Junction City athletic director and former football coach David Carpenter was formally inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Friday. The event was held at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Carpenter's class included Vance Arnold of Fayetteville, Van Holt of Dumas, Karl Koonce of Lake Hamilton, Ruby J. Marrow of Marvell and Gary Segrest of Nashville.
“It was fun. That's the easiest thing to say about it, especially on the coach's side of the guys that went in,” Carpenter said. “So many of them I've known for years, especially two of them were guys I looked up to when I was in high school when they were in college running track and playing football at Henderson - Segrest and Koonce. I've known those guys since forever. Getting to go in with two like that is a great honor. It was fun to be up on the stage with them. That was the good part.”
Carpenter, who watched his father, the late Sporty Carpenter, be inducted into the Hall of Fame, had his family with him to witness the event.
“That's the great part. They've been with us through all the good and the bad all through the years,” he said. “You're sitting there and you've got your kids that you coached, son-in-law that you coached, all of them were there in attendance. It's a great honor because they're the ones that helped us get to this point that we're at. That was a good deal being able to share that with them.”
Carpenter amassed a coaching record of 242-93-1, including six state football championships at Junction City. He retired from football coaching in 2016 but still coaches track. He was inducted into the Henderson State University Hall of Fame in 2014.
On his lengthy list of accolades, Carpenter said Friday night's induction ranks high.
“It's at the very top. It shows what all the athletes and players that you've had have done in your coaching career,” he said. “To be able to be considered to go into something like this, if it hadn't been for all their work, none of this would've been possible. It ranks up very high because it's not just an award for me. It's for the entire athletic department – the other coaches you've worked with and all the players. All of us went in. I happened to be the one that got the recognition but it was all of them that did it. I just happened the beneficiary of all their work.
“All of us went in, not just me.”