Fork Union's Fletcher Arritt announced as candidate for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020
Coach Fletcher Arritt, Fork Union Military Academy's legendary head basketball coach, was announced this week as a candidate on the ballot for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
FORK-UNION, Va., Dec. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Coach Fletcher Arritt (FUMA Class of 1960), Fork Union Military Academy's legendary head basketball coach, was announced this week as a candidate on the ballot for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. This is the first time that Coach Arritt's name has been placed on the ballot, and his nomination is an extraordinary honor which reflects the respect within the basketball world for Coach Arritt and his accomplishments while serving as head coach of Fork Union's postgraduate basketball program.
"No coach that I've been aware of during my time in basketball did a better job of preparing kids for college than Fletcher did with his kids at Fork Union," stated Hall of Fame college coach Bob Knight in a video interview some years ago. "I think he has made a tremendous contribution to the game of basketball, a contribution that is worthy of consideration to the Hall of Fame."
Fletcher Arritt first arrived at Fork Union Military Academy as student in 1959, playing basketball for Coach Bill Miller and earning the role of team co-captain. He earned a scholarship to the University of Virginia, playing on their varsity team. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Education degree in Human Biology from the University of Virginia, Arritt returned to Fork Union Military Academy in 1966 where he accepted a position as a biology teacher.
In 1970, Arritt took over as the head postgraduate basketball coach after four years as an assistant to Coach Bill Miller. Over the course of the next 46 years, Arritt developed many young men in his classroom and on the basketball court. He sent at least 400 players on to play at the college level, about 200 of them in Division I, with dozens going on to professional careers in basketball with the NBA and international leagues.
As head basketball coach, Arritt compiled a career record of 889 wins and 283 losses.
Billy Donovan, former coach of the University of Florida Gators whose teams won consecutive NCAA National Championships in 2006 and 2007, stated it simply in speaking of Coach Arritt, saying, "He has to go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time."
He and his wife, Betty Jean, raised two sons, Benjamin and Fletcher,III, and a daughter, Amy, during their time at Fork Union. Arritt retired from Fork Union Military Academy in 2012.
A biography of Arritt titled "Body, Mind, Spirit, and Basketball" has been produced by author Bethany Bradsher and has just been published. Hardback and paperback copies of the book are available at http://www.forkunion.com/arrittbook, and the Kindle edition is available on Amazon.
SOURCE Fork Union Military Academy
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