message is that all of these things Honor God and they have control over how they do all of these things. This makes for a culture of young men who can be counted on to consistently come through and the mentality is that coming through for their brothers today will help prepare them to come through as Christian husbands and fathers in the days to come.
It looks like being loyal. In a sport where loyalty tends to be fickle - players “move up” or switch schools for a better position or scholarship, coaches take promotions and bigger paychecks, the players and coaches at Harding are committed to staying for the long haul. After winning a national championship and having an undefeated 15-0 season, the Bisons did not lose a single player or coach.
Passion also honors God, especially when it’s done with a humble spirit. Humility and college athletics do not often go together, but doing things with a grateful spirit honors God. Humility and gratitude are very powerful themes within this special brotherhood.
When players walk in the locker room, they do so not thinking about their own goals or stats. They walk in thinking about what they can do today to make the guys around them better. Their idea of leadership is that “Leaders eat last.” Leaders should lead by serving others and by putting the needs of others before themselves. The term “washing feet” is a very familiar term surrounding Harding football.
“The beautiful part of that is when you do all those things well - when you lead, serve, wash feet, emphasize humbleness and you let love dictate the way you carry yourself, the scoreboard tends to takes care of itself. The wins come as a great by product of that special culture.”
– Paul Simmons, Head Coach, Harding Bison Football
In order to love your brother, you have to know who he is. You need to spend time with him, talk with him, get to know him, find out what he deals with, and what makes him the person he is.
“Harding football has blessed my life tremendously, just in the way of being around guys who push me to be better more than anything. The best friends in my life that I’ve made have come from Harding football. It’s special to be able to do something with this culture.”
– Will Fitzhugh, Fullback, Harding Football Player
Coach Simmons very intentionally encourages his players to get to know one another. Going over to Coach and Kimberly Simmons’s house is a common occurrence. Kimberly prepares a meal, and the guys gather around the table eating and visiting with one another. They lounge in their living room, and lift their voices in song for player-led devotionals. This snapshot of the culture of Bison football culture is consistent with all of the football coaches that serve on this staff. The coaches are very aware that many of the young men under their leadership have never really seen what a Christ-focused home really looks like. The responsibility to model that well is taken extremely seriously by the entire staff and the role of the coaches’ wives as they love on these young men is crucial to the mission of Harding football.
When you attend practice, the coaches’ wives and kids are often there. Harding Bison football is a whole family affair. They take an annual lake trip where they all go to Heber and jump off the cliffs into the lake. The guys overcome their fears of jumping in from high rocks, and they get the opportunity to support and encourage one another. They also just hang out - playing volleyball, and being silly. The whole team goes camping together and on float trips, making memories that last a lifetime.
“If we fail when modeling authentic Christian manhood, then the rest of it was a waste of time. If our players win a national championship, and they graduate with a 4.0 GPA but as coaches, we failed to model how a Christian man is supposed to treat his wife and raise his children, then we have greatly failed indeed.”
– Coach Paul Simmons, Head Coach, Harding Bison Football
The guys come from diverse backgrounds. Some come from single-parent homes, some come from intact homes, some come from homes that are broken in many ways. They come from different states and in some cases, different countries. But what matters in this brotherhood is what’s inside. They are all brothers in Christ no matter the color of their skin or their backgrounds. They find a place where they belong with strong male Christian role models who care about them and are not afraid to tell them that they love them.
“The greatest motivator in the world is not anger, fear, or hate, it is love. We want to be love-driven. I want my players to hear that I love them a ridiculous amount of times.”
– Coach Paul Simmons, Head Coach, Harding Bison Football
For Coach Simmons, the ultimate success is not a championship title, perfect score, or any game-related stat. Ultimate success is a knock on the door ten years later and finding a former player at his door with his wife and kids, wanting to let him know that his coaching had a lasting impact on their lives – wanting to tell him that they are a better husband, father and Christian servant because of the time that they spent with Harding football. If the coaching staff can have this lifelong impact and because of Harding football many more people can come to know the Lord, that’s the real win!
For the Harding Bisons that’s their real secret to success - it starts and ends with honoring God and with loving others.
“One of the best things about this place is that it goes outside of football. Every couple of weeks we go over to the coach’s house to eat. We share a meal and play with his kid, watch a game on TV, and just hang out together. It’s so cool to be together outside of football and the relationships grow. Every Wednesday night we have football church together. We meet in Coach Simmons’ house a lot of times. His wife fixes snacks and we open up the Bible and get into it and each other’s lives. Those things more than anything have been special.”
– Will Fitzhugh, Fullback, Harding Bison Football Player
“We care about winning and losing, but what we care about more than anything is having the best culture we can possibly have. When you’re part of a group that does things the right way, winning comes with that. Our focus is on being the best teammates and leaders that we can possibly be. What’s so special about Harding is that we just want to play together, work together, and encourage one another. We love seeing each other succeed. One of the biggest things about what makes our culture so special is that selflessness comes with it.”
– Will Fitzhugh, Fullback, Harding Bison Football Player
“A lot of cultures have the brotherhood as part of their mantra, but with Harding it’s real; it’s not something to sell to recruits. When you’re a part of this team you’re a part of a family. That comes with everything that being a part of a family entails. We rejoice together and celebrate our successes together but we also fail together. We are one with each other. That’s what a brotherhood really is. It shows throughout the season because when we are facing the best defense in the nation and the offense is having a hard time moving the ball, a family is going to pull together. They are going to hunker down and do the things it takes to pull out a win. It’s a blessing to be a part of a culture where entitlement is the last thing you see. Each player has a deeper role from the best player on the team to the guy that only walks on during practice.”
– Jhalen Spicer, Runningback, Harding Bison Football Player
“These guys are pushing me to be better in every aspect of life. I know these guys I came in here with are going to be my friends for the rest of my life. If I need something or if they need something from me, it doesn’t matter what time period of our lives it is, we’re going to be there for one another. I know that my teammates have my back and they know that I have their back. That’s more than just the football field. The football field is just a small time period of our lives. We know that we’re going to be there for each other throughout our lives.”
– Will Fitzhugh, Fullback, Harding Bison Football Player
“The coaches have us over all the time. Their wives are always cooking for us and making us desserts. On some of the games the moms get together and bake all types of cookies. The coaches are just as invested in the brotherhood as the players.”
– Jhalen Spicer, Runningback, Harding Bison Football Player
“We’ll remember games and moments of games, but the times that will stick with us and impact us the most are when we are together in the coaches’ homes or in the dorms. Those are the things that have impacted me most and really helped shape me into the man that I am today.”
– Will Fitzhugh, Fullback, Harding Bison Football Player
Read the full issue below.
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