Plymouth State University

PAUL E. AROLD ('63): A native of Methuen, MA, Paul E. Arold enrolled at Plymouth Teachers College in 1959. Before graduating in 1963, he had established a reputation for being an outstanding student as well as a fine baseball player.

After earning a Master’s Degree at Indiana University, Arold went on to coach at Marist College in New York.  In 1967 he returned to Plymouth State College where he accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Physical Educations department. In 1968, he was appointed assistant athletic director and also took on a heavy coaching load. Eventually, Arold worked as a head coach for the gymnastics, wrestling, and track teams and as a varsity assistant in basketball and in football. He was a prime mover behind the establishment of football as a gridiron sport at Plymouth State College.

In 1972, just before his sudden and untimely death, Paul Arold was named Director of Athletics at Plymouth State. In 1973, the playing field in front of the college’s Physical Education Center was renamed in his honor.