When the Rumble on the Ridge basketball tournament was canceled last year because of concerns related to covid-19, Dwight Lofton wasn't exactly thrilled about the decision nor was he unhappy.
Instead, he took the news in stride and found a way to put a positive spin on an otherwise gloomy ordeal, much like he'd done in countless other situations he'd previously encountered throughout his lengthy coaching career at Forrest City.
"Really, I would've been disappointed if we would've had it because it wouldn't have showed how significant [Rumble on the Ridge] is," he said in November 2020 when asked about his feelings toward the cancellation. "I would've probably been mad [if it weren't canceled] because all of the other big-name events were canceled."
But the Mustangs' long-time coach never once got upset, and according to a number of his counterparts in the profession, that even-keeled reaction was simply par for the course for Lofton, who died unexpectedly overnight Wednesday at age 60.
"You're not going to find a better person," North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice said. "That may sound cliche, but it's true. He loved the game of basketball, whether it was at Forrest City or North Little Rock. I talked to him the week before this year's state championship game a couple of times, and then he called me on the bus when we were on our way home after we won it.
"I talked to him a time or two since then, too. He was a mentor to me, we'd play pick-up ball back in the day. ... he was just one of those guys that always found a way to be positive and made you feel important every time you talked to him."
Lofton's importance to those who knew him was evident throughout Thursday.
As news began to circulate about his passing, several of Lofton's coaching contemporaries, friends and admirers from virtually every corner of Arkansas began offering their condolences and sympathies on social media sites for a man who not only helped take Forrest City to state prominence, but also lent support of any kind whether it was needed or not.
The North Little Rock native and alum graduated from the University of Central Arkansas before eventually coming to Forrest City in 1996 and spending 25 seasons as the team's head coach. During that time, Lofton captured several 5A-East Conference titles and won state championships in two of his three trips to the finals. Along the way, he also picked up his 300th career victory on Jan. 19, 2016, when the Mustangs beat Valley View 88-71, and was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Boys Coach of the Year three months later.
But for all that Lofton accomplished while roaming the sidelines at Forrest City, what he offered to others is one of the biggest reasons why he's revered by so many of his peers.
"What I remember most about Coach Lofton is how much of a straight shooter he was," said Watson Chapel Coach Marcus Adams, who revealed a pad he'd kept with notes written out that detailed some of the advice Lofton gave him when the two were at a state tournament together in 2019. "He will tell you that because he wanted you to be better as a person and a coach. Also, he'd always say something funny that would make you laugh."
Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift, who has known Lofton for years, echoed Adams' sentiments.
"I've had two 45-minute to one-hour conversations with him over the past 10 days," Swift said. "Just talked about a lot of different things. He was nearing the end of his career, and we talked about that and other stuff really, just about life. And then for him to be gone today after that conversation we had on Monday, it's just hard to believe to be honest with you.
"Everybody that comes in his path has the same thing to say. ... he made you feel like you were the most important person in the world when he talked to you, and that was the truth."
Lofton also had no problem talking about any of the health issues he'd faced in the past, particularly the stroke he had in January 2015 -- less than a year after he took the Mustangs to their first state basketball title -- or the round of ministrokes that followed hours afterwards while he received treatment in Memphis.
But Lofton was never one to sit around idly, and after recovering from his medical scare, he returned to coaching the next season and guided Forrest City to a second championship when the Mustangs earned in 91-85, overtime victory over Maumelle in one of the highest-scoring finals in state history.
That was the last time a Lofton-coached team would reach the title game. The Mustangs have struggled with overall consistency over the past five seasons, and Lofton never shied away from saying as much. If he felt he had a team that could compete among the state's best, he'd express just that. But if he didn't, he had no qualms pointing out reasons why.
"He'd tell you like it is, no question about it," Swift said. "He had some unbelievable success, but like most of us, he had some years where his team didn't perform the way he wanted them to, and he'd tell you that. But that didn't let him stop rooting for the other people and teams that he loved.
"Even if he didn't have the year he wanted to, he was going to congratulate you or pick you up. He was transparent in a way that didn't demean anybody. He was just unique in every way. Even if you were in a gym with a 1,000 people, if he was in there and you heard that voice, you didn't have to turn around. You knew it was him."