Getting in to a "Hall of Fame" should be old hat by now to Nolan Richardson. By his own count, he's already been enshrined in several of them, including the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. But the honor announced last weekend made even the old warrior pause and reflect on a life full of accomplishment, praise and glory.
Richardson, a former University of Arkansas men's basketball coach, was named last week to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a college coach. This one is, as Richardson calls it, the big one that honors national and international excellence at the highest levels of the game.
What’s the Point: Nolan Richardson, long-time basketball coach at the University of Arkansas, deserves the honor received when he was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
No one should, or reasonably could, doubt Richardson's credentials for the honor: 509 career Division I victories in 22 seasons at two schools (Arkansas and the University of Tulsa); 20 winning seasons; a career winning percentage of .711; the only coach to win an NCAA championship, an NIT championship and a national junior college championship.
But his career can be measured by more than wins and losses. An African-American raised in segregated El Paso, Texas, Richardson excelled in a world resistant to giving him a chance. He encountered thoughtless and hateful bigotry throughout his young life and, truth be told, into his adulthood. He rose from a large, close-knit family of modest means to become first a leader of his classmates and teammates, then a coach teaching his own unique brand of basketball that emphasized speed, athleticism and endurance. His innovations, among others, revolutionized the game and helped change the way it is played.
His life experience instilled in him a tenacity that served him well as a coach in the ultra-competitive world of college athletics. He won over Arkansas fans with his teams' energetic and exciting style of play, and with his towering successes that included the 1994 national championship and a second-place finish the following year. Former players praise his drive for excellence, his willingness to trust him and the lessons he taught about perseverance.
His painful departure from the UA in 2002, which led to Richardson's lawsuit accusing the school and leaders of discrimination, left hard-feelings all around -- for a while. But there was never denying Richardson's success, nor the state's deep-seated affection for him. Time may not heal all wounds, but it certainly helps, and now Richardson is a regular on campus, rooting on the Razorbacks and their coach, his protege and former player, Mike Anderson.
We celebrate Richardson's most recent honor with him, and once again tip our caps to a man who beat long odds to make a name for himself and bring joy to millions of Razorbacks everywhere.
At the same time, we're just a little sad that another long-time Arkansas coach didn't make the cut. Eddie Sutton, who spent 11 years at Arkansas during his own storied coaching career, was nominated for the Naismith hall of fame, too, but was not selected. While Sutton never quite reached the heights Richardson did, he was the coach that brought Arkansas basketball to prominence in the 1970's. He also had successful stints at four other Division I schools while building his own wonderful career. We hope to see him join Richardson in the Naismith hall of fame some day soon.
Commentary on 04/12/2014