Louis Whorton

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, at Heritage Methodist Church in Van Buren under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home. A private family burial will be at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

Born in Clarksville, he was a 1970 graduate of Hartford High School. He proudly served his country in the Navy Reserve and was a Vietnam War veteran. He went on to earn college degrees at the University of the Ozarks and Arkansas Tech University.

Raised in a coaching family, he embarked on a lifelong journey following in the footsteps of his parents, the late Ernie and JoAnn Whorton, who were both high school coaches and teachers.

He became a legendary basketball coach with a successful career that spanned the high school and collegiate levels, including Hector, Hoxie, Blytheville, Subiaco and County Line high schools and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (formerly Westark College).

A passionate coach with a knack for entertaining theatrics, he and his Lady Lions teams played their way into the hearts of fans throughout the area, state, region and nation with their up-tempo offensive style and renowned smothering, pressure man-to-man defense.

During 23 seasons of competition at the junior college level, he compiled an impressive 538-195 record – an average of 23 wins per season. His junior college teams posted 16 20-win seasons and six 30-win seasons.

In that span, he guided the Lady Lions to one Arkansas JUCO Conference championship, three Arkansas State Tournament championships, seven Bi-State East Conference championships and seven Region II championships. His teams also were Region II runners-up six times.

He was NJCAA National Coach of the Year in 1994-95, leading the Lady Lions to a national championship and an undefeated season (35-0). His team placed second in the NJCAA national tournament in 1993-94. In their 1997-98 and 2005-2006 national tournament appearances, the Lady Lions finished seventh. In 2003-04, they finished in fourth, and in 2004-05 and 2007-08, they finished third.

His junior college teams produced four WNBA draft picks.

During seven seasons of NCAA Division II competition, he guided the Lady Lions to a 110-82 record and a Heartland Conference championship, a conference tournament championship, a runner-up finish in the conference tournament and a berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament.

He was inducted into the NJCAA Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and also is a member of the University of the Ozarks Eagles Athletics Hall of Fame and the UAFS Athletics Hall of Fame.

Throughout his coaching and teaching career, he was a mentor to countless student-athletes, many of whom went on to successful coaching careers or careers in their chosen professions. He was well-respected by his coaching colleagues across the nation as well as his fellow athletic department colleagues and was loved by all those who came to call him a “pal”.

He was preceded in death by his parents, JoAnn and Ernie Whorton, and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Suda and Junior Floyd. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Pat of the home, son Jeremy (Jennie) of Fort Smith, grandchildren Blake Payson and Ashlynn Sigler of Hackett and Mollie Whorton, Aiden Farrar and Austin Farrar of Fort Smith, sister-in-law Jean Metcalf of Menifee, Calif., numerous nieces and nephews and hundreds of Lady Lions players and assistant coaches whom he loved like daughters.

Memorials may be sent to: UAFS Women’s Basketball, PO Box 3649, Fort Smith, AR 72913, or Alma Arts and Education Foundation, PO Box 2359, Alma, AR 72921.

Online condolences may be sent to: www.edwardsfuneralhome.com