where it started…

In 2001, the Bentonville Tigers entered the season with modest expectations and an interim head coach.

What followed was a season no one saw coming.

As the team found its footing, the community rallied behind them—week by week, game by game. At the same time, the world beyond Bentonville was changing forever.

By season’s end, this was about more than football. It was about a team, a moment in history, and a community that came together when it mattered most.

Featuring interviews with…

  • Gary wear

    HEAD COACH

  • JOHN FOGLEMAN

    OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

  • JIM HALL

    FORMER SPORTS REPORTER
    BENTON COUNTY DAILY RECORD

  • PAUL GATLING

    FORMER SPORTS REPORTER
    BENTON COUNTY DAILY RECORD

  • AARON DANENHAUER

    OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

  • STEVE JONES

    LINEBACKER

  • ALAN SCHLAGENHAFT

    QUARTERBACK

  • Randy Townzen

    Bentonville Historian

  • TRAE BASORE

    LINEBACKER

  • DEREK HARTMAN

    RUNNING BACK

  • TERRY BLACK COBERLY

    BENTONVILLE MAYOR (1995-2006)

  • RANDY LAWSON

    BENTONVILLE SCHOOLS
    BOARD PRESIDENT

From the Emmy-nominated storytellers behind DWTN Now

Because of the Tigers is produced by the Emmy-nominated team behind DWTN Now, Downtown Bentonville Inc.'s weekly television program highlighting the people, places, and stories that shape the community.

In 2025, the team expanded into documentary filmmaking with a feature on Bentonville’s infamous 1893 bank robbery.

Directed by Kyle Yazzie and produced by Dana Schlagenhaft and Aaron Nolan, Because of the Tigers continues that commitment to authentic, community-driven storytelling.