Gus Malzahn 1984
Gus Malzahn poses with his Most Valuable Player trophy in this undated photo from his playing days at Fort Smith Christian in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Malzahn played football, basketball and baseball in 1983 and 1984 at the small private school. (Fort Smith Union Christian/Facebook)
Gus Malzahn is home again.
The Auburn coach is scheduled to speak at his old high school today at a leadership seminar in Arkansas. It's here at Fort Smith Union Christian -- formerly Fort Smith Christian -- he'll reminisce about his playing days, his meteoric rise through the high school coaching ranks and share his advice for success.
If they play close attention, they'll also discover what drives Malzahn, the third-year Auburn coach who hasn't experienced a losing season since his second year at Hughes (Arkansas) High in 1992.
"He called me two weeks ago and he asked me, 'David, why did we go to school there?'" said David Little, Malzahn's close friend and teammate at Fort Smith Christian. "I said, well, for football. And he said you're right. Look at the doors that it opened up for us."
Fort Smith Christian maintained a football program from 1982 through 1987 and re-emerged after two private Christian schools combined with Fort Smith Christian in 2005 to maintain enrollment. Fort Smith Union Christian, with an enrollment hovering near 350 in 12 grade levels, is not necessarily the same school Malzahn attended as a junior and senior.
The school has fallen on hard times in recent years. The high school football coach, Chris Smith, left recently to take a job as an assistant at a larger public school. The football team was resurrected in 2006 and has reached the state playoffs in back-to-back years, but the squad had only 14 players on the roster last season.
"Gus is dedicated to do anything to help that school get back on its feet because of the opportunities that it gave him to further both of our careers in football," said Little, who is now a tight ends coach at Fort Smith Northside. "It really means a lot to him to keep this school open and keep football alive because of what it did for him."
How important was Fort Smith Christian in Malzahn's life? He may not be at Auburn today if the small private school decided it wasn't the right time to field a football team.
Little and Malzahn have been friends since their pre-teen years when they attended First Baptist Church in Fort Smith and Fort Smith Southside High, a large public school. Little didn't fit in with the school and Malzahn was more than willing to transfer elsewhere to be with his friends. "Southside is a big school and I didn't wear designer clothes and drive the nice car. I wasn't really in the crowd so to speak," Little said.
Little and Malzahn decided together to transfer to Fort Smith Christian, where many of their friends were already enrolled. The school started a football program in 1982 after the new superintendent, fresh off a job in Georgia, decided it was time to bring a third football program to the city. Little and Malzahn saw an opportunity to be part of something new and special. They also knew this was a better opportunity for more playing time.
By Year 2, the program went 9-1 and was one win shy of a conference title.
"Gus and David were the main catalysts," said Robin McClure, Fort Smith Christian's coach during its infancy.
Malzahn was the Eagles' top receiver, punter and safety on the 20-man roster. Little, the quarterback, always looked for Malzahn on the field. "A lot of time when things were breaking down I just threw it his way and he came up with it more times than not," Little said.
They also dissected film with McClure and drew up new plays. Malzahn and Little practically co-authored McClure's playbook. The team switched to a pass-happy style in 1983 with Little throwing the ball up to 30 times per game. It was an unheard of move at that time in Arkansas, where the Wing T was the go-to approach.
A matchup with Lavaca for the conference title stands out from the rest. Fort Smith Christian had an extra week to prepare and McClure knew his team could not match Lavaca's size on the offensive and defensive lines. "In those two weeks, we put in a spread offense," he said. "I'm sure Gus and David helped me draw up some of those plays."
The plan worked, too. The Eagles led Lavaca in the fourth quarter, but the defense gave up a touchdown in the final minute to seal a heartbreaking loss.
In their junior year, Malzahn blew past a defensive back for a touchdown in the final 2 minutes to secure the school's first playoff berth.
Little and Malzahn were connected at the hip on and off the field. When football was "out of season," the two would hit the field to conduct their own practices. "Even as a kid he had a great attention to detail," Little said. "All the way to his penmanship."
Malzahn was a star on the field and the court. He earned All-State honors in basketball, baseball and football.
Malzahn was Fort Smith Christian's ace on the mound, too. Little, the catcher, recalled a game against an Oklahoma school in which Malzahn pitched a no-hitter. The Oklahoma team was almost as good on the mound ("They had a flame thrower that threw 90," Little said.) and gave up only one hit: a game-winning swing by Malzahn.
Malzahn went on to beat out the large schools in Fort Smith and picked up the Southwest Times Record's Athlete of the Year Award as a senior, Little and McClure said.
Little and Malzahn stuck together after high school, though their roads diverged at first. Malzahn walked on at Arkansas in 1984 and played in one game at receiver. Little attended Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia to play baseball. In the spring, Malzahn transferred to OBU, but tore up his shoulder on the last play of the last day of spring practices. He had surgery and transferred to Henderson State, where he played receiver and punter. His name is still in the record books under a couple of punting categories. Little entered the Army and returned to OBU three years later to graduate.
They see each other on holidays and in the summer months. Conversations usually go back to their high school days.
"Fort Smith Christian changed the direction of our lives," Little said.
Malzahn has made it a point to revisit his past in recent years. He attended a day-long ceremony at Hughes High, his first coaching job, last summer. The school named its football field in Malzahn's honor, but the school has shuttered its doors as it faces consolidation with the West Memphis School District.
Fort Smith Union Christian is searching for a new coach amid uncertain times within its football program.
When Malzahn was asked to speak at the school, he jumped at the chance, Little said.
"Gus and David had a great positive attitude," said McClure, who is now a pastor at Harrison Chapel Baptist Church in Beebe, Arkansas. "You can see that in Gus now. He believes in what he's doing and he's always positive, even when negative things are happening."
The small Christian school has fielded a varsity football team for only 15 years (1982-87 and 2006-14) and is scheduled to remain in Class 2A through 2018. The run Little and Malzahn helped piece together in the program's infancy, however, sticks out. Malzahn is featured prominently among the school's list of alumni.
"It was the four greatest years of my life," McClure said. "The association with the players was a great time for me. I think it worked out great for the school when Gus and David and those other kids came over there."