He may have been “Fuzzy” while at RHS, but today Mickey Coats is better known as “Dr. James Coats” of Coats Chiropractic Clinic in Harrison, AR. It seems to me a crazy, ironic thing that the tallest guy in our class of 1975 now owns and operates a clinic wherein the focus is on “bones” more or less (realizing of course that I know nothing of chiropractics). But, I do know that there was much more to Mickey than met the eye in ‘75!Take for example the fact that Mickey “DJ’d” his way through college, frequently putting together musical programs for college fraternities and sororities at UCA in Conway, AR. At first, it seemed that his “side job” might have only helped tide him over during the lean years of college, but according to Mickey, he was putting back some serious cash with his “hobby” while finishing school. Picturing Mickey as DJ isn’t hard; Mickey was always a bit of a cut-up. Thinking just now, I remember that crazy picture of Mickey in our 1975 yearbook, with his head turned at a 90 degree angle and some clownish look on his face. And there were all those times with Mickey mimicking lines from Cheech and Chong albums (along with chums Ronnie Word, Gary Brewer and Freddy Terry).
Another surprise: Mickey passed up the sports scholarships he was offered while at Rison. There’s no doubt that sports was central to Mickey’s identity while at Rison. We all remember him lumbering down the courts when it was “hoops” season. In fact, sports was “the only thing that really kept me in school” according to Mickey. “I’d tolerate anything in school just to play sports!” I asked him to remind me of where he participated (did I mention that my memory is over 50 as well?): “Well, in football, it was Tight End, Defensive End and Punter, with Gary Brewer doing the snapping.” I had completely forgotten that Mickey punted for our team. “I had a number of chances to play college sports after high school, but I passed them all up,” said Mickey. I asked why. He chuckled, “I didn’t know any better, man!” I laughed and added that none of us received much career counseling while in high school and that I could only vaguely remember our counselor. ‘Yeah, it was some cowboy-looking dude, but I never talked to him. I just had no idea.”
Here’s another twist: I didn’t remember Mickey as a hunter or a fisherman while we were in school – but he was! Mickey hunted a lot. “Anytime there was a season, I was hunting, he said with a laugh. In fact, when I asked what Mickey did on the weekends in Rison, he said “Well…hunting and fishing!”
I was leading Mickey into a discussion of his dating life while at Rison, so he obliged me: “I dated this girl from Pine Bluff for a while during my senior year and then a Woodlawn Girl for some of the time (see what I mean about Woodlawn Girls?) "I remember that me and the guys had our 'triple dates.' Three in one vehicle was crazy - it was hilarious. It was bad enough for the three of us to get together by ourselves (Ronnie, Freddy and Mickey), but with dates? It was just crazy.” Considering dating, I asked about any movie memories. “Na…none that I recall…if it wasn’t sports, I didn’t watch it!”
But, Mickey did comment about the Pine Drive-Inn. Long gone now, Pine Bluff was home to a real drive-in movie theater, the Pines Drive-Inn, near Dollarway. I remember groups of us making our way to the Pines on weekends. And, yes, Mickey (as well others) attempted to sneak a friend or two into the drive-in to save a couple of bucks.
Career wise, Mickey’s path was a little, shall we say, curvy. He found work as a welder in Houston right after high school, then returned to the Rison area when he secured a job at Varco- Pruden in Pine Bluff. After the Varco job, Mickey struck out for UCA to play basketball for the Bears, completing his degree in 1983 with a BS in Education. He coached until 1990, then returned to school at Henderson State as a Graduate Assistant while completing his Masters in Secondary Administration. Mickey enrolled in school again in 1992, but this time at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA, gaining his Doctors of Chiropractic medicine. In 1998, he and his wife opened their clinic (Coats Chiropractic) in Harrison, AR.
Mickey met his lovely wife Terri McConnaughhay at UCA. “What attracted you to her?” I asked. “I guess it was her stalking me.” I laughed and Mickey continued wryly: “I was DJing at UCA and had bought equipment and tapes and had sort of put things on auto-pilot. Terri wanted to meet “Fuzz” as I was called. So, she came up in the middle of a record, but I needed to do my job so I spoke to her only briefly and then immediately went back to work. She was not impressed. A couple of weeks later, we met again at the Student Union and she had, by then, softened-up. Then she started stalking me again.” It would appear that Mickey hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
Mickey continued to say that he and Terri got married in 1980 and have been happily married ever sense. “I didn’t chase her…I just finally gave up” he quipped. Seems that Terri’s Mom and Dad took a shine to Mickey almost immediately. However, Mickey did mention that Mr. McConnaughhay’s first words after meeting Mickey were something like “Oh Lord!” Maybe the Fuzz was too fuzzy?
It would seem that Terri’s “stalking” paid off handsomely, as Mickey and Terri have been blessed with three great kids (who are no longer “kids”). There’s Jonathon, 24, a Marine reservist and police officer in Bolivar MO. Next there’s Janeice who’s 22 and an actress in West Palm Beach, Florida. Finally, there’s Jeremy, 21 who's planning to attend seminary in Dallas next fall, in pursuit of a career as a church Youth Pastor. (Let’s all remember to pray for Jeremy!).
I never realized how much fun it would be to locate my old classmates, but if the next interviews are half as much fun as the one I just finished with Dr. James “Mickey” Coats, we’re all in for a treat!
-Ken
