Ennio Arboit was one of the nation's most effective high school coaches until his death after a series of successful seasons in Peoria and California. His Peoria Spalding football teams compiled a record which established a tradition for excellence at that school.

A former standout athlete at Notre Dame, his Spalding football teams went 69-23-8 for his 11 seasons, a winning percentage of .750, which placed him third on Peoria's all-time coaching list.

Taking over the Spalding coaching job in 1938, his first team went 7-0-1, and he came back with an 8-0 season in 1942.

He left Spalding after the 1945 season to coach at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, for one season, but returned for the 1947 season, going 6-1-1.

Spalding was 8-1 in 1949, but after the 1950 season Arboit left Peoria to coach prep football in California.

A fierce competitor, he played baseball in the Sunday Morning League for many years for the old Gipps Brewery team.