Mike Emmons made a pledge of stability and fulfilled it.
When Emmons arrived at North Callaway as a 25-year-old assistant in 1988 under new head football coach Craig Fasel, the pair were promptly made aware that the Thunderbirds were starting their fourth straight season under a different coach.
"Craig and I vowed that we weren't going to be that type," Emmons said Thursday afternoon in his office. "We were going to be here and make a commitment to the team, and I honored it."
Emmons most certainly did, eventually replacing Fasel in 1990 and serving as head coach at North Callaway for 24 years. He finally signed off on that vow to the Thunderbirds when he announced his retirement in an email late Thursday morning.
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.