Earnest Rhone has a lot of stories to tell about determination.
Rhone, a 1971 graduate of Ashdown High School, was named the first African-American captain by his Ashdown football teammates.
When he was a high school student and a member of the Panther football team, Rhone would hitchhike or walk home eight miles from Ashdown to East Ogden.
Walking near the Ashdown paper mill, he was determined to get a ride.
"I usually got a ride near the paper mill. I was determined to get a ride. I thought people coming out of the mill would help me," Rhone said during the recent alumni banquet honoring him as an outstanding Ashdown graduate.
Classmates talked during the banquet about Rhone's walking.
"Everyday he would stop at Shurway Grocery Store in Ashdown to buy a pop and walk home," said Susan Simmons, president of the alumni association. "He has been walking through life. He walked on at Henderson (university) and walked onto the Miami Dolphins."
The coaches were unaware he was walking so far.
Coach Dick Hays and Johnny Toombs found out Rhone was walking eight miles home if he didn't catch a ride. They took care of the situation and provided transportation.
His determination carried him from East Ogden to Henderson State University and to the Miami Dolphins.
Rhone is the son of the late Tony Rhone Sr. and Vinnie Rhone. He attended Morris Elementary School in East Ogden until the "Freedom of Choice" law gave him the opportunity to enroll in Ashdown schools, said his wife, Cassandra Rhone.
He spent summers working, which helped him to match an $800 grant to enter Henderson State. After his first football season, his college coach, Sporty Carpenter, awarded him a full scholarship.
While at Henderson, Earnest Rhone was nicknamed "Iron Man."
He was named captain of the Reddie football team, All-AIC 1971-74, NAIA All-American Linebacker 1974, All-District 1974, and HSU Reddie All-American.
The Reddies were runners-up in the 1974 NAIA Division 1 Championship Game. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1988, HSU Reddie Hall of Honor in 1997, and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Henderson State University.
After college, Rhone signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 1974 and played 10 years for the team.
He was determined to make it to the NFL.
"He proved his ability with a hit that knocked a running back's helmet off his head, 15 feet into the air and 20 yards across the field. He played in Super Bowls XVII and XIX and was an integral part of two AFC championships," Cassandra Rhone said.
"While playing for the Dolphins, he was selected as defensive captain in 1982 and earned the inaugural Rusty Chambers 110% Award. As a starter in 1981, he led Miami with 171 tackles, six QB sacks and was voted the teams' outstanding linebacker by the South Florida media," Cassandra Rhone said. He set a Dolphin record for most quarterback sacks by a linebacker in a single game against Richard Todd and the New York Jets. He was fortunate to be coached by some of the best in the business such as Ashdown High School coach Hays and Toombs, HSU's Sporty Carpenter and Don Shula of the Dolphins," Cassandra Rhone said.
Since his NFL retirement, he received the "Unsung Hero Award" from the Miami Dolphins Alumni organization and was inducted into the 2017 Fox Sports Hall of Fame.
Earnest Rhone began his working career in real estate, eventually founding Rhone Realty and Associates. He is currently employed by Texarkana Independent School District, where he has worked for 25 years as a coach and educator.
During his career as an educator, he was honored as Teacher of the Year for Lincoln Street Alternative School. As a coach for the Texas High School football and track teams, he has won numerous district championships, one state football championship title in 2002 and one state track championship in 2014.
He is a member of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Ogden, where he serves as a deacon and Sunday School superintendent. He has participated in the Hometown NFL Weekend benefiting the Faith Love and Hope Organization.
Earnest and Cassandra Rhone have three children: Earnest Jr., Alana and Anthony .
"He genuinely inspires his students to believe in themselves, to be independent thinkers and learners and to accept a variety of challenges. He promotes and encourages all to strive to be the best and to realize the power of making 'good choices,' said Casey Nichols, Ashdown School District superintendent and who worked with Rhone in Texarkana ISD.
"Even though Earnest did not receive a football scholarship nor was he drafted to the NFL, the Super Bowl rings and the souvenir football he intercepted from Joe Namath during his rookie year are symbols what hard work and a good attitude can accomplish," Cassandra Rhone said.
"Winners never quit and quitters never win," Earnest Rhone said.