When he dropped out of school, left Lafayette and headed home to Kentucky back in the fall of 1962, Dean Church had no clue what the future held for him.

As he drove, his mind was muddied by thoughts of what might — and might not — become of his life after having just made such a colossal blunder.

Certainly not back-to-back NAIA All-American honors at the university whose basketball team he had just quit, right?

Surely not a college career that, once complete, would leave him still today as the No. 12 all-time scorer in program history.

Definitely not with his jersey number some day being retired.

"It took me about 10 minutes," Church said, "to see how stupid I was."

Today, however, a bow finally will go on the long list of accomplishments Church once figured never had a chance to be.

His number, 12, will be retired at halftime of UL’s regular-season home finale against UL Monroe tonight at the Cajundome, and when it is Church will reflect not so much on why it took so long to happen but instead on how it almost never did.

It was prior to the start of his junior season at then-University of Southwestern Louisiana, and Church got to talking with then-freshman teammate Henderson Payne — also from Kentucky — about how homesick they both were.

"We decided we were going to go home," Church said, "and packed everything and put it on the bed at the dorm."

Church then headed out for a last round of burgers with friends, and when he was done he intended to bring all of his belongings to a car and leave with Payne.

In the interim, however, someone called then-coach Beryl Shipley and told him of the pair’s plan.

When he got back to the dorm, Church recalled earlier this week, "Shipley was standing there screaming at me."

"Two guys were holding him back," Church said, "or he would have beaten me to a pulp."

The late Shipley shooed Church along, so mad — as Church tells it — that he instructed police to usher the two out of town.

"He called the cops," Church said, "and told them to, ‘Make sure these guys never come back to this city.’ "

Back home Kentucky, Church took a Christmas-season job selling toys at Parsons department store on Winchester Avenue in Ashland.

He hated it.

Knowing USL would be in Kentucky to play two games there later that season, Church concocted a new plan.

He would drive the 270 miles or so from Ashland to Bowling Green, seek out Shipley and beg his way back onto the team.

On this trip, made solo, the thoughts were just as worrisome as those from when he had Lafayette.

"I had no idea what position Shipley would take," said Church, who now calls Luling home.

Knees knocking, he approached the room in which Shipley was staying. Rather than announce his arrival, however, Church froze.

"I was standing outside his door for maybe an hour getting up enough nerve — because last time he saw me he was going to kill me," Church said.

"I was really sweating it out, because I saw what it was like selling toys in a department store. I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life."

Fortunately for Church, Shipley resisted any temptation there might have been to ring his former guard’s neck.

The two chatted, and it was agreed Church could re-join the program — but only under certain circumstances.

As Church himself once wrote, "I won’t go in to all the conditions that I agreed to, but in the years 1964 and 1965, did anyone ever see (Shipley) in a dirty car or shoes that were not shined?"

Truth be told, car-washing and shoe-shining weren’t really part of the pact.

But there were conditions that — if met — would allow Church to return as a junior for the 1963-64 season.

"He let it be known if I wanted to stay there I had to follow the rules and never cause a problem," Church said of Shipley, who actually later served as best man when Church married the former Sally Evans. "I never caused him a bit of worry after that."

After paying his way through school in the spring of ’63 — "That was part of the deal," Church said — the kid was Kentucky was back on the team.

In the ’63-64 season, Church averaged 20.1 points per game to lead then-USL to its first Gulf States Conference championship.

The next season, as a senior, he averaged 23.36 points and led USL to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

When he was finished, Church stood third in school history with 1,546 points — trailing only Ed McCauley (1,596 points from 1952-55) and Tim Thompson (1,587 points from 1958-61) at the time.

He wound up getting inducted into both the USL Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame, but — for reasons that to this day Church can’t fully explain — he never did get his number retired.

"When I left I always had that dream in the back of my mind," Church said, "and when it didn’t happen I kind of resolved myself to the fact it wasn’t going to happen."

Ex-Cajuns great Bo Lamar’s number is retired. Marvin Winkler’s and Andrew Toney’s too.

But not Church’s.

Not until tonight.

Some with the program, Church suggested this week, actually thought that his was retired.

Others still didn’t know why it wasn’t.

"Dean was a tremendous player here for Coach Shipley back in the ’60s, and it truly is an honor to be associated with "» honoring him and the retirement of his jersey," current Cajuns coach Bob Marlin said. "Well-deserved — and we actually were surprised it wasn’t done earlier."

The ball to righting that wrong got rolling when Marlin, ex-Church teammate Jimmy Dykes and many others close to the program gathered for a service at Shipley’s graveside last December.

Church — much to his shock — was informed of the decision earlier this month.

"I had no idea it was coming," said Church, who retired in 2000 after rising to vice president and chief administrative officer of Avondale Shipyards. "It came out of blue. Just hit me like a ton of bricks."

"I’m still on Cloud Nine. My feet haven’t hit the ground since I heard about it. It’s the honor of a lifetime.

"If there are issues in the past, I don’t even care about them," added Church, who remained quite close with Shipley over the years. "Nobody is happier today than I am."

And there may be nothing Church is happier about than the fact Shipley took him back, even after he tried to bail.

If Shipley hadn’t, there is no telling how Church’s life might have unfolded.

"But I can assure you of one thing," Church said. "It would not be as good as the life I had."

Athletic Network Footnote: Click here for Dean Church Page.