University of North Carolina Athletics
Bill Arnold Awarded Football Letter Posthumously
September 27, 2002 | Football
Sept. 27, 2002
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-- Former Tar Heel football player Bill Arnold, who died in 1971 following heat-related complications after a preseason practice at Navy Field, will be awarded a monogram letter posthumously in a pre-game ceremony at Saturday's Georgia Tech game.
The letter will be presented to Bill's father and mother, William and Priscilla Arnold, by North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour and head coach John Bunting. Bunting and assistant head coach James Webster were teammates of Arnold at the time of his death.
"Bill Arnold was a special person and his passing had a profound effect on me," Bunting said. "I have great admiration for his parents and how they handled his death. I am grateful that the University has allowed us to present them with a letter in Bill's honor. Although his passing was a tragedy, it brought several changes to the relationship between the medical staff and football team and may have prevented future tragedies. Now as the football coach, I see first-hand the benefits of those changes. North Carolina is a model program for the interaction that occurs between the football team, the medical staff and the University."
A guard from Staten Island, N.Y., Arnold was entering his junior season in 1971.
"While nothing can replace Bill Arnold's life, UNC has honored his legacy by dedicating resources, energy and a commitment to improving the Sports Medicine field so that future tragedies are avoided," said UNC Director of Sports Medicine Dr. Tim Taft. "Following discussions with Bill's parents and the University, several changes occurred. What evolved was the establishment of the premier collegiate sports medicine program in America. Few schools in the country have the kind of relationship we have with our athletic department."
Among those changes were:
1) The Sports Medicine program is now administratively housed within the Student Health Service rather than the Athletic Department.
2) Medical personnel such as athletic trainers now report to medical supervisors rather than non-medical staff, such as coaches.
3) An increase in certified athletic training staff, some of whom are both dually credentialed as both physical therapists and trainers.
4) The establishment of an athletic training program with both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
"The guiding principle and fundamental question following his death was 'How can we be better?'," said Taft. "We believe the changes we made did that. UNC reacted with character, activity and purpose, keeping the meaning of Billy Arnold's life."