Brad Bolding returns to North Little Rock for second stint as head football coach

The three-time state champion head coach is back to try to turn around the Charging Wildcats

Brad Bolding was North Little Rock's head football coach from 2007-14. / Jimmy Jones

About three months shy of a decade removed from Brad Bolding’s controversial exit as North Little Rock’s head football coach, the three-time state champion head coach is returning with hopes of breathing new life into a heavily struggling program. 

In a move few expected, Bolding was officially approved by the school board for his second stint leading the Charging Wildcats on Thursday. 

It would be a massive understatement to say Bolding is facing an uphill climb, as North Little Rock is coming off an 0-10 campaign in which it surpassed the 20-point mark in two games and finished last in the 7A-Central conference standings.

Bolding, 55, held the same position at Parkview since 2017 and recently led a dominant run with the Patriots, completing the three-peat last month in the 5A state championship game with a convincing victory over Farmington. The 2025 Parkview class will go down as one of the most established in state history, as the heralded group features multiple Power Four signees. Parkview went 39-3 the past three seasons, all losses to Class 7A opposition. That includes a 33-0 record against Class 5A competition.

That outstanding accomplishment is one Bolding had to wait very patiently for as five of his previous teams at North Little Rock, as well as his 2021 squad at Parkview, advanced to the semifinals but were not able to take the next step and finish the season with a trip to War Memorial Stadium.

After the loss to Greenwood in the 2021 6A semifinal, the Patriots moved back down to Class 5A and added a major boost to the team when Bolding brought on his brother, Bobby, as defensive coordinator. Bobby Bolding is one of the state’s all-time great head coaches, who achieved 220 wins and three state titles of his own before joining the Patriots staff.

“I am the most fortunate head coach in the state,” Brad Bolding said that 2022 summer. “I get to work with my brother the last few years of his career, and I get one of the best coaches in the history of Arkansas football on my staff. It is a win-win.”

There has been no public mention whether Bobby Bolding will follow Brad Bolding to North Little Rock. 

Though North Little Rock has nowhere to go but up coming off its first winless season since 2001, Brad Bolding is familiar with taking over struggling programs — even dating to Mayflower during his first head coaching stint in 2004. Bolding got through a 3-7 season in his first year at North Little Rock after the team was coming off an eight-win season in the final year under Bryan Hutson before Bolding guided the Charging Wildcats to five state semifinals in a six-year span. Parkview was 1-8 and the program also was in a tough place at the time Bolding took over in December of 2016.

OFFSEASON HEAD COACH TRACKER

ARKANSAS HIGH

Previous coach: Trey Outlaw

New coach:

CAVE CITY

Previous coach: Danny Brustrum 

New coach: 

DOVER

Previous coach: Will Cox

New coach:

FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE

Previous coach: Felix Curry

New coach:

HAMPTON

Previous coach: Chris Morphis 

New coach: 

HARDING ACADEMY

Previous coach: Neil Evans 

New coach:

JOE T. ROBINSON

Previous coach: Todd Eskola 

New coach: Tyler Uptergrove

LAKE VILLAGE

Previous coach: Sirl Wright

New coach: 

MINERAL SPRINGS

Previous coach: Jason Hathcock

New coach: 

MURFREESBORO

Previous coach: Brad Chesshir 

New coach: Jay Turley 

NASHVILLE

Previous coach: Shawn Jackson

New coach: Brad Chesshir 

NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Previous coach: Clint Reed

New coach: Brad Bolding

PEA RIDGE

Previous coach: Brey Cook 

New coach: 

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER

Previous coach: Brent Eckley

New coach: Aaron Danenhauer

SYLVAN HILLS

Previous coach: JJ Houle 

New coach: Mark Kelley

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