Ouachita Stories

On September 4, 1999, Todd Knight and Jay Derby stepped onto A.U. Williams Field for their Ouachita coaching debuts. The season opener was Battle of the Ravine, and their first task was to help Ouachita claim its first win over Henderson State since 1987.

Months earlier, Derby, then wide receivers coach for Delta State University, received a visit from Knight, the Statemen’s head football coach. After guiding DSU to its first Gulf South Conference championship in 1998, he was headed to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to take over the football program at his alma mater, Ouachita. He wanted Derby to come with him.

Derby didn’t know much about Ouachita or Arkansas. He grew up near the Atlantic coast in Goldsboro, North Carolina, studying and playing football at Guilford College. In 1994, a Guilford connection led him to Delta State. During his time in Cleveland, Mississippi, he met and married his wife, Susan, who also worked in the athletics department. They ran the football dorm together, and the thought of living in a real house was exciting. What thrilled Derby the most, though, was the opportunity to rebuild a storied program alongside Knight.

In his first game at Ouachita, Derby, coaching defensive line, was tasked with stopping a Reddie offense that the Tigers hadn’t held below 20 points in over a decade. Ouachita’s defense ended up holding HSU to just 133 yards in a 34-14 victory.

“That win brought a lot of energy to the program,” Derby said.

More than 25 years later, energy has become a habit. Since taking over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2005, Derby has led record-setting offenses that have fueled the Tigers to a league-record seven conference championships. In everything, he and his fellow Ouachita coaches have sought to stand by three Fs: faith, family and football.

“Coach Knight has a Bible study set up every Thursday morning that our staff partakes in,” Derby explained. “It’s a huge investment into the lives of the coaches, and we’re trying to lead our players in the same way. We’re not perfect by any means, but Coach Knight has built a great culture within our program.”

In Knight’s eyes, Derby has also been key in building the team’s culture.

“For 32 years, Jay Derby has been much more than a coach to me,” Knight said. “He’s been a loyal, trusted friend, and his commitment, character and love for Ouachita have helped shape generations of young men. I am deeply grateful for the impact he has made on all of us.”

During visits with recruits and their families, Derby speaks as a husband and father whose entire family has invested in the university. Susan has held multiple roles in the Hickingbotham School of Business, and both of his daughters, Caroline ’23 and Anna, have studied at Ouachita and served as Miss OBU.

“One of the many reasons Susan and I have stayed so long is that we wanted our children to graduate and get a faith-based education,” Derby said. “We’re proud to have them as Ouachita alumni, and they’re very proud, too. It gives us a perspective to help families understand it’s a great place to be.”

“Jay, Susan and the girls have been a great fit at Ouachita,” Knight said. “What makes Ouachita a great place is families like the Derbys.”

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Chase Hartsell ’24 is a content specialist in Ouachita’s Office of Communications & Marketing.

 

 

 

Lead photo by Joshua Rhine

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