by Malcolm Butler (Special to the LPJ)
Ben Haddox made a career out of winning ball games on the diamond as the Cedar Creek High School head baseball coach.
Now, he is making a career out of selling diamonds – and more – as the newest owner of National Jewelry in Ruston.
Ben was a multi-sport for the Cougars from 1997 through 2000 leading the baseball program to a state title his senior year. Following his graduation from Louisiana Tech, he returned to the Creek in 2005 and spent the next 16 years as a staple on the school’s campus.
“It was home,” said Ben. “I obviously went to high school there, but I also went to pre-K, elementary (school), junior high … you name it. I knew I wanted to coach. I knew I wanted to be around that family atmosphere.
“I don’t like to be out of my comfort zone much. I tell people that one time I got crazy and moved all the way to Calhoun. So that was my way of being at home and being with family. I loved Cedar Creek. I bled green and gold. It just made a lot of sense.”
Ben had plenty of success and wore plenty of hats during his time at the Creek. During his 16 years at the school, he served as the head baseball coach for 14 years, the head football coach for eight years, the Athletics Director for 10 years and an assistant principal for his last two years. Obviously, with many of these roles crossing over throughout the years.
On the diamond, Ben led the Cougars to more than 300 wins and a state championship in 2014. He is still the winningest coach in the history of Cedar Creek football (63 wins) and led the program to the only two semifinal appearances in the state playoffs ever.
However, Ben is quick to point to what he really wants to be remembered for during his time at his alma mater.
“I love to be around kids,” said Ben. “The phrase ‘making a difference’ is thrown around so much. But I wanted the kids to come through high school and play sports … not just baseball, but anything … and look back on it as great days; things they could remember fondly. But also knowing those were not their best days. Their best days were in front of them. I hope people will look back on my career (at Cedar Creek) and remember that I always tried to do the right things, and I loved to be around kids.”
His former colleagues will assess to the impact that Ben had on so many young people’s lives during his time at Cedar Creek.
“Ben is as authentic as they come,” said Kyle Kavanaugh, a former Cedar Creek coach and educator. “He genuinely cares about the people in and around his life. He makes you feel important, almost as if the world stops when he talks with you. You matter to him no regardless of who you are. A lot of times that’s all any kid wants, to know someone cares and is thinking about them; someone they can turn to or lean on for support.
“You could be his star football or baseball player or any middle school student on the sidewalk, if you walked by Ben you were gonna be noticed and cared about. He has a way with people and there’s no doubt in my mind that everyone student at Cedar Creek that came across Ben was impacted for the better because of it.”
In January of 2021, Ben swapped out his baseball uniform and cap for more professional attire as he left the coaching ranks and joined the jewelry ranks. He purchased the popular Ruston jewelry store from longtime owners Tommy and Kenny Phillips.
He said the decision was difficult but the best for his wife, LarkIn, and his two sons, Aiden (10) and Holt (8), and his baby girl, Peyton (7).
“It was an opportunity I was not looking for, but it gave my family an opportunity to have something that they hadn’t had … that was a father and a husband at home,” said Ben. “If you take this spring for instance, I have not missed a practice or a game for my kids. I take my daughter to dance and gymnastics. It was way too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“I didn’t realize how hard my wife was working and the sacrifices she was making until I got out. Even though I tried to understand what she was doing and I tried to empathize with her, until I experienced what she was going through and the sacrifices she was making for me and my job, I couldn’t imagine it. Being able to see that has been eye opening.”
And although he isn’t coaching on the field anymore, Ben said he still feels like a coach with his current team at National Jewelry.
“The jobs are different, but at the end of the day I’m still a head coach,” said Ben. “As a head coach, I wanted to be the dumbest person in the room. Meaning I wanted to be surrounded by smart people. I walked into that (at National Jewelry) automatically.
“When there are decisions to be made, I am able to go around our staff and get five or six opinions and formulate a plan based on that feedback. I am trying to find the best possible way to make our people successful. So, in a lot of ways it’s not much different than coaching.”
A gem of a philosophy.
