Coaching in his blood

Siloam Springs has changed a lot since Cole Harriman was a youngster tagging along with his dad at football practices.

That was nearly two decades ago when the Harriman family moved here from Huntsville in the summer of 1998 when Ken Harriman -- Cole's dad -- accepted the Siloam Springs head football coaching job.

But sometimes the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Siloam Springs has grown tremendously and changed some from what Cole Harriman remembers as a fifth-grader in 1998. He remembers living in Ravenwood subdivision and seeing the dirt work being done down the road on Highway 412 where Walmart Supercenter now sits.

Panther Stadium and the current high school didn't exist either, as Siloam Springs played its home games at Glenn W. Stadium across town at the old high school and current middle school.

But one thing about Siloam Springs remains the same.

"It still feels like a small school and smaller town," Harriman said.

Harriman is back in Siloam Springs, but instead of following his dad around to practices and games, he's the one who's got the whistle on the sidelines.

Harriman, 29, was hired back in June as a varsity football coach to the Siloam Springs football staff. He'll coach the Panthers' secondary, working with defensive backs and safeties, along with being the head eighth-grade coach. He'll teach civics and sociology at the high school.

Panthers head coach Bryan Ross is happy to have Harriman on his staff.

"He's a coach's son, kind of like myself," Ross said. "When you grow up in it, you kind of see the ins and outs of things. I think the bottom line is he coaches because it's in his blood."

Harriman feels like he was destined to become a football coach.

"I've grown up around some really great coaches, and I've been fortunate enough to work for some really great coaches," Harriman said. "I've always kind of known since I was a kid that coaching was going to be my profession."

Harriman spent his fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade years in Siloam Springs. His dad was head coach in 1998 and 1999 before moving into an athletic director's role for the next three years.

The Harrimans left Siloam Springs and returned to Huntsville in 2002.

Cole Harriman played high school football and graduated from Huntsville in 2006 and then attended the University of Arkansas where he got his bachelor's degree. During that time he also served as a graduate assistant on his dad's staff at Huntsville. Harriman earned his master's from Harding University and got his first coaching job at Sheridan in 2011 under former University of Arkansas and NFL assistant coach Louis Campbell.

"I called Coach Campbell, and Coach Campbell said he'd hire (Harriman) anytime, anywhere," Ross said. "And this is a guy that's coached at the highest level in the NFL and major colleges. That's a pretty good recommendation. Knowing his dad and all of that turned out to be a good set up for us I believe."

Harriman spent one year at Sheridan before moving on to Class 3A Perryville for four seasons.

In 2016, looking to get back to Northwest Arkansas, Harriman accepted a job coaching seventh grade at Springdale J.O. Kelly.

"Being from this area, I always had it in the back of mind to move back to Northwest Arkansas at some point," Harriman said. "I've got a lot of friends and family that live up here."

When coaching positions opened up at Siloam Springs, Harriman put his name in the hat. Ross said Harriman had an impressive interview.

"He really wanted to get back into senior high," Ross said. "He really had an impressive interview, and I think he's going to be really good for our football program."

Harriman said he's excited to be back working in his former hometown.

"I've coached at several different places in the state, but I've always tried to keep up with Siloam," he said. "I thought it was pretty exciting to come back and work. The facilities are incredible. I've tried to to talk to everybody I remember being here before and they all agree. I think Siloam is organized and ran like a big school, but it still has a small town feel. Everybody in the central office is on a first name basis with you."

NOTES: The only football coach on staff from Harriman's time in Siloam Springs is defensive line coach Dwain Pippin, who joined the district in 1997. ... Ken Harriman got out of coaching after the 2010 season and served as Huntsville's athletics director before getting out of athletics altogether. He recently retired after serving for a short stint as Huntsville's principal and is now working part-time at Best Sports in Fayetteville and "playing a ton of golf," according to Cole Harriman.