FAYETTEVILLE — If you’ve been to a high school sporting event in the area in the past 35 years or so, chances are decent James “Doc”  Harrah has been on the scene.

Harrah, currently the Fayetteville High equipment manager, has worked for a variety of schools and programs as both an equipment guy and as an athletic trainer.

And he says he still enjoys the time spent on the sideline and in the locker rooms.

“I still enjoy that (mingling with the players and coaches),” Harrah said recently. “I enjoy being with the kids, taking them as freshmen and watching them mature to seniors.

“And the coaches are great.”

Harrah started working as trainer and equipment man with coach Bob Bragg at Collins Middle in 1977.

He then worked with Oak Hill High School from 1978 to 2006, excluding a four-year stint in the 1990s. After  that, he was at Mount Hope High in 2006 and 2007 and back to Oak Hill for the 2008 football campaign. Then, he hooked up with Fayetteville coach Frank Spangler when he moved back into the head coaching spot following a brief retirement.

Harrah also worked with West Virginia Tech in 1987 and 1988, going with the Golden Bear men’s basketball team and coach Tom Sutherland on a trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City in 1988. Among other stints, he also worked at Mullens High, and he recently worked with the OHHS basketball team and coach Fred Ferri. “Fred finally got me a state championship,” Harrah said.

Originally from Charleston, Harrah is a Stonewall Jackson graduate. He relocated to Fayette County in 1975 for his job. Harrah, who spent many years with Firestone, retired from Jasper Engines and Transmissions in 2006. He and his wife, Stephanie,  who works at the Fayette County Courthouse, are parents of three children.

Whether concentrating more on equipment operations the past few years or looking back at his past work on the training side of things, Harrah takes a matter-of-fact approach. He’s there to make life simpler for the coaches.

“It gives them somebody to help, and that’s less they’ve got to worry about,” he said. “They shouldn’t have to worry about equipment and training.

“I tell them, ‘You do the coaching and I’ll handle the equipment. Just don’t bother me.’ ”

There’s a lot of work involved in the offseason, including getting equipment reconditioned or ordered, and being on hand to pass out equipment during the three-week summer session and in the August  preseason.

“You have to stay organized. There’s quite a few dollars in equipment now,” he said.

“It gets easy about this time of the year,” he said last week. “The equipment is already given out.”

In addition to maintaining control of the equipment, Harrah hopes the players learn a little about management when dealing with their own equipment. “You teach the kids responsibility. There’s a lot to football besides the Xs and Os.”

“I’ve known Doc a long time,” said Spangler. “He used to travel with us a lot (even when he wasn’t officially with Fayetteville).

“He’s been really beneficial to us. He’s a top-of-the-line guy when it comes to equipment, and he’s an excellent guy on game day management.  And all the kids really like Doc a lot.”

“It’s just something I like to do,” Harrah said. “If I’d have wanted to coach, I would have gotten a teaching degree.”

He does, however, have a favorite play he’d like to see incorporated more into the offense.

“They call it Doc’s play. Coach (Jim) Martin used it a couple of times. It’s a double-reverse pass. That’s a sure score.”

— E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com