Forest Arnold

Position:
C
Ht./Wt.:
6-5 / 215
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Puxico, Mo.

Arnold, a native of Puxico, Missouri, came to then Memphis State College in the fall of 1952 to play for head coach Eugene Lambert. The big forward took the program on his shoulders and often is credited as being the player that first put Tiger basketball under a national spotlight.

As a freshman, Arnold scored 394 points in 24 games and averaged 16.4 points per contest. During his second season of competition, he scored a team-leading 483 points and grabbed 260 rebounds in helping his team to a 15-9 mark. He was named to Converse’s All-America team for the first time in 1954. As a junior Arnold totaled 426 points and 238 rebounds and the Tigers finished the season with a 17-5 record and defeated nationally ranked Mississippi State, 94-68. Memphis received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament and Arnold was named to the Converse and United Press International All-America teams.

In his final campaign for the Tigers, Arnold had 551 points and 351 rebounds and the team finished the year with a 20-7 record. The Tigers played in the NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. He was again named to the Converse and UPI All-America teams.

Arnold remains the No. 5 scorer in school history, despite having playing in the mid-1950s when offenses were not as prolific. He averaged 19.5 points in his four seasons, including a career-high 21.2 average as a senior. Arnold was instrumental in the rise to prominence for Tigers basketball as the team went to NCAA tournaments in 1955 and 1956.