| Years at Northeast: | 1948-74 |
| Sports: | Men's Basketball |
| Occupation: | Head Coach/Athletic Director |
Bonner Arnold, who earned the nickname "The Dean of Junior College Coaches," established what eventually became a dynasty when he accepted a position at then-Northeast Mississippi Junior College as its head coach and physical education teacher before its inaugural session in 1948-49.
The Frankstown native had the Tigers in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament within two years of starting the program. Northeast ran the table through the event after claiming the NJCAA Region 7 title and finished as the runner-up to City College of Los Angeles (Calif.).
The Tigers made a return trip to Hutchinson, Kan., one season later in 1951 and again repeated as national runner-up. Arnold also claimed eight Mississippi Valley Conference championships and seven Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) state crowns.
Arnold holds the fifth best winning percentage among all coaches that have captured at least 440 victories in NJCAA history. He won 82.5 percent of his games at Northeast in 17 campaigns at the helm.
The NJCAA still recognizes Arnold as one of the top 100 winningest coaches by total number of triumphs 50 years after his retirement from coaching in 1965. He captured 497 wins against only 106 losses during his tenure with the Tigers.
Arnold remained at Northeast through 1974 and served the institution as its athletic director. He passed away on January 4, 1978 at the age of 70.
Northeast dedicated the gymnasium in which he built on campus in his honor by renaming it “Bonner Arnold Coliseum” in the mid-1970s. The building first opened its doors in 1951 and has served as the home of the Lady Tigers and Tigers since then.
Arnold held a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. He was posthumously inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, the MACJC Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.