RULEVILLE – Former Northwest three-sport athlete and 1992 Northwest Sports Hall of Fame inductee Darrel M. Arnold passed away on Tuesday, July 28 at Ruleville Medical Center in Ruleville, Miss.

Arnold became one of the earliest inductees into the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame, which was created in 1991 to recognize the impact of student-athletes and coaches both in and out of competition. He was one of five honorees in the 1992 Hall of Fame class, joining Jamie Howell, Sr., William "Bill" Oakley, Robert Eugene Proctor and Edwin Thomas.

Prior to Northwest, Arnold was a graduate of Sardis High School, where he earned All-Conference honors in football, basketball and baseball. Arnold enrolled at Northwest in 1953 and spent the next two years as the quarterback of the Rangers, while also earning All-State honors as pitcher and shortstop of the Northwest baseball team. Upon graduation, he continued his education at Arkansas State University, where he played football and was captain of the baseball team.

In 1957, he began his coaching career at Batesville High School, later serving as head football coach and compiling an 80-21 record that included one Delta Valley Conference and five Chickasaw Conference football championships. This record earned him Coach of the Year honors on six occasions.

Arnold stayed active in competitive sports during his coaching career, playing on several semi-professional baseball teams throughout the area. He was named principal of South Panola High School in 1981 and remained there until his retirement in 1989. The Batesville school gave him a 32-year career as a teacher, coach and administrator.

Most recently, the varsity locker room at the newly christened football fieldhouse at South Panola was dedicated in honor of Arnold in September 2019.

Memorial arrangements for Arnold are not yet finalized but can be found later, along with tributes at https://www.wellsfuneralhome.net/guestbook/darrell-arnold.