Bryan Ross had planned on staying in Siloam Springs as a teacher for the upcoming school year, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to join some familiar faces in Conway.
Ross -- head football coach at Siloam Springs from 2009 to 2017 and a district employee since 2004 -- was hired Monday as an assistant coach and teacher at Conway High School.
Ross joins first-year Conway coach Keith Fimple's staff as quarterbacks and running backs coach.
Fimple was hired when Clint Ashcraft -- another former Siloam Springs head coach -- resigned as head coach to take the Conway athletics director's position. Ross also will be working under Conway offensive coordinator Brian Raney, who was an assistant coach at Siloam Springs and left with Ashcraft for Conway in 2009.
"It was a unique situation," Ross said of the Conway job. "They had an opening late and they called. My relationship with Clint and Coach Raney, and I knew Coach Fimple a little -- I just felt like it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. They made me feel wanted and made me excited to come in and learn new stuff and still coach football. I really feel blessed to have this opportunity."
Ross was the Panthers' head coach for nine seasons with a record of 30-64-1 and 13-50 in conference play. He resigned in November following the 2017 season where the Panthers went 2-8 and 1-6 in the 6A-West Conference and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
Ross might be best remembered for guiding the Siloam Springs football program through one of the roughest transitions in classifications.
The Panthers were 14-16 overall and 7-14 in the 5A-West in Ross' first three seasons as head coach.
In 2012, Siloam Springs jumped in classification from 5A to 6A. The Panthers moved into the 7A/6A-West football conference as the only 6A team competing against 7A powers from Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville.
Siloam Springs went 1-10 in 2012, losing at Searcy 50-49 in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs -- nearly rallying from a 28-0 halftime deficit.
The Panthers went 3-8-1 in 2013 and returned to Searcy for a playoff game and this time the Panthers walked out with a victory over the Lions.
In 2014, the conferences were realigned and Siloam Springs moved into the 7A/6A-Central as one of four 6A teams competing against four 7A teams. The Panthers went 5-7 overall that year and finished second among the 6A teams and won a home first-round playoff game, defeating Texarkana at Glenn W. Black Stadium. Ross was named the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Coach of the Year in 2014.
The Panthers went 4-6 in 2015 and missed the playoffs and struggled to 1-9 and 2-8 seasons in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Ashcraft and Ross were both hired by Billy Dawson in 2004 as assistant coaches in Siloam Springs. When Dawson resigned after the 2004 season, Ashcraft was promoted to head coach and Ross was named offensive coordinator, a position he held until 2008 when Ashcraft took the Conway job. Ashcraft is happy to have Ross join the Conway family.
"I'm telling you, I told our superintendent and told our principal, (Ross) is one of the smartest people I know," Ashcraft said. "He's got a lot of knowledge on a lot of things. He had a rough stretch there, but he also hung in there when things were really, really tough. Coach Ross stood strong and then they made the playoffs and won a game. It was a tough situation he was in and he did the best he could. He's a perfect fit for what we needed (at Conway). We needed somebody with experience."
Ross, who began his coaching career at Charleston in 1992 and is entering his 27th season coaching high school football, said there is some familiarity with the Conway offense, but there will also be some new things.
"Things evolve over the years and they've really become a tight end-dominated offense," Ross said. "They're really good up front. There's a lot of newness in how they block some of the stuff. I think I'll catch on pretty quickly. I think it will make me a better coach and expose me to different opportunities to use the tight end space."
Conway went 9-4 in 2017 in Ashcraft's final season, including a 35-16 win at Bentonville in Week 3. The Wampus Cats advanced to the Class 7A semifinals where they lost 49-14 to eventual state champion North Little Rock.
The Wampus Cats were picked to finish third in 7A-Central for the 2018 season behind the Charging Wildcats and Bryant. Ross is excited to join the staff.
"It feels good to be wanted," Ross said. "I plan on doing my best and helping them achieve their goals. There's always an anxiety about leaving (your) home of 14 years. It's sad to leave old friends, but I'm also excited for a new challenge and new opportunity."
Sports on 07/15/2018