July 30, 2014
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Adam Arbour will join the University of Iowa softball staff as an assistant coach, announced head coach Marla Looper. Arbour — who has spent time at Alabama and Michigan — will handle the Hawkeye offense.
“Adam is a quality human being first and foremost,” Looper said. “That is something I look for, not only in our student-athletes, but also in our staff because, ultimately, we are in the people business. Secondly, he has a lot of energy and passion for the sport of softball. He’s been around it all his life and has a strong pedigree from working with championship programs in his career. He is a positive gentleman who brings an additional energy that will compliment what our staff has. I am excited to get him on campus and see what he can do with our team.”
“Working with Marla Looper and Adrianna Baggetta and returning to the Big Ten ultimately attracted me to the University of Iowa,” Arbour said. “We have a great opportunity to compete for championships in the future, and I am excited to build upon the foundation they have created. I can’t wait to get to campus, meet the team and engage with the staff.
“I would like to thank Paula Jantz and the members of the selection committee for their hard work throughout this process. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Hawkeye softball program.”
Arbour spent the past three years as a volunteer assistant coach at Alabama under head coach Patrick Murphy. He helped guide the Crimson Tide to an NCAA National Championship in 2012, a Women’s College World Series Runner-Up finish in 2014, and three NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional appearances. Alabama also maintained a presence in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), winning regular season (2012, 2014) and tournament championships (2012).
Arbour assisted in all aspects of the Crimson Tide program, but had a focus on catching and hitting instruction. During his tenure, he helped catchers Kendall Dawson and Molly Fichtner earn SEC All-Defensive and second team All-SEC honors, respectively. He was also a part of an Alabama staff that was recognized as the 2012 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year and the 2014 NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year, and was a camp coach for the Patrick Murphy Softball School.
Prior to Alabama, Arbour served as a student manager at Michigan under head coach Carol Hutchins from 2008-11. He organized and oversaw drills, threw batting practice and completed many other duties in practice and game situations. While at Michigan, the Wolverines won three-straight Big Ten Championships (2009, 2010, 2011) and clinched a berth to the Women’s College World Series in 2009.
As a student-athlete on the baseball team at Michigan (2006-09), Arbour helped the Wolverines to a pair of Big Ten Championships (2007, 2008) and an NCAA Regional Championship in 2007. He has been a counselor and coach at Michigan softball and baseball camps since 2007.
“I would like to thank Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy and Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins for investing in me and giving me a start in softball,” Arbour said. “They have been extremely influential and important in my career as a coach.”
Arbour graduated from Michigan in 2011 with a degree in kinesiology, physical education (teacher certification). He will complete a master’s degree in human performance with an emphasis in sport management from Alabama in August 2014.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native, comes from an athletic family, as his father, Ed, (baseball) and mother, Julie, (volleyball) were student-athletes at Eastern Michigan and his sister, Kristy, played softball at Miami of Ohio. His father also played baseball at Washtenaw Community College and his uncle, Dan, played football at Western Michigan.