DOCUTAH @ The Electric presents "Rebels Forever"

DOCUTAH@TheELECTRIC kicks off its second season of monthly documentary screenings on January 27th at 7 PM with a free memorial screening of Rebels Forever at The Electric Theater in St. George. The film presented in cooperation with Dixie State University and the Arslanian Family, was produced several years ago by former Dixie football player and Founder and Executive Director of the DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival. Phil Tuckett. It chronicles the history of Dixie State football and the enormous impact of Hall of Fame Coach Sark Arslanian in turning that program into a force to be reckoned with and saving Dixie State itself. Tickets for this screening are free but space is limited so attendees are encouraged to reserve the tickets online at www.docutah.com. Seats will be available at the door if available seats.
There was a time in the 1950's when Dixie Jr. College was on the verge of extinction because dwindling enrollment that had dipped under 100. Then Coach Sark arrived to build a football program that became a national powerhouse and saved the school. Today Dixie State University has a new identity and 9,000 students but Sark's Boys will always be ‘Rebels Forever.
“When my father arrived at Dixie State, he was given the mandate to raise enrollment or the college itself would close down,” said Sark’s son, Paul Arslanian. “He told the President, give me a car and credit card and I will recruit. And so, he did. He recruited every young man as a player and every young woman as a cheerleader. He brought in 140 students that year and that saved school. Dad’s big thing was not only developing good players but developing good people. He had a real passion for young people."
Sark Arslanian spent many years in St. George coaching football at every level, including as head coach of Dixie State College, Weber State and Colorado State. Tuckett played football for Arslanian at Dixie State College in 1964, then he went up to Weber State and played from 1966-67 while Arslanian was the Wildcats' head coach. Tuckett said Arslanian had a knack of making anybody feel better about themselves no matter who or what it was.
"He cared enough about other people that he wasn’t stingy with his love and consideration. He just radiated it. To me, that’s why today hundreds and hundreds of his former players have similar fond feelings of him as I do. His life was so big, it could not be contained or encapsulated just by his football success or in a film. I was honored to call him coach and friend."
Arslanian was inducted into the Dixie State University Hall of Fame in 1999, and was part of the inaugural Dixie State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2007. On Sept. 14, 2013, the football field inside Legend Solar Stadium (formerly known as Hansen Stadium) was renamed
Sark Arslanian Field in his honor for his contributions and achievements during his tenure at DSU. He is enshrined in the Pop Warner National Hall of Fame, Weber State Athletic Hall of Fame, Utah Sports Hall of Fame, and the All-American Football Foundation honor roll.
Dixie State University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Jason Boothe, commented, “Without Sark’s leadership and passion for Dixie, our athletic teams would not be where they are today. He was not only a great coach and leader, but a caring man as well.”
DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival
The 2017 DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival is held at Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah. Submissions for the 2017 festival are now open. The 2017 Festival runs from September 4-9 and includes filmmaker chats and gala events, all within the beautiful scenery of Southern Utah’s red rock country. 
ABOUT DOCUTAH
DOCUTAH celebrates the art of documentary filmmaking, connecting Dixie State University and our community to the world. DOCUTAH offers a unique, entertaining International Documentary Film Festival and year-round programs including DOCUTAH@TheELECTRIC providing creative, cultural, and educational engagement.