Edens made his mark as athlete, coach for Bobcats

Editor’s Note: The Berryville Sports Hall of Fame proudly announced the inaugural class of inductees earlier this year. Coach Jo Ann Clark, Coach Ronnie Clark, Coach Jack Edens, Tom Ginn and Coach Joe Mills. We’ll be highlighting each inductee the next five weeks, leading up to the Sept. 7 induction ceremony. The featured inductee this week is as close to a living legend as you’ll ever meet. He will disagree and remain humble, but we will continue to show our appreciation for his lifetime of contributions.

To say coaching and working with the youth of Carroll County is in Jack Edens’ blood would be an understatement. Coach Edens has worked or volunteered in sports since graduating college in the 1950s. That’s a career that has covered eight decades!

Jack Edens was an all-around athlete at Berryville High School playing football and basketball and running track. The 1949 Bobcat football team played and defeated Harrison twice, even though Harrison was a much larger city than Berryville. Jack played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense, rarely leaving the field. He played guard on the basketball team. In track, the 1949-1950 team was the first Bobcats team to score in the Arkansas state track meet.

After graduation, a college career had to be put on hold. Jack enlisted in the military and served his country in Korea during 1951 and ’52. Once his military obligations were met, Jack enrolled at the University of the Ozarks, where he played linebacker on the football team and ran track. He was part of the graduating class of 1955, and immediately started looking for coaching opportunities.

Coach Edens’ first coaching job was in 1955 when he was hired to coach junior high in Joplin, Mo. In 1956 he was hired as the very first junior high coach at Berryville, and after three years, he became the high school coach. His 1962-63 basketball team had a record of 30-5 and lost by one point in the state semifinals. The track team placed fourth in the state track meet and athlete Gene Ary won the high jump at the state Meet of Champions.

Coach Edens led six state champion cross country teams. In 1976, his cross country team won the Arkansas Invitational, beating Little Rock Parkview by one point.

Coach Edens also coached football and track in Arizona for 17 years. He coached girls basketball one year and won the state championship. He was named Girls Coach of the Year in 1989. He was named Boys Coach of the Year in 1993. He was also a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 1993.

Returning to Berryville, Coach Edens worked with teams from the early 1990s until 2005, before retiring with 13 championships and 5 runner-ups to his credit. Coach Edens and his wife still live in Berryville, where he stays active in civic service.