1982-1986

J.~.Arban Assuming a favorable nod from the East Central Ju– nior College board a week or so hence, J.C.Arban will emerge from limbo with another football coaching job, handling the line duties for A.J. Kilpatrick. ''A.J. tells me that the board approval will be just a formality, so I expect to move up to Decatur in mid– July, but you never know what Jtlight happen .in this bu.~inesS,'' says Arban, stilla shade shell-shocked from wi~ cut loose last November after 10 years as head 1:c.iach at Pearl River JC. "I certainly won't be moving J[ltil I know I have a job." .·Kilpatrick and Arban have been knowing one an– other a long time. "back around 1963 as best I can re– call," Arhl>.nnotes, "whenlwascoachingatEastTalla· ' batchie alld he was at Noxubee County and we played ~teach other in a high school bowl game.'.' · That first acquaintance strengthened into a friend– ship which has held upwell over the years, despite the strains put upon it by their meetings OJ] football fields in the Mississippi JC circuit. Two of the most notable matchups came in state championship games, Ute first in 1976 when Pearl.River under Arban beat Northwest MissiSsippi uruler Kilpatrick for the title, then again in 1981 when Holmes under Kilpatrick beat Pearl River under Arban. "!Vil be breaking new ground, but I appreciate A.J. > f~ling that after as long as I've been coaching backs, I cOWd coach his offensive and defensive lines," says Ar· ~n. "Of course, over that period, ~bile I never was a line coach, I have broken in about three new line coaches, so pretty much split the line coaching job \\'IWeJ.hey were l~

i '~r tlililj, I OOlyrieed four moreyears £0 get in <30 for Jl)Y f4ississippi retirement, SQ that was another reason to stay in the state." Anative of Athens, Ala., Arban signed a grant-in-aid wiUl Auburn while still in high school ba£k in 19~, but woUnd up at Southern Mississippi, "mostly because I wanted to play as a freshman and l could do that at Southern. But what really so!d me was my first visit to . Hattiesburg"'- I thought it was the prettiest place I'd ,ever~, ... ~in theMagnolia state, Arban juststayed on and on, although with a certain amount of moving aroUnd - bis first coa«'.hing job with P.W. Underwood at Rocky Creek High, where their team lost only four games in three years, then at East Tallahatchie in Charleston, a.'IS!lJting P.W. the first year, bead coach thesecond afterUnderwoodjoined the USM staff, then ... l)ack toSoutll ~ipp~~g 1fre4 gm at George County High in .Lucedale for three years. · · His first stretch at Pearl River JC followed, assist– ing Jobq Russell fn>IJl 1967-72, before once again re– .joining Underwoodi by then.head coach at Southern, until returning to PJµC in 1975 as head coach. Certainly bis 10 liWons leading the Wildcats were SUCCE!SSful, justtwo losing seasons (and barely that, 4- 5-lin both 1.978and 19ft3) in the string, with a 61-37-4 record overall. ·. · · 'Tm 51 D()w. , but I still feel as· young as I eyer did.'.'.·. Afbans&yB. . · ... LEEBAKER

paying up to $45,000, with other coaching chances in Alabama and Georgia as wellas selling.computers with a brother in Florida and going . ·into construction with another brother. "I also had some good 1 high school offers, but never made a decision on any of those. I kind of wanted fo tb Alaska, but my wife didn't want lo go, so I scrapped that idea,'' Afban grinped a bit in the

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.____________. telling. ·"I didn't want to be "'ay off up there and her way off do'VJl here in Mississi i.