Having won three straight state championships as a player and been on the staff of champions and title contenders at Pine Bluff High School, Rod Stinson sought to build a program on its way back to prominence.
"In a program, no matter what happens on the field, you can see it going in the right direction," he said. "When you're building teams, some years you're going to have good teams, and some years you'll have bad teams. I don't want to be just filling out teams. I want to be competitive and build programs."
Stinson on Wednesday confirmed in a text his decision to step down as the Zebras' head coach and accept an associate head coach role at Marion, which competed against Pine Bluff in the 6A-East in recent years. The 44-year-old posted a 10-19 record in three seasons leading the Zebras, finishing 2-7 in a 2021 season bookended with wins over Watson Chapel and Sheridan.
"I'm not putting anything on these kids," Stinson said of the Zebras. "I love these kids. I love Pine Bluff. My dad and mom worked here, my brother works here and my son graduated from here, so I'm always connected to Pine Bluff."
The decision to change schools didn't happen overnight, Stinson said. He explained he had thought about doing so for the past one to two years before making it official Tuesday.
Tasked with trying to keep Pine Bluff in contender status following Bobby Bolding's departure to White Hall, Stinson sent his first two teams to the 6A state playoffs, going 1-2 with a first-round win over Sheridan in 2019.
"You want to try to win championships and be competitive, and I think we've done well at that, but I need more of a change," Stinson said.
Stinson won three straight AAAA state championships as a running back at Pine Bluff from 1993-95. During that time, the Zebras went 40-1-1 while competing in the highest classification in the state.
He then played at the University of Arkansas, where he had his most productive season as a freshman, rushing for 413 of his 487 career yards and two of his three career touchdowns.
Stinson first left Pine Bluff to become Little Rock Hall's head coach in 2011 and returned to his alma mater just a few years later.
"I've enjoyed my time here," he said. "I've served in various positions over the past 18 years. It's been a joy seeing kids going to college, into business and in the military. That's what you want to build upon, building young men into important members of the community."
Stinson will finish the school year as a teacher at Pine Bluff.
As Marion's associate head coach under Lance Clark, Stinson will act as chief of staff, strength and conditioning liaison and director of college and career readiness. Academically, he will also work as a dean of students.
"We wish him very well and nothing but the best," Pine Bluff Athletic Director Cheryl Hatley said.
Asked about a timeline to hire a new coach, Hatley said the Arkansas Department of Education has to accept Stinson's resignation first, since the Pine Bluff School District is operated under state control.
"We'll come back after spring break and see what other openings we have, and then we'll advertise those openings and then start the interview process," Hatley said.
Hatley is looking for a "very sincere hire," explaining she wants to identify someone "capable" of running the program.