Scott Maxfield, the winningest head football coach in Henderson State program history, has announced his retirement from coaching.

Henderson’s assistant head coach Greg Holsworth, who has served as the Reddies’ defensive coordinator since 2017, will be promoted effective immediately and become the 19th head football coach in program history.

Maxfield, who came to Arkadelphia from Blinn College in 2005, spent 18 seasons at the helm of Reddies Football and built what was a then cellar-dweller on the gridiron into a regional power. In his 19 years at Henderson State, Maxfield won a program-record 134 games, four conference championships, made four NCAA Division II Playoff appearances, coached 171 All-Conference honorees, 71 All-Region selections, and 30 All-Americans. 

“Henderson State University has been a very special place to Beth Ann and me,” Maxfield said. “We enjoyed every minute of our 19 years of my being the Head Football Coach at Henderson State, as well as being a part of the Arkadelphia and University communities. I am proud of the legacy I have left and the process we went through with our players to achieve the goals we set as a team. I have always striven to do things the right way, and my primary goal was to help players create more value for their future. As a team our number one goal was to teach our players accountability, to graduate, to be great communicators, and to have instilled in them the discipline to be successful in their endeavors for life.”

A three-time Gulf South Conference and Great American Conference Coach of the Year, Maxfield closes his career with a head coaching record of 163-77 — which includes a mark of 134-65 (.673) at Henderson State. He has the fourth-most wins of any college football coach in the history of the state of Arkansas at all levels of competition.

“We are unbelievably appreciative of Scott Maxfield and what he has meant to Henderson State University,” Athletics Director Seth Dutton said. “His name will forever be synonymous with Reddie Football and that is a testament to everything he stood for as the head coach here for 19 years: character, toughness, self-discipline and unyielding competitive spirit. His teams took on his personality and our program is better for it. We will miss having him on our sidelines, but wish him and Beth Ann the best in his retirement.” 

During Maxfield’s time in Arkadelphia, the Reddies won eight or more games in 10 different seasons, including three seasons with double digit victories in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Henderson State was particularly dominant in the Great American Conference and did not lose a road game in the league from 2011 until 2017.

“Today we are honoring Scott Maxfield as not only the winningest coach in Reddie history, but also as a man who has created a legendary tenure at Henderson State University,” Chancellor Dr. Trey Berry said. “His true legacy is in the lives he touched and in the lives he directed toward success on the field and beyond.”

Taking the reins of a program that won nine games in 2023 and made the NCAA Playoffs is the 34-year old Holsworth, who has been on the Reddies’ staff as defensive coordinator since 2017 and has served as Henderson’s assistant head coach in each of the last two seasons. Holsworth has also overseen all of HSU’s recruiting efforts, as well as its strength and conditioning program. 

“I am thrilled and humbled to be named the next head football coach at Henderson State University and follow in the steps of one of my mentors, Scott Maxfield,” Holsworth said. “Both coach Maxfield and Beth Ann have been huge support systems for me in my career and I would not be here without them. Arkadelphia has been home for me and my family since 2017, and in that time we’ve developed a deep love and appreciation for this university, the people, and this program. Reddie Football has a rich tradition of excellence and holds everything a student-athlete needs to be successful. I am excited to build upon the winning culture that this program represents and to continue pushing for more as we work to take Reddie Football to even greater heights.”

Under Holsworth’s guidance, the Reddie defense has been stout year in and year out. Henderson recorded 40 sacks last season — the second most by any GAC team in history — and finished second in the league in total defense (325.5 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (22.2 points per game). In all of his seven seasons in Arkadelphia, the Reddies have been in the top half of the GAC in both scoring and total defense. He has coached 23 All-GAC selections on defense and has helped develop two All-Americans.

“I have tremendous faith and trust in Greg Holsworth to build on the foundation of success that coach Maxfield has built here at Henderson State,” Dutton said. “Greg has been a key part of our success for many years and has proven himself to be an excellent football coach, a hard worker, and someone I know our players respect. He has earned this opportunity through his preparation and commitment to our program. I am excited that he is the coach to take Reddie Football into the future.”

Prior to joining the Henderson State staff in the spring of 2017, Holsworth spent a year at Saint Joseph’s College and also served as assistant coach in charge of defensive ends at the University of Wyoming. Before his time with the Cowboys, he coached at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, where he worked with linebackers and served as head strength and conditioning coach.

A standout college player, Holsworth was a three-time All-Conference linebacker for Occidental from 2008 to 2011 and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player his senior season. Originally from Arlington, Washington, he received his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Occidental in 2012.

“We are excited about the new legacies that Coach Holsworth will create as the head coach at Henderson State,” Berry said. “There are continued bright days ahead under his leadership.”