Arlin Pirtle
Coach, Class of 2006

In his last 19 years of coaching golf at Santa Ana College, Pirtle's teams finished first in the Eastern and South Coast Conferences 16 times and finished second three times. Pirtle took over the men's golf team during the middle of the 1958 season where the Dons finished fourth in league play, the team never finished lower than second for the remainder of his career; he continued to coach the team until 1979. He was named South Coast Conference Coach of the Year during the 1976-77 season.

From 1964-1977 Pirtle coached the conference golfer of the year including SAC Athletic Hall of Famer Ray Carrasco. He also led the team to Santa Ana College 's only men's golf state championship.

Pirtle's success could be attributed to his “wolf pack.” The way one would get on the “wolf pack” was by having the worst score on the team in a tournament. In order to get out of the “wolf pack,” the player would have to get the best score out of those in the “wolf pack.” This concept sparked a lot of competition amongst the golf players as they tried to avoid becoming a member of the “wolf pack.”

Pirtle was also a teacher at SAC. He began teaching in 1949, teaching auto body, welding and a semester of driver's education. Pirtle retired in 1980, after 51 years of teaching at SAC.