LITTLE ROCK, Ark — History lives here, in the halls of Little Rock Central High School.
The accomplishments of all the previous generations of Tigers are preserved behind panes of glass, to be seen by every student that walks by.
But as the days turn to decades, success can fade away and it’s easy to forget.
“A lot of our kids told me they weren’t aware of all the wins,” head football coach, Kent Laster said. “Over 800 wins in football.”
Add to that number 32 state championships, 44 conference championships and two national titles.
The Little Rock Central Tigers are one of the most storied high school football programs in the country. But they had recently fallen on hard times. Their last playoff appearance was in 2014, and in the last four seasons, they’ve won a total of nine games.
“During this period where the Tigers have been down, people around the state have been gloating,” said David W. Coleman, the voice of the Little Rock Tigers, who won a state championship at Central. “Because for decades, people always knew that the Tigers were going to show up and show out.”
When Kent Laster took over the program in 2018, he wanted to make sure that the Tigers never forgot where they came from. He added one small detail that made an enormous impact.
The new Tigers logo he designed has nine stripes. One for each of the Little Rock Nine.
Laster wanted to ensure that his team carried that with them wherever they go.
“You’re representing much more than yourself,” said Laster. “You’re representing your family, you’re representing the Tigers. And when you’re wearing that jersey as a football player, they’re looking at you to lead the way.”
It’s not easy to rebuild. To rebrand. To reinvigorate. But by bringing the past into the present, Laster has found the response he’s been looking for.
“When we had our team picture last year, we took every trophy out of the trophy case,” Laster said. “All the conference and state championships, and we made them carry them to the picture. That’s a visual reminder. A physical reminder. We can talk about it, but if they don’t see it, it’s just kind of folk tale to them.”
And it’s brought new life back to the Tigers’ winning tradition.
“The history and what we’ve done in the past, we embrace that,” said Laster. “We don’t run from it, we embrace it.”