“I teach because I love to be around the kids, I don’t teach for the check,” Coach Harley Ethridge said.  

Harley Ethridge is the father of eight children: Tiffany, Courtney, Tyler, Sally, Braxton, Jaylen, Reagan, and Cohen. He is a history teacher in the high school. Harley is married to Brianna who also teaches in the elementary. 

“I met Brianna at college, she was younger than me, but we were both taking the same class.  She worked at Allsup’s and Sonic, so I saw her a lot,” Coach Ethridge said. “I started talking to her, and she started chasing me.” 

He went to study at multiple colleges and universities.

“I went to college at Texas Tech, and Tarleton State University, Stephenville,” Coach Ethridge said. “I graduated from Howard Payne University in Brownwood.” 

Coach Ethridge changed his major throughout his college career. 

“My original major was PE, but I realized that was not a good major, so I picked up history and my minor was English,” Coach Ethridge said. 

He started his teaching career in a small town south of Abilene.

 “I started at Nobles High School right outside of Coleman, TX,” Coach Ethridge said. “It closed down about ten years ago.”

Coach Ethridge does have a favorite sport.

“Football is my favorite,” Coach Ethridge said. “I used to coach 11 man and play, but I love six-man.”

Believe it or not, Coach Ethridge exactly did not pick to coach six-man. 

He wasn’t originally going to coach six-man football but was thankful it turned out this way.

“I got tricked to coach six-man,” Coach Ethridge said.  “I went to apply for a girls basketball job, and they hired me. At the second interview, they told me ‘oh no we did not hire you for the basketball job, we hired you for the football job,’ so they tricked me, and instead of declining it I took it and fell in love with it.” 

Throughout his coaching career Coach Ethridge has coached at the state championship.

“We won three and have been to four,” Coach Ethridge said. 

Coach Ethridge wants the best for his players.

“Coach is very passionate about football and wants us to work for what we want,” Dorri Samarron said.

Besides coaching, he enjoys a few other things.

“I love to fish, play chess, do yard work around the house, and clean,” Coach Ethridge said.  “I don’t know why I like to clean; I just grew up that way.”

If Coach Ethridge ever goes to a far away town, he already knows where and what he would do.

“I have always wanted to go to Israel to the Holy land to see where Jesus lived.” 

There has always been a motto Coach Ethridge has gone by that he tells himself. 

“The day I grow up and don’t have fun teaching anymore is the day I retire, quit or do something else.” Coach Ethridge said. “I do this because y’all help me stay young, and that is why I love teaching.”