DECATUR -- When Sheldon McKinzie took a coaching position for the Gravette Lions in late June, new athletic director Toby Conrad found himself without a football coach for the upcoming Decatur Bulldogs season. As luck would have it, in less than a week, Conrad found himself with not only a new head football coach but also a new high school math teacher.
James Ortiz accepted the football and teaching position on June 30 and will begin the pre-season football practice in early August. He comes to the Decatur program from Pea Ridge, where he was an assistant coach for nine years.
Ortiz grew up in West Texas, having graduated from Midland High School in 1991. Shortly after graduating, he made his way to central Arkansas where he attended Harding University in Searcy. In 1996 Otiz received his teaching degree and one week later landed his first job at West Memphis Christian School. He stayed at West Memphis for four years until he was offered a job at Central Arkansas Christian in Little Rock
He left the private teaching sector and entered public education. He first taught at Pottsville High School for a short time before moving to Star City, where he was the head coach for the junior high program and the special teams' coordinator for two years.
After receiving her degree in speech pathology, Ortiz' wife Kate was contacted by someone in Rogers about a job opening which she took. Otiz moved his family to Pea Ridge in 2007, where he excepted a math teaching position. A chance conversation with the Blackhawk head football coach two years later landed him an assistant coaching position.
"I was hired by coach (Mark) Laster, who was a former coach here in Decatur who worked with coach Harrod, also from Decatur," Ortiz said. "This encounter would eventually lead me to the Bulldog program."
Ortiz has three children, Joseph, the eldest, attends Arkansas Tech University in Russellville where he majors in electrical engineering. On July 6, Joseph married a fellow Arkansas Tech girl who happens to be seeking a degree in elementary education.
Kimberly Ortiz, a 2018 graduate of Pea Ridge, will attend Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville this fall and plans on taking her general classes before transferring to Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, Okla. She plans on getting a degree in nursing.
Ortiz' youngest son, Johnathan, will be an eighth-grader at Decatur Middle School, where he hopes to get into the band program.
In addition to the sports programs, Ortiz will teach Algebra 2 or 3 or a math lab, depending on what the school needs.
Ortiz has a daunting task ahead as he takes on the new eight-man football program. It presents a new set challenge considering he coached 11-man football for 22 years. But he is ready for the road ahead and sees a positive outcome for the Decatur program.
"For the school, with the number of kids participating in the program, I believe it will be good," said Ortiz. "To me, football is football, so I don't think there is going to be that huge of a difference. I believe that it will be much more enjoyable for the kids. We will see a lot more success, build more confidence."
Ortiz is a strong believer in sports as a whole. He believes in starting kids at an early age and would like to see Decatur form a Pee-Wee football league in the next few years.
"Getting them started at an early age and keeping them interested in sports is key to the future of the junior and senior high school programs in Decatur," said Ortiz. "Not just football, but all sports."
Once kids get this early start in the sports world, they need junior and senior high programs that will draw them in and hold their interest. Something Ortiz plans on building in the coming year.
"I believe in sports and any extracurricular activities. Kids should participate in anything and everything they can in school," Ortiz said, "as long as they are participating in a sport that is totally awesome. That is exactly what kids need and this school needs."
One key element in the success of any sports program is fan participation. The more fans show their support for their favorite team or players, the more the kids work hard. Ortiz knows this is a daunting task since the football program has suffered several losing seasons over the past few years. And he knows that it will take several victories to draw spectators back to the new Decatur program.
"First of all, I would like to see Decatur fans packing the stands, as many people as possible," Ortiz remarked. "People like to see their team win and, as long as I do my job to get the kids prepared to be the best team possible to win, people will want to come out and see us."
Sports on 08/01/2018