Coach Reggie Swinton Leads The Forrest City Mustangs - Arkansas

Forrest City, AR

By Terry L. Watson

Photos Provided by Reggie Swinton

Reggie Swinton describes himself as a very determined, persistent, and driven person who doesn’t know how to fail. A native of Little Rock, AR, he has enjoyed a life full of success that has often involved the game of football. As the upcoming high school football season approaches, Coach Reggie, is preparing to take the helm as the new high school head coach of the Forrest City Mustangs, located in Forrest City, AR.

Coach Reggie is a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. Next, he attended Murray State University and walked onto the football team as a Wide Receiver.. After just one semester of playing, he earned a full athletic scholarship, which was his true-freshman year. “Before the Christmas break, the coach called me in and gave me a full scholarship,” he says. At Murray State, Coach Reggie also ran track and played baseball. Unfortunately, he was forced to quit the baseball team because he didn’t have enough time to do anything else. He was a much better baseball player than a football player and was positioned to be drafted into baseball after high school, but his life would take another route.

At Forrest City, I have a team that is made up of 99% black kids. Being able to mentor and coach them is the number one priority. Also, being able to teach the importance of obtaining an education while they are young and about character and respect is just as important.

After graduating from Murray State University, he aspired to play at the next level but was not drafted in the upcoming NFL draft. Coach Reggie went on to attend the Jacksonville Jaguars, a National Football League team. The Jaguars later cut him during training camp, and he returned back to Arkansas, with his hopes of playing professionally delayed but not denied. In 1999, he signed with the Toronto Argonauts, a team that the Canadian Football League sanctions.

“I signed with the Argonauts but soon learned while reading the newspaper that I was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,” he says. Coach Reggie was soon cut by Winnipeg and was picked up by the Edmonton Eskimos. He didn’t like Edmonton, mainly due to the climate, and having a new son at home in Arkansas, he made his way there. Back in the United States, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks, was soon cut, and made his way to the XFL, where the Las Vegas Outlaws picked him up. He had a great camp with them but was cut and returned back home, a little frustrated.

Back in Little Rock, there was an Arena Football team in place. Coach Reggie signed with them but was eventually cut. He was eventually called back to play, and his performance that season was 85 catches for 1500 yards and 37 touchdowns. Coach Reggie’s talent caught the attention of the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. He played for the Cowboys for a stint and was a pro bow alternate during his first year. He was also an all-pro in kick and punt returns. After three years in Dallas, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers. That was in 2003. Coach Reggie’s stint in Green Bay lasted for ten days before he was cut and later picked up by the Detroit Lions. In Detroit, his stint was off and on for the 2003 and 2004 seasons before becoming a free agent and eventually signing with the Houston Texans. He was number one in the preseason in kick and punt returns. Coach Reggie would later sign with the Arizona Cardinals and suffered an injury during the second week of the season. Things were not the same, and Coach Reggie eventually retired from professional football in 2006.

In 2008, Coach Reggie was inducted into the Multi-Ethnic Hall of Fame of Little Rock. In June 2022, Coach Reggie was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. In November 2022, he was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame.

While sports has encompassed Coach Reggie’s life, coaching would be an easy transition for him. His first coaching job happened in 2007 at Arkansas Baptist College as a receivers and special teams coach at the Junior College located in Little Rock. In 2008, his son, who was eight years old, was playing on a local football team in Little Rock. “I just wanted to be a parent and watch my son play, yet the head coach wouldn’t let me be,” he says. It was also in 2008 that he began coaching his son’s team and went on to coach middle school for a few years before starting his own AAU Football League, The Arkansas Football League. His team was called the Arkansas Lions, and he coached them until recently before putting them into a different league. “I didn’t know it then, but God was setting me up to be the high school coach at Forrest City,” he says.

A couple of years ago, Coach Reggie applied for a job at Central High School but didn’t get it. He later applied for a coaching job at Southwest High School but didn’t get that one either. In May of 2024, Forrest City reached out to Coach Reggie, and he interviewed well and was hired.

Coach Reggie says his whole life has been about proving folks wrong. Not being hired by the other schools that he applied for, he wants to prove to them that they let a good coach go. “At Forrest City, I have a team that is made up of 99% black kids. Being able to mentor and coach them is the number one priority. Also, being able to teach the importance of obtaining an education while they are young and about character and respect is just as important. That is something that must be instilled, just like the game of football. I have one rule that I tell them: do what is right while no one is looking. Make the right decisions while no one is looking. The kids are buying into what we are selling. I credit that to the great staff that we have. Kids do not care how much you know until you show them how much you care. We tell them and show our kids how much we love them every day,” Coach Reggie says.

Pictured with Coach Reggie, is the unofficial Head Coach, his granddaughter.

Having obtained his undergraduate degree recently, Coach Reggie is looking forward to obtaining his Masters. He also encourages and supports his wife, who is working on acquiring her doctoral degree. “Forrest City took a real chance on me, someone who has never coached before. I am looking forward to being here and showing the community my gratitude. The ultimate goal is to get the kids into college and win a state title. I want to bring some joy to the Forrest City community.”

Reggie and his wife enjoy a blended family, including four children and two grandchildren.