“God bless Minden for Coach Ronnie Whatley…who is retiring in May of 2015 after 46 years of coaching and teaching our children. He is the most unselfish, loving, Christian person I have ever known.” Kay Oxford Singletary, Thomasville, GA (Dick Lawson’s mother)

By Marilyn Miller

When Ronnie Whatley passed away on May 5, 2026 at the age of 79, he held the record for the second longest tenure of a head football coach for Minden High School.

“His 11 years was the longest tenure of a head football coach until current head coach, Spencer Heard, eclipsed that record in 2024,” explained Jake Chapman, statistician and announcer for the Minden Crimson Tide.

“Coach Whatley was an assistant coach going back to at least the late 70s, but I’m not exactly sure when,” Chapman said. Whatley had also coached the most games (114) until Heard surpassed him in 2023.

He became head football coach in 1993 and stayed until 2003. His record wasn’t quite 500, but he did take the Crimson Tide to four playoff appearances.

“I had the privilege of playing for Coach Whatley from the fall of 1998 to the fall of 2001,” Chapman said.

That’s what most of the boys who would later become men thought of Coach Whatley – that it was a privilege to play for him. But it worked both ways. Whatley loved coaching and he was proud of his “boys” both on and off the field.

Perhaps his kind, loving personality was tempered by his own childhood. Kay Singletary, the mother of Dick Lawson, who Ronnie and Cheryl mentored and assisted after he came to live in Minden in the 1980’s, once asked the coach about it.

“I was born and raised in El Dorado, AR,” Ronnie told her. “At the age of six, I was stricken with polio. I remember how it was to watch the normal kids run and play. I swore that when I got well, I would outrun them all. El Dorado had an outstanding Boys’ Club run by Cecil Kellum and he taught us that athletic competition would build our character. I enjoyed growing up in El Dorado and I hope the Minden children feel the same about their hometown. After my playing days were over, I have found it very satisfying to give back to my teammates, family, church and community.”

Those “playing days” included his stint as an All-American linebacker for the El Dorado High School Wildcats and his time as a footballer for the Northwestern State College Demons in Natchitoches, LA.

Jake Chapman recalls “several times” when Coach Whatley would come into the locker room at halftime and would begin to cry while addressing the team. “I, in the arrogance of my youth, foolishly mistook this for weakness. It wasn’t until later that I realized that Coach Whatley was so passionate about us (idiots) and the game of football that it moved him to tears.

“He wanted us to want it as badly as he did,” he continued. “He often told us that we ran slower than a box turtle, or his dead grandma, or a broke-legged mule. But there was no mistaking that he loved us. Always did.”

Coach Whatley’s obituary pointed out that “With a dedicated career of 45 years as a coach and teacher, he positively influenced countless young people.”

“Known for his love of hunting, fishing and football, he was most devoted to his family. After a long battle with health issues, he embraced his faith and now rests in peace. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”