Soul of 78: Ben Panter

Defensive Coordinator, Oakman High School

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Ryan McGill

Drop Ben Panter anywhere in the United States for a few days and he’ll start building something.

When Ben was growing up around the Boldo community, his dad, Randy, worked in the construction business. As a teen, Ben worked summers helping his dad build houses.

In addition to construction, Ben has always had a passion for sports. Back in the ‘90s, he played football and baseball at Walker High School.

In 1995, Ben’s senior year, the Vikings brought in Bubba Davis as the new head football coach.

It was Davis who sparked Ben’s interest in coaching. “Coach Davis was a big influence on me,’ Ben says.

Ben graduated in 1996 with a football scholarship to Livingston University (now University of West Alabama), where he majored in education. A series of concussions in high school and his freshman year of college ended his football career, but he continued playing baseball for a while. 

In 2001, Ben earned his Special Education degree from Athens State University. Around that time, he got a call from David Norwood, former defensive back coach for the Vikings who was then serving as the defensive coordinator at Gardendale High. “Coach Norwood asked if I’d be interested in coaching football at Gardendale,” Ben recalls.

After serving as assistant coach at Gardendale for a few years, Ben returned to Jasper and coached for Bubba Davis his last year at Walker.

In 2007, Ben took a break from coaching to operate his own construction company, BRP Construction. He returned to coaching in 2017 as assistant to Walker/Jasper Viking Head Coach Heath Brunner.

When Ryan Hall became Oakman’s head coach in 2019, Ben was hired as his defensive coordinator. His philosophy is based on a simple principle: old fashioned hard work. “I'm sort of an ‘old school’ type with a ‘new school’ attitude,” Ben says. “I like to build my defensive structure around tough, hard-nosed, hardworking kids. We try to outwork everybody.”

Hard work is critical, no question about that. Ben, who also serves as a deacon at Midway Church of Christ, emphasizes that faith is also important. “Faith is a huge deal for us,” he says.

“We pray with the kids. I keep a Bible open on my desk all the time.”

Ben and his wife, Mandi, have been married since 2001. She is a teacher at Lupton Jr High and also coaches volleyball. Together, they have two sons: Sailor (14) and Barrett (11).

From the time he was a teen, Ben has given his time, energy, and sweat to build something of value. For many years, it was homes, offices, and businesses. One day, time will erase those structures from the earth.

“I want to create young men with character instead of just football players,” Ben says.

What he is building now will live on forever. 78