Just days before UALR’s major fundraiser, Spectac-UALR, Athletic Director Chris Peterson withdrew his name from consideration for the athletic director’s opening at UNLV.
Peterson was a finalist for the job.
UNLV reached out to Peterson in August and a couple of weeks ago he had an official interview, but since then he thought it over and decided he and his family are happy where they are.
So Thursday night’s SpectacUALR will be even more of a celebration.
And it is a celebration. It’s a party for sports fans.
Festivities include a live auction - the auctioneer is KTHV’s Craig O’Neill, so you know that’s going to be fun - with nine great items, a silent auction with an unbelievable 187 items. Plus, party goers can buy a cork and the lucky winner who has his cork drawn will win 50 bottles of wine.
This year, SpectacUALR honors Dr. John Wilson, a 1995 recipient of the UALR Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award for Excellence. An orthopedic surgeon, Wilson graduated from UALR (then LRU) in 1959. He started college at Little Rock Junior College while serving in the Air Force.
In 1985, he started Project DAWN and has made 20 trips to Guyana to provide free medical aid.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner, which will be catered by Capers, begins shortly after.
SpectacUALR has gotten bigger and better every year, and this year’s event will be the biggest celebration of all.
Dallas Cowboys owner and former Arkansas Razorback Jerry Jones was inducted Thursday into the National Football Foundation Leadership Hall of Fame.
Jones was presented his ring by NFF Chairman Archie Manning. Jones’ grandson, Shy, was on the stage with him, as was former Cowboys great Roger Staubach.
Jones, who played on the undefeated 1964 Razorbacks team, is also in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and is still a big supporter.
In fact, Jones stays very active and is very loyal to his home state.
He and his family will be at Little Rock Catholic High on Thursday to announce that Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities will make a multimillion dollar contribution and pledge to the all-boys school where his son, Stephen, played football and graduated before becoming an Arkansas Razorbacks football player.
Jerry and much of his family will be on hand for the announcement.
Questions still surround the call in the Arkansas-Florida game Saturday when a punt was muffed and Arkansas recovered it in the air.
The ball bounced off the Florida punt returner to the Arkansas player, and then contact was made between the players.
It was ruled that the Arkansas player did not give the Florida player an opportunity to catch the ball, which the Arkansas player did until the ball bounced off the returner.
If the rule is that Arkansas didn’t have the right to catch the deflected ball, it is the most stupid rule in football. How many chances should a returner get to catch the ball?
Just because it is a rule doesn’t mean it is right.
Most likely Arkansas would not have won the game if it had been given possession of the ball on the play, but a dumb rule cost the Razorbacks at least a field goal.
Zach Hocker is 8 for 8 on field goals this season with a long of 53 yards, and he is 17 of 17 on extra points.
The Roast and Toast of Rush Harding, sponsored by the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 24, is officially sold out and more tables had to be added to meet the demand. It will be a record crowd on Fisher Court in the Stephens Center.
First Security Bank and Hal Crafton of Rush-Hal Properties are the presenting sponsors, but there are numerous other sponsors that include UCA; the Jack, Nelson, Jones & Bryant law firm, and Glazer’s.
Sports, Pages 19 on 10/09/2013