PRAIRIE GROVE -- An ancient proverb states a most desirable quality in a man is kindness and kindness is what Prairie Grove students experienced walking in the school doors each morning.
Coach Mike Green positioned himself to be a part of their day greeting each student as they came to school as he intentionally involved himself in their lives. After getting out of coaching the late Prairie Grove athletic director preferred to operate behind the scenes allowing coaches to run their programs and deal with the media, but, when thinking of students his heart was too big to stay in the shadows. Green was front and center welcoming each student each day.
Green cared and habitually reached out to those around him including colleagues. Allen Williams, Prairie Grove superintendent, remembers when his wife, Shelley, was sick and out of the office for a week last school year, someone anonymously left care packages on their porch twice.
"He didn't tell anybody, but we found out it was him," Williams said. "[Prairie Grove high school principal] Ron Bond was telling me every minute he [Green] can be on our campus makes us a better school. Things just run better."
Green was battling his own illness at the time, which eventually claimed his life on Aug. 31, yet continually discovered opportunities to be a blessing in doing what he could to improve the lives of others, expressing a special love for children and teenagers.
"The main thing is Mike knew how to connect with kids," Williams said. "He could talk to any kid even special needs kids and make them feel special."
Williams remembers Green as a good friend, who gave great advice.
Kevin Froud, head coach of the Prairie Grove girls basketball team, also benefited from Green's mentoring.
"He helped me a lot when I first came to Prairie Grove about knowing people," Froud said, recalling Green escorted him around introducing him.
Froud appreciated that he could count on Green as the administrator of Prairie Grove athletics.
"You knew if you did things the right way he was going to have your back. He provided excellent support of coaching kids."
Green earned a degree from Arkansas Tech and went into coaching beginning as head junior high boys basketball coach at Harrison from 1974-1978, before eventually landing at Prairie Grove in 1983. He was named Coach of the Year 18 times by the Arkansas Athletic Association, receiving an award at Prairie Grove in 1984-87,1995, and 3A-1 Coach of the Year from 1997-1999.
"Sometimes, he was on the refs and kind of wild, too," Froud said. "He said, 'Don't make the same mistakes I made, calm down.' He'd joke with me and say all the time, 'We're behind you win or tie.'"
Froud looked back to a Feb. 14 basketball rivalry game between Prairie Grove and Farmington with Prairie Grove's McKay Gregson hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer after Farmington's Jeremy Mueller rebounded his first miss and threw the ball back to McKay, saying that event brought the communities together and the same thing is happening since Green's passing.
"Prairie Grove is having the sale of T-shirts to help Coach Green's family with medical and funeral expenses. A lot of Farmington people have come in and bought those," Froud said. "We have a rivalry on the field and on the court but we work together and we play together. When you see the big picture a lot of good can happen."
"It's a big testament to Prairie Grove and Farmington when you work together a lot of good things can happen."
Memorials can be made to the Coach Mike Green Memorial Scholarship fund at Arvest Bank. Funeral services were held Sept. 3, at the Prairie Grove High School gymnasium.
Williams noted this week the Prairie Grove staff banded together in honor of Green's service.
"People are picking up the slack. The high school teachers got out on the front porch and started greeting the kids as they come in the door."
Sports on 09/10/2014