Houston Nutt seemed sincere, not slick, Monday when he spoke to the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
It was a homecoming of sorts.
If he has any bitterness over the way he left the University of Arkansas almost six years ago, it was not obvious. Yes, he did leave with a nice chunk of change, and got some payback by taking the Ole Miss job the next day; plus, after being fired at Ole Miss, he is fairly wealthy.
He and his wife Diana live in Santa Fe, N.M., now. They are horse people, and that’s horse country. And he does some TV work as an analyst.
When David Bazzel asked him to speak to the LRTC, Nutt first waived the speaking fee, but later asked that a donation be made to Benny Fuller, a former star basketball player at the Arkansas School for the Deaf who lost his home in Oklahoma to recent tornadoes.
It was a standing-room-only lunch even after several tables were added at the last moment, and it was obvious from start to finish it was mostly a pro-Nutt crowd.
Nutt got the obligatory standing ovation when he was introduced, but he got another one when he finished, and it wasn’t difficult to see why.
Nutt has always been a great speaker, motivator and communicator.
He went on and on about Razorbacks history, from his two seasons as a player to the 10 years he was the head coach.
Names of former teammates and players flowed off his tongue easily and often.
He talked about bonds and friendships, but most fervently about family.
His mom Emogene and brothers Danny and Dennis were in attendance - Dickey is the head basketball coach at Southeast Missouri and was recruiting - and Nutt brought the house down with the stories of his dad Houston Sr. being a disciplinarian.
While he wouldn’t win the popular vote to be the the Razorbacks head football coach again, he might give Mike Ross a run for his money for the governor’s office.
That’s how good he was.
When he spoke of his mom, and how she always had their Sunday clothes laid out because they were not missing a service at Immanuel Baptist Church, his voice was rich with respect and love.
He didn’t talk much about his final season at Arkansas or the years he spent at Ole Miss, choosing to stay on happier subjects.
He did say there were some things he may wish he had done different, but he didn’t expound.
He was cautious when asked about this year’s football team, but he said when his teams were running the football they also had a Anthony Lucas or a Marcus Monk as a go-to receiver.
Nutt said he hoped Little Rock gets to keep some games, and he made many references to War Memorial Stadium in his Monday talk.
He played a role in getting Little Rock’s third game moved to Fayetteville in 2000, because former Athletic Director Frank Broyles told Nutt to enlarge Razorback Stadium, Arkansas would have to move a game.
Truth is, the stadium had to be enlarged if the Hogs wanted to compete. It was a good move for the program.
When Nutt was asked whether he would coach again, he admitted there might be one more place for him, and it doesn’t have to be the SEC.
Someone in the audience yelled Texas was looking. No one mentioned Nebraska might be open.
Once, near the end, he said, “special,” and quickly added, “there’s that word again.” It was the only time he said special in the 43 minutes he spoke.
In the weeks after it was announced Nutt would be speaking at LRTC, Bazzel got some heat, but it was unwarranted.
Houston Nutt had a homecoming Monday, and he was as accomplished a speaker as ever.
Sports, Pages 15 on 09/24/2013