WYNNE — Of the top ten all-time winningest Arkansas high school football coaches, three have been on the sidelines for the Wynne Yellowjackets.
They are Van Paschal, Clay Totty and the late Don Campbell.
Paschal is ranked third among active high school coaches and is eighth on the all-time list with 266 wins. Totty and Campbell are tied for tenth all-time with 257 wins. That puts Totty, who is now at Hazen, fourth among active high school coaches.
Randy Coleman, who replaces Totty at Wynne this season, said he understands what it means to follow in their footsteps as Wynne Yellowjackets head coach.
“You could say Don Campbell by himself or Van Paschal by himself or Clay Totty by himself, I don’t know if I’ll coach in as many games as they’ve won. I don’t know their overall record, but I’m pretty sure it’s pretty impressive,” Coleman said. “It’s not like it’s something that you’re intimidated by or it’s a daunting feeling but it’s definitely a feeling of big time respect that you have a lot to live up to. They set a standard that’s really, really high. I would throw Ray Shempert in that too. Although his stint as head coach probably for sure didn’t have the record of Don Campbell but he was a key piece of what Don Campbell did during his time at Wynne.”
The Jackets will open the Randy Coleman era Friday at home against Marion. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the broadcast starting at 5:30 p.m. on KWYN AM 1400/FM 102.9/FM 106.9 and the EAB Media Group app.
