For Fayetteville native Riley Harbin, sports have always been about more than hitting a ball or running faster. They shape character, build confidence, and reveal who a person is beyond the game. Long before she became a teacher and coach, Harbin learned to look past the scoreboard and see the person behind it.
That perspective has guided her since she first stepped onto the field at just 4 years old, influencing not only how she played, but how she now connects with the young people who look to her the same way she once looked to her own coaches.
Harbin’s story begins on the softball field, a place that quickly became more than just a playing surface. It was, as she describes it, something deeper.
“Playing softball was kind of my safe place when I was a kid,” she said. “My parents went through a divorce and all the things, and all I wanted to do was be either in the batting cage or on the softball field, playing with my friends. My best friends were my teammates.”
What started in local recreation leagues soon grew into something bigger. By the age of 7, Harbin had been invited to join a travel softball team, opening the door to opportunities across the region. Over the years, she played for teams in Huntsville, Birmingham, and Murfreesboro, sharpening her skills and gaining the kind of experience that only comes from competing at higher levels.
Her dedication carried her through four years at Lincoln County High School and into collegiate softball at Motlow State Community College. She continued her career at Bluefield College in Virginia — now Bluefield University — where she played for two years and even stepped into a coaching role for one season. She went on to expand her experience as a graduate assistant at the University of Rio Grande.
Even as her playing career evolved, Harbin began to recognize that her future might not be defined by professional athletics, but by something just as meaningful — shaping others through the game she loved.
“I’ve always wanted to coach softball,” she said. “When I was little, I wanted to be a professional softball player, but as I got older and knew that probably wasn’t in my cards, switching to coaching was number one for me because I love to see how the girls react to figuring things out.”
That passion eventually brought her right back home.
“Coming back home was never not an option,” she said. “I was not going to stay away very long. I loved getting to experience life somewhere else and all that, meeting people, but coming back home was always in the plans because I love Fayetteville so much.”
Today, Harbin is a physical education teacher at Highland Rim School, where her influence stretches far beyond the gym. Teaching runs in the family — her aunt, Pat Sarver, once held the same role at the school — but Harbin has made it her own, blending her lifelong love of sports with a deep commitment to her students.
In addition to teaching, she coaches both volleyball and softball, keeping her calendar full and her connection to athletics year-round. For Harbin, it’s not just about sports; it’s about growth.
“In both the classroom and on the field, I try to push everyone to be the best that they can be because that’s what I remember most about my coaches and my teachers — they never let me give up when things got hard,” she explained. “For all of my players, I try to foster a love of the game. I try to make them realize that they won’t get to play forever, and I want them to know that it is a blessing to get to play anything at any time.”
In today’s world, where young people often feel pressure to perform, Harbin said she strives to create something different — a space where they feel seen, supported, and valued exactly as they are.
She said building relationships with her students so they know they have somebody is what matters most to her.
“There are certain points in everybody’s life where they feel like they don’t have anybody,” she said. “So, I would like to be that person for them. I hope they remember that I love them, and that I am always there for them, no matter what. I love them with everything in me, and I would do anything for them.” GN
