PEARCY -- Fans and supporters filled the stands of Wolf Arena Saturday night as Jerry Clay was the toast of the town for one last time. The longtime Lake Hamilton football coach announced his retirement in December after 28 seasons of leading the Wolves.
With a record of 211-113, 10 conference titles and state championships in 1992 as well as 2008, Clay's success on the field speaks for itself. However, at the coach's retirement ceremony, most of the talk was of Clay's influence as a man off the field.
"A few years ago, I had the unique experience of being a parent of a young man that Jerry Clay coached," Lake Hamilton Superintendent and former assistant Steve Anderson said. "My son is the most precious part of my life, and Jerry Clay made a huge impact on his life. For that I am forever thankful."
Anderson was the first of several to give their thanks to Clay for the effect that he had on the lives of so many. Former Lake Hamilton player Grant Garrett shared a story of when Clay approached him after a junior high practice.
"He looked at me and said I've been watching you. I expect great things out of you and I can't wait to coach you in high school," Garrett said. "You don't know what that does to a seventh-grade kid that wasn't very good. To have a high school coach believe in me like that, it meant a lot and it still does."
Garrett later explained how Clay went above and beyond to help him receive a football scholarship to his dream school, the University of Arkansas.
"Coach Clay told the Arkansas coaches that I weighed 275, and I remember thinking to myself that I barely even weigh 255," Garrett said. "We went into the locker room to weigh and I'm sweating bullets because I know I don't weigh 275. I get up on the scale and I noticed coach Clay is standing uncomfortably close behind me. He dropped two 10-pound weights down my pants legs and I came up 275."
Phillip Butterfield, quarterback of the 2008 state champion team and one of the most prolific passers in school history, described Clay as like a second father to him.
"We had good work ethic, were pretty smart and stayed out of trouble for the most part but the main reason we had so much success was because of coach Clay," Butterfield said. "To say that he changed my life would be an understatement. Investing in lives and people was more than a job to him."
As Lake Hamilton athletic director and former assistant coach John Utley explained, Clay's influence was felt by colleagues as well as the players he coached.
"Love is a four-letter word that we don't use a lot in football, and I love this man," Utley said.
As most would have expected, when it came time for Clay to give one final speech, he spent the majority of his time talking about former players rather than himself. He talked in detail about what a pleasure it was to coach young men, mentioning several by name and shared some of his favorite memories from games.
"I appreciate all of the accolades but really what we've accomplished here has been a team effort by everyone involved," Clay said. "I am so blessed with all these great players and great memories. I know our program is going to keep going. I think the future is bright for Lake Hamilton football."
To end his speech, Clay read the lyrics to a song that he wrote titled, "Shoot for the Moon."
At the end of the night, Clay was given with a plaque detailing all the statistics he accumulated over his illustrious career. The final presentation was a slideshow featuring testimonies from former players as well as pictures and videos from Clay's tenure.
The last line from the slideshow echoed the sentiments felt by everyone that knew the coach, "when people think about Arkansas football and Lake Hamilton, they'll always remember coach Clay."
Sports on 05/23/2016