Former Arkansas Razorbacks All-American Jermaine Petty cherishes his duties as football coach and councilman

Jermaine Petty, who led the SEC in tackles in 2001, now giving back throughout the Greenland community

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - It’s been 22 years since Jermaine Petty roamed the field as an All-American linebacker at the University of Arkansas. Still, most of his days continue to be spent on the gridiron. 

The 45-year-old Petty is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Greenland High School, located just outside of Fayetteville. After spending his first three seasons as a volunteer under former Head Coach Lee Larkan, Petty was named a full-time paid assistant prior to this season. 

“The main reason I wanted to volunteer was that I live in the Greenland School District and wanted to give back to the community,” he explained. “I just wanted to help out in any way I could.”

As Greenland’s Pop Warner youth football coach for the four years prior to that, he was also very familiar with many of the Pirates’ current high school players and wanted to continue mentoring them.

“I wanted to reach back out to those kids and keep coaching them at the high school level, and continue to be a part of their journey,” he said.

Former University of Arkansas All-American linebacker Jermaine Petty has volunteered with the Greenland youth, junior high and varsity football programs for several years. (Photo by Steve Andrews)  

Petty currently serves as the defensive coordinator for the junior high team and is the receivers and linebackers coach for the varsity squad, under first-year Pirates Head Coach Cody Napier.

“I can relate to these kids here at Greenland, with me being a former player, coming from a small 2A school in South Carolina,” Petty said. “A lot of these kids dream of playing college football, so that gives me the opportunity to encourage them to work hard, so they can achieve their goals. And it doesn’t always have to be at a Division I school. Just give yourself the opportunity to go play college football somewhere at the next level. I try to encourage all of our players to make sure their academics are in order, do us right, and to really invest into football. Because it can really open up some doors for them in the future.

After growing up in Inman, SC, with a population of just over 2,000 at the time, the 6-foot-2, 257-pound Petty embarked on his college career at Butler Community College, in El Dorado, Kan. Two years later, he arrived on campus in Fayetteville, and proceeded to become one of the most prolific linebackers to ever wear a Razorback uniform.

He dominated the 2001 season, leading the SEC with 140 tackles, and was twice named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, in consecutive SEC games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Petty abruptly ended the game against the Rebels in Oxford, when he made the game-saving stop in the seventh overtime – his 20th tackle of the night -- as Arkansas won the longest game in college football history, 58-56.

The two teams combined for 988 yards of total offense on 198 plays that night, including 322 yards on 59 plays in the overtime periods.

The Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator at the time, John Thompson, admits he still gets chill bumps when he thinks about the game and Petty’s performance against the Rebels.

“In overtime, you could win or lose on any given play, so every single play was so important,” Thompson said. “I just couldn’t take Jermaine out of the game — I wanted to rest him, but I just couldn’t risk taking him out. Jermaine was just so good fundamentally. His eyes were good, his feet were good, he had excellent explosion and he was just such a joy to coach.”

Jermaine Petty's tackle to end the famous seven-overtime game against Ole Miss in 2001 is one of the most memorable stops in University of Arkansas football history. (Photo courtesy of UA sports information)

Petty continues to stay in touch with Thompson and former Hogs head coach Houston Nutt. He was able to share some time with Nutt two weeks ago, when the coach was enshrined into the University of Arkansas’ Hall of Honor.

Despite his busy schedule, Petty also makes an effort to return to the Arkansas football facility when time permits.

“I am trying to get back up to the facility a little more, and trying to encourage the young Razorbacks that we have up there now,” he said. “I just try to help them as a former player, encouraging them to buy into the system and give it everything that you’ve got, and things will work out for you, one way or the other.”

Petty was named a first-team All-SEC selection and a first-team All-American following the 2001 season. He was the last Hog to garner that honor, until Drew Sanders equaled his feat last season.

Petty signed with the Green Bay Packers after college, spending three years there, before playing in NFL Europe, followed by a brief stay in the Arena Football League. In 2009, he finally hung up his cleats and settled in Greenland, a small town just a few minutes from the Arkansas campus.

When he’s not coaching, he continues his business as a personal trainer, helping guide some of the area’s top high school athletes in fitness and nutrition. One of his prized pupils, JJ Hollingsworth, who became the first Greenland player to ever sign with Arkansas, prior to last season. He had coached the young defensive end in Pop Warner since the fourth grade.

“I’ve been coaching JJ a long time, so it’s good to see him now up there with the Hogs,” Petty said. “And I use him as an example to our younger guys, that they continue to work hard they can have an opportunity to play somewhere after high school, too. But they have to be able to hone into their craft and take football very seriously.

Jermaine Petty's experience as a college and NFL linebacker has helped players at Class 3A Greenland develop over the past few years. (Photo by Steve Andrews)

He also trained former Springdale standout, Landon Phipps, who is a walk-on for the Razorbacks. Others who have received college scholarships are former Greenland players, Jeremy Selvey at Lyon College, and Matthew Goad at McPherson College in Kansas.

“I just try to get these kids to believe -- to believe in one another, play together as a team and just give it all you’ve got,” he said. “You know, that one play you make could be your last play. And being at a small school, most of these kids are playing both ways, so if you take a play off, that could be the play that wins or loses the game. I try to get them to go hard every play and take advantage of every opportunity they get out here on the football field.”

Napier feels blessed to have Petty on staff, not only for his continuity from the previous staff, but also as someone who has reached the highest level in the sport.

“He’s played SEC football, he’s played NFL football, so he has a lot of knowledge and fundamental skills, and knows how to get things done at the highest level,” Napier said. “He has definitely helped with the transition. It’s big having someone here who already knew the kids. Knows what they are capable of and what they are not capable of.”

Jermaine Petty not only volunteers his time coaching football but is also a city councilman in Greenland. (Photo by Steve Andrews) 

Away from football and training, Petty’s life is equally as busy. Not only are he and his wife, Malinda, parents to 12-year-old daughter, Raven, and 7-year-old son, Jermaine Jr., but Petty also serves as on the Greenland City Council.

“I just want to be able to help out the community in any way I can,” he said. “A lot of guys want to give back to their hometown, but this is my way of giving back to the community that I now live in.”

No matter what he is doing, on or off the football field, Petty is determined to do the best job he can. In the same manner he performed as a player, he wants everything done to the best of his ability.

“It’s just what I do,” he said. “I’ve been given an opportunity to do a job – to do a few jobs – and I want to continue performing those duties the best way I know how. After that, everything else will take care of itself.”