The physical and mental toll of being a head coach at the high school level made Paul Calley consider stepping away from the game altogether.
“You can’t really explain to people who have never been in the position of being a head football coach, the wear and tear it takes both mentally and physically, and how it dominates your life,” Calley said. “Everything you do and every decision you make are based around the responsibilities you have as a head football coach.
“I was ready for something different.”
Having earned his master’s degree in educational leadership in 2012 from Arkansas State University-Jonesboro, Calley considered moving into an administrative role full time.
“I’ve got some health issues, some things that I have got to get taken care of, that have made it virtually impossible to do with the position I was in [as head coach],” Calley said. “I’ve got knee issues and back issues that I never felt like I could take care of adequately and still do my job.
“And I think the role I’m in now will allow me to do that.”
Calley, who has been the head football coach at Haskell Harmony Grove High School for the past two seasons, was hired in March as the new assistant principal at Bauxite Middle School.
“We are excited to have Paul Calley join our Bauxite Miners administrative team,” Bauxite Superintendent Matt Donaghy said. “He came to us highly recommended, and he has a reputation of building positive relationships with students.
“He is highly regarded in Saline County and across the state. We believe he will be an asset to our district.”
Calley will also be an assistant coach for the Bauxite football team, serving as an associate head coach and offensive line coach for the Miners.
“We are tickled to death,” Bauxite head coach Daryl Patton said. “Outside of football, he is one of my best friends. I coached with him at Bryant, and a huge portion of my coaching philosophy was built around when I was with Paul.
“When I judge or evaluate other coaches and their abilities, I see how they rank up against Coach Calley. He is the best coach I have ever coached with.”
Patton said Calley is intelligent, smart and good with kids.
“He is one of the best offensive line coaches I have ever been around,” Patton said.
Patton was the head coach at Bryant High School from 1998 to 2002. He left to be the head coach at Fayetteville High School, where he won four 7A state championships. He nearly took Calley with him to Fayetteville.
“I was going to take him with me, but at the very last moment, they convinced him to stay and take the job,” Patton said. “He is a great head coach.”
Calley was the head coach at Bryant for 12 years, leading the Hornets to a record of
103-41-4, including five conference championships. He said deciding to join Patton’s staff was an easy one.
“It is like we were never separated,” Calley said. “He is still the same guy. His attention to detail is impeccable. He is a perfect head coach.
“I never considered myself a head coach. I was a position coach that did the job of a head coach.”
Calley said he wore a lot of hats at Bryant, and at Bauxite, it is kind of refreshing to “take a step back and not have to make the big decisions.”
“At Harmony Grove, I had a great job and had great assistant coaches,” he said. “I felt like I didn’t do a whole lot because I had those people in place who took care of everything.”
Also on staff at Bauxite is offensive coordinator David Jordan, who was the head coach at Bryant High School from 1994 to 1997. He won a state championship as head coach at Dollarway High School in 1993.
“Coach Patton and Coach Jordan are great play callers; that’s what they love to do,” Calley said. “I’m the kind of guy where I like to see what’s going on and have a little input here or there with things I think will work.
“I’ll make suggestions for where I see weak spots in the defense — things that will make us a little better or successful.”
In Patton’s second year as head coach, Bauxite finished 4-6 last season.
“For us to persuade him and get him over to Bauxite was a huge win for us,” Patton said. “It is good for the kids at Bauxite, great for the middle school and great for our football players and our coaching staff.
“It is just a huge win for our entire school.”
Calley fills the empty position left by Leann Pinkerton, who was promoted to assistant superintendent for the district.
“It is hard to say, not ever having been in that role, but one thing I am looking forward to is being around the kids on a daily basis and developing relationships with them — getting to know them and finding out what their needs are and which ones I can help,” Calley said.
“That’s one thing Bauxite was looking for — someone who can be a mentor to the young men in the middle school.”
Calley said that as an assistant principal, “you can really make an impact on a young person’s life.” Calley is currently finishing out his contract with Harmony Grove and will start as an assistant principal in the fall.
“Sometimes football season is pretty long, after you’ve done it for as many years as I have,” Calley said. “You just start thinking about different career paths.
“I don’t know if I will ever be a full-time administrator, but it’s something I want to experience.”
Footballwise, Calley said, he is excited to see the pieces the team has in place, giving them a chance to be successful.
“It has been awhile since they have had success here, and I am excited to be a part of that,” Calley said.
Calley graduated from Gurdon High School and played football for Henderson State University as a center. In 1991, he earned All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference honors. He said he likes coaching the offensive line because it is something he knows well.
“I feel like I can help develop young men that most people look at and say, ‘Oh, they can’t play,’ or ‘They will never be able to play,’” Calley said. “I pride myself in taking those type of kids and turning them into football players.”
Calley said many people doubted his playing ability because of his size and speed.
“But as fate would have it, when everybody in front of you gets hurt, you have to play, and things kind of worked out from there,” Calley said.
Patton said that under Calley, he expects his offensive line to be tough and fundamentally sound, and play hard.
“That is what he brings to the table,” Patton said. “He is a great head coach. Don’t let him fool you. He is one of the best around, but I do think he has a little more comfortable feeling as an offensive line coach or an assistant coach.
“But make no mistake about it; he could do this job in a heartbeat.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.