NLR FOOTBALL COACH RETURNS TO PARKVIEW

Brad Bolding is returning to the sidelines. Bolding, the former North Little Rock football coach from 2007-2014, announced Monday he will accept the head football coaching position at Little Rock Parkview. He made the announcement on his Facebook profile. Little Rock School District Athletic Director John Daniels told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Monday that an offer was extended to Bolding last week. He said the state board of education could put its stamp of approval on Bolding's hiring as early as Thursday. The LRSD is currently under control by the state. It has been two seasons since Bolding last coached high school football. He was fired in April 2015 by North Little Rock for violating inventory and purchasing procedures and recruiting rules. Bolding dabbled in television in Little Rock and worked at a local roofing company in the time since his dismissal. Bolding said that he tried to stay current with Arkansas high school football over the past two seasons by visiting with coaches as well as reinventing his coaching philosophy. "I got rejuvenated," Bolding said. "I got refocused on the game. With a two-year break, I missed the game. But it was good to recharge my batteries." Bolding went 64-30 in eight seasons at North Little Rock, which hired him in 2007. Bolding won 10 or more games in four of his eight seasons at North Little Rock. Before coming to North Little Rock, Bolding was the head for the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Mayflower and was an assistant at Greenwood and Rogers as well as Arkansas-Monticello. Bolding is the son of Buzz Bolding, a former high school coach and Conway athletic director. Brad's brother, Bobby, is head coach at Pine Bluff. Parkview went 1-8 in 2016 under interim coach Kenny Stephens. Stephens replaced William Hardiman, who was placed on administrative leave by Parkview in August and was arrested in September and charged with first-degree sexual assault. Bold said he accepts the challenge of playing in the 5A-Central Conference with three-time defending Class 5A state champion Pulaski Academy as well as Little Rock McClellan, Little Rock Christian and Sylvan Hills. "I'm a program builder," Bolding said. "That's the way I am. My brother is one as well as my dad. It's a process. It's a process that I'm really excited about. There's a lot of potential there." One of Bolding's first goals for Parkview is to get students playing football. "There are players and kids that are walking the halls and streets of Little Rock that need to have themselves out there playing football," Bolding said. Bolding had praise for Dr. Michael Poore, LRSD Superintendent, and his vision for the district. "He's highly involved in every facet of the Little Rock school system," Bolding said. "That's why the state department hired him. He's a gentleman who gets it. Not just from an athletic standpoint, but from an academic standpoint." The Patriots have not won a state championship since 1979 and have not had a winning season since 2009 when they went 8-4 under Hardiman. But Bolding said he hopes to have Parkview competitive again. "It's not going to happen overnight," Bolding said. "You have to have that foundation as strong as you can so when you get it going, it stays there."

Parkview Magnet High School Athletics

NLR FOOTBALL COACH RETURNS TO PARKVIEW

Photo Credit: Staton Breidenthal