By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

When Maranatha students return to campus next month to begin the 2021-22 school year, there will be something missing.

And his name is Eddie Arnett.

Arnett, who graduated from Maranatha in 1996, spent the last 22 years in a number of capacities, but he’s best known as their assistant athletic director between 2005-2021.

Arnett was the victim (my words, not his) of budget cuts, and he apparently didn’t have the backing of a couple of people who make decisions for the Pasadena school.

When Mr. Arnett informed this reporter that his time at Maranatha was coming to an end, I asked if he’d be OK with me writing a story about his time there.

In true Eddie Arnett character and fashion, he said, “as long as we’re not bashing Maranatha, because I love that school and I always will. Maranatha existed long before I came and will be there long after I’m gone.”

What has his friends and family so happy is the knowledge that he’s already landed a job at Providence Christian College.

He will serve as the assistant athletic director to Brian DeHaan, which is something he did at Maranatha from 2007-2017.

And Arnett has DeHaan’s full backing and respect.

“Eddie will be serving as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Game Day Operations and Sports Information Director, DeHaan said. “Eddie is always looking for ways to improve and he’s committed his career to the ministry of Christian education. He’ the first to serve and he is more than comfortable supporting others, rather than getting the credit himself. His character and integrity put him in a category rarely witnessed in today’s world.

People like Eddie are hard to find and even harder to find available for hire. In God’s perfect timing, Providence Christian College has excelled and when Eddie became available, it was clear to see the hand of God moving. During my 11 years at Maranatha, Eddie was always the rock. His work often goes unseen, because he prefers to work diligently behind the scenes. Over the past two decades. he has faithfully served Maranatha and helped to improve facilities, the student-athlete experience, and most importantly, he faithfully loved others as Christ called him to do. Eddie is a culture builder, he a legacy torch bearer, he is a brother in Christ and Providence is blessed to welcome him to our family.”

As mentioned, Arnett earned his high school diploma in 1996 when the school was located in Sierra Madre, and he played soccer for the Minutemen.

Maranatha won league titles each year he was a member of the program, and they made a semifinal run in the CIF-SS playoffs during his junior campaign.

Arnett earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees from APU and Concordia University (Irvine), respectively.

After completing his education, Arnett wanted to come back and work at the school he’s loved since the first day he walked on campus.

And it wasn’t just a desire to contribute to the athletics department that he had in mind, it was just as much to serve others as he felt God expected him to do.

Along with his true faith in God, Eddie inherited his huge heart from two people, Les and Linda Arnett.

Les and Linda raised four kids, including Eddie’s three siblings, Leslie, RJ and Roilyn, who are 61, 58 and 45, respectively.

Mr. Arnett was a dentist for more than 50 years, and spent four decades teaching at Loma Linda University.

Mrs. Arnett was a hygienist and the matriarch of an amazing and loving family.

Both of his parents walk the walk, or as Arnett put it, “I can’t remember a time when someone who needed a place to stay wasn’t living with us. They intentionally loved people. If someone needed help, they were always the first to lend their hands and heart.”

Linda Arnett, 71, is someone her son truly looks up to.

Mrs. Arnett looks after her 85-year old husband’s health at their Yucaipa home, not to mention that of her 96-year old mother.

And if that weren’t enough, they added a new roommate to the mix last week.

Eddie drove up to Modesto to pick up his aunt Kathy.

Arnett’s uncle Vic passed away a couple of years ago and the landlord decided to sell the house that Vic and Kathy had lived in for the past 13 years.

And while it was an emotional time for all, Eddie did what the Bible and his parents taught him, and that is to help those in need, so he helped his aunt move her stuff to Yucaipa to live with his parents and grandmother.

“Watching my mom take care of people inspires me so much, he said. “I never hear her complain. We (Eddie and his siblings) go out and try to relieve her when we can. Whenever there is a family function, she cooks huge meals, despite being busy being a caretaker. She is also the first to send flowers or a card for anyone who is going through a tough time. After watching how much my parents helped people and how rewarding it was to them, I knew it was the type of life I wanted to lead.”

Jeremy Hermes played soccer at Maranatha for Arnett and was a student in his youth group.

He feels strongly that Maranatha’s loss is Providence Christian College’s gain.

While working in law enforcement, the 32-year old has encounters with the worst elements our society has to offer.

And Jeremy credits his mentor for helping him process the ugliness that comes with that job, and at the same time, conducting himself in a way that represents their faith in the best way possible.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have Eddie in my life since I was in the eighth grade,” Hermes said. “I can’t think of anyone who gives more and expects nothing in return for his kindness like Eddie does. When I’m going through a tough time in my job or life, I know I can always call him and Eddie will tell me what I need to hear. I never doubt the sincerity of his advice, because I know it’s coming from a place of love and with my best interest at heart. The student-athletes at Providence Christian College are so lucky to get a man of Eddie’s character and I’m proud to call him my friend.”

On a personal note, it’s sad for this writer to see Eddie leave Maranatha.

But I couldn’t be more happy that he’ll be working with his brother and loyal friend, Brian DeHaan.

He won’t have to watch his back, because Brian will, and the school wants and needs what he has to offer.

As someone who has worked for nearly every major newspaper in the SGV, IE, Long Beach and Orange County over a 22-year career, I’ve seen firsthand how little schools like Maranatha are overlooked within the media, because we live in a world and industry that cares only about (story) clicks.

Until the day he left, Eddie was someone who continued to give me positive updates about the student-athletes at his alma mater.

It was all about them, not about Eddie Arnett, and that’s what makes this man so special.

I can’t accurately put into words just how much I appreciate him as an assistant athletic director or respect him as a man.

As someone who isn’t 100-percent certain about what happens after we depart this life and/or someone who is known to drop a couple colorful words into a conversation that Eddie himself wouldn’t, he has never treated me like I was anything less than his moral equivalent, and that both stuns me and warms my heart.

He truly follows his faith in words and actions.

Of the many stories I could share, the one that sticks out the most was an event at Maranatha, and yet the Minutemen weren’t even involved.

In 2018, the Pasadena boys basketball program played all of their home games on the road, because their gym was being renovated.

And the Bulldogs were hosting Rancho Verde in the semifinal round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Maranatha.

I had gotten there late because of the horrendous traffic on the 210 freeway, and had circled around the gym and the school four times in the hopes of finding a parking spot.

There was also a line of at least 200 people that were trying to get into the already packed gymnasium.

On my fifth loop around the school, I called Eddie, and to my surprise, he answered the phone.

Within a minute of the call ending, I had a parking attendant waving me into a lot that was blocked off, and two minutes later, Eddie himself helped me get into the Maranatha gym.

If that weren’t enough, he had already saved a spot at the scorers table for both my assistant and me.

When I thanked him then, and every time he helped me, Eddie always had the same two-word response, “my pleasure.”

No, Eddie, it’s been our pleasure to know you, and a privilege to call you a friend.

Lastly, we wanted to give Mr. Arnett a chance to address his time at Maranatha and his future at Providence Christian College.

Said Eddie Arnett: “I’ve had the privilege of working at Maranatha for the past 22 years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I’m thankful for Rob Gurule and Daryl Topalian for believing in me, and giving me the opportunity to coach the soccer teams with them 22 years ago. Thank you also to former Maranatha AD Doug Barnett for hiring me as a coach, and former Maranatha AD Doug Ravasdy for hiring me as his Assistant AD. Both men believed in me at a young age, and afforded me the opportunity and space to grow professionally. I want to give a special thank you to Providence Christian College AD Brian DeHaan, who I had the pleasure of working alongside at Maranatha for 11 years. It was during those years that I grew significantly as an administrator and as a man. He challenged me to grow in my faith, encouraged and pushed me to grow professionally and eventually get my Masters degree, and continually expected our team to find ways to improve the product we offered our community. Thank you also to the many coaches and athletic trainers I’ve had the privilege of serving these past 16 years, as well as our student-athletes, and families.”

Quotable:

Maranatha basketball coach, Tim Tucker: “My success at Maranatha is because of my support. Eddie is like the general manager for my program. He is so efficient, which made up for my mistakes. He covered me. It’s hard to replace a person like that. He is Maranatha royalty. It’s going to be a tough transition for me, but what I will miss most of all is not having my friend there with me.”

Maranatha tennis coach, Arthur Hsieh: “Eddie is a person of high character and integrity with no ego, nor a need to be in the limelight. He knows what his calling and skillset are. He’s not out there trying to make a name for himself. He’s a glue kind of guy that isn’t splashy, nor loud or glitzy, but whose work and tangible support are integral to us coaches running our programs well. Without Eddie getting all the behind-the-scenes stuff done, and done well, it would have been extremely difficult for me to get my program up and running smoothly. He was there in all the details, every step of the way, making sure he did his part to give our teams at MHS the opportunity to succeed. He’ll be sorely missed. He also had great rapport with the student-athletes and cared for them as people.”

Former Maranatha/current Bonita football coach, Steve Bogan: “Eddie Arnett and Brian DeHaan working together again at Providence, is like the band getting back together. Totally and completely cool. Providence is fortunate to have those guys and great leaders. Brian and Eddie had a vision for Maranatha that was bearing fruit, only to get derailed a little. Nevertheless, Maranatha is still a great place, with great people, and I believe, a great future continuing to build the Kingdom of God through educating and equipping young men and women to live their purpose as followers of Christ.

But this is about Eddie Arnett, who was the “quiet wise one” a kind of “sage” behind the scenes. He was and is gifted with wisdom, and a great ability to communicate tough advice in a receptive way – a very valuable gift, and the result of his natural win-win outlook. A true Christ follower in both word and deed. Eddie also has a strong work ethic, and is a genuine servant leader. A simple example is he and DeHaan were always the main guys cleaning up the football field after home games. They would let me talk to the team and then the press, while they led a crew of assistant coaches in getting “everything” put away. Eddie is one of those people that us older guys, when we were younger, would say is “real,” he’s not a “put on a front” type person. I guess, after being a great friend, and a true and genuine Christ follower, “wisdom” (the quiet wise one) and “real” are the two words that come to mind most when I try and describe Eddie Arnett. He was wise, real, and always had your back. Providence College is getting a winner.”

University of Arizona softball pitcher, Devyn Netz: “Eddie’s first quality was his ability to make anyone smile and laugh. As an athlete, one of the hardest things to do in the midst of failure is smile and move on. I am the kind of athlete who wants to do everything perfectly, Eddie helped me learn how to smile in the midst of my toughest moments on and off the field. Another one of his qualities was his calming spirit. Under pressure, Eddie was the most calm person and mentor I ever had. In times when I was stressed about school or about a big game coming up, I would always take the time to sit in his office and simply just talk about anything but the troubles and worries of my day.

Having the chance to be at Maranatha and have him as a mentor was one of the greatest assets to have as an athlete at our school. He was the kind of mentor who never said no and always put his athletes as his No. 1 priority. Not a day goes by that I don’t reminisce on all the fun memories I had as an athlete under his leadership and the time I spent with him everyday within Maranatha athletics. I feel for Maranatha High School and all the athletes who will never get to experience Eddie as the leader, mentor, and disciple he was to all the athletes during his time at Maranatha, but I’m glad he and DeHaan will be together again.”

Former Maranatha tennis player, Matthew Leiva: “Mr. Arnett has had a huge impact on me during and after my time at Maranatha. While at Maranatha, He listened to my idea about creating a position within the athletic department and welcomed the opportunity for me to work as an assistant to him and the athletic department. During this past year, Mr. Arnett offered me the ability to return to Maranatha and my role as the livestream commentator for football games. He helped me gain experience and knowledge in the sports industry, which is my career aspiration. Mr. Arnett has been a mentor of mine beginning my freshman year as he has always supported me as a person, on the tennis court and in the classroom. He’s was very dedicated to helping students reach their full potential. I am forever grateful for the impact that he’s had on me.

Former Maranatha basketball player, Jeremy Major: “Coach Eddie was someone who would always show up to support us at our games. I am very grateful that he was a part of my high school career and continues to support me to this day. His constant support meant a lot to me as a young athlete and has impacted how I coach my own athletes now.”

Former Maranatha volleyball player, Nicole Rodriguez: “Eddie not only fulfilled his role with students regarding athletics, but went so much further and helped many including myself with our faith, our mental health, and our overall well being. He made Maranatha an amazingly unforgettable experience and I am so lucky to have him as a mentor to this day. I know my dear friend will do great things in his next endeavors and will continue to leave positive impacts on everyone he encounters.”

Former Maranatha/current APU tennis player, Maddison Kane: “I had the pleasure of working with Eddie my senior year of high school as the athletic department’s teacher’s assistant. We produced a web series about student athletes, worked on other media related projects, and athletic events. In a work environment, Eddie is empathetic, passionate, caring, hardworking, and an all around good person. I can’t say enough about him, he is one of my favorite people and although I have graduated, I always make an effort to stay in touch with him. As an athlete, I never really understood what went into all of the behind the scenes of athletics. Eddie has helped me not only realize, but appreciate all of the hard work that goes into an event, like a football or baseball game, a basketball tournament, or a swim meet. You don’t realize how much work these events take until you are apart of it. I have so much respect and appreciation for Eddie. My high school experience wouldn’t have been half as good without Eddie.”

To view a photo gallery of Mr. Arnett, click the Facebook link here: (3) Facebook