Roots. Everybody has them somewhere. It's where you come from. They figure to play at least some role in what you become, who you are, where you go - even if it's only in your mind - for strength and perspective when times become tough.
Until last Friday night, when they arrived in Chattanooga for the first time, Tom and Lauren Arth's roots had pretty much been confined to the Cleveland, Ohio, area. That's where they both grew up, where they went to college at John Carroll University, where their parents and most of their friends live.
So leaving all that to take over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program figured to take more than a healthy salary bump. It took a leap of faith. It took finding something in the Scenic City that made them want to leave their roots and move here with their five young children, who range in age from Caroline (10) to Lizzie (1).
"The people," Lauren said early Tuesday afternoon when asked what she's found most appealing about her new home thus far. "Everybody we've met has been so nice."
As if on cue, one of the most famous people associated with the Mocs - actor Dennis Haskins, the Chattanooga native, Notre Dame High School grad and UTC alum - made sure to welcome Tom Arth to town at the close of his news conference.
Somewhat caught off guard by the actor known to most in Arth's generation as Mr. Belding of "Saved by the Bell" television fame, Arth said, when asked if he was a fan, "Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I grew up on 'Saved by the Bell.'"
He also grew of age backing up Peyton Manning for three years with the Indianapolis Colts.
"What always stood out to me," Arth said of Manning, "is that he was the same in every situation. I think about Peyton in a (pregame) walk-though and you'd look at his eyes and if you saw them in a game you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. He had the same intensity as in the walk-through. I've tried to do that as much as possible - stay the same in every situation."
It seems to be working. Not only did Arth post a 40-8 overall record during his four seasons as John Carroll's head coach, but he accomplished that with a Blue Streaks program that was 19-21 in the four seasons before he took over.
Nor does he lack for confidence. Referring to his team's two road wins this season over No. 1 opponents - Mount Union (where JCU snapped a 112-game regular-season winning streak) and Wisconsin-Whitewater - he said, "Don't know if anyone's ever beaten two No. 1 teams on the road."
As for the notion that he might find it difficult to recruit at the FCS level after playing and working at the Division III level, where scholarships are awarded based on academics or the need for financial assistance rather than athletic excellence, Arth said, "I may not have had athletic scholarships at the D-III level, but I had to go into homes and convince a kid's parents that it was worth it to spend $50,000 a year for their son to come to John Carroll to play football.
"It's always about relationships. Whether it's the coach, the parents, the school's principal. Nobody's going to outwork us in recruiting."
Perhaps that's also why he says most of his staff will be coaches "who've recruited the South."
And just for the record, Tom and Lauren and Caroline spent at least a portion of one year in the South in 2008 when Arth played for the Georgia Force of the Arena League.
"We lived in Gwinnett County," he said. "We love the South."
When someone asked if that love extended to drinking sweet tea, he smiled and said, "I'm going to start."
It all sounds perfect, including the change in his voice as he discussed his passion for the game.
"To want something requires absolutely nothing," he said. "But will requires sacrifice. That's the vision I have for Mocs football - a group that will have a tireless will to compete. When they play that way, national championships are to be expected. That's our goal."
If there is a single legitimate concern in all of this it may be how the Arths will feel about UTC if athletic director David Blackburn leaves to run the Big Orange show up the road in Knoxville.
Both men said that possibility had been discussed.
"I told him to be aware of rumors," Blackburn said. "I told him it was pure speculation at this point. He's good."
Added Arth: "I know there are rumors. But as far as I know the process (of picking an AD at UT) hasn't begun. He's certainly part of the reason I'm here. I've already taken pages of notes from our discussions."
So how would he feel if Blackburn left?
"I shouldn't comment on that," Arth said.
They look like a made-for-TV family straight off the Hallmark Channel, these seven Arths. The chance to watch him grow as a coach as Caroline, Tommy (8), Kate (7), Patrick (5) and Lizzie grow up should excite even the least emotional UTC fan.
"Being from Cleveland, (leaving it behind) was the hardest part," Coach Arth said. "But my 10-year-old, who's a big fan of HGTV, is already checking out houses that are for sale around here. I've really been surprised by how excited they were to move."
Let's hope he's still as excited to be here if Blackburn moves on to UTK.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.