A large photo hangs in our newsroom that shows an Arkansas player with arms wrapped so tightly around a basketball that no one was going to take it away, not even the referees.
The player is Sarah Pfeifer, who is among the 2015 legends class that will be recognized March 4-8 at the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. Pfeifer will take center court during halftime of Arkansas' first game then join the other honorees on Saturday, March 8, at the tournament.
I've followed Pfeifer's career since her high school days at Ozark, where she played three sports and was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Female Athlete of the Year in 2002. On the basketball court, in particular, she was rugged with plenty of skills to match.
I was covering an Ozark girls game one year when a fight broke out. I can't remember if punches were actually thrown, but I recall telling the person next to me I going to stand behind Pfeifer for protection.
I was joking, mostly.
"Whenever we had an open gym during the summer, Sarah would go out there and play against the boys and do well," former Ozark coach Ron Rippy said. "She was strong mentally and physically and self motivated more than any player I've ever coached. You never had to prod Sarah to work and do the things a player needs to get better."
Pfeifer played on teams at Ozark that went 99-7 and won two state championships. Only a last-second loss to Highland prevented a sweep for Pfeifer, who was a three-time all-state selection.
Pfeifer played for the Lady Razorbacks from 2002-08 and had career highs with 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 2004-2005. She twice suffered season-ending injuries, from a should injury in 2003-2004, and from a torn ACL that sidelined her for the 2005-2006 season. She still ranks 24th in career points (1,056) and 23th in career rebounds (565) at Arkansas.
"I was never the best player on my teams at Arkansas, but I think the fans appreciated the way I played," said Pfeifer, who is an instructor and girls basketball coach at Lakeside Junior High in Springdale. "I loved being a Razorback and I loved representing my home state."
No one is recognized as an SEC legend solely for their athletic achievements. Pfeifer was twice named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2005 and 2007 and she was a five-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll list.
"Both of my parents were teachers and they instilled in me the value of a good education at an early age," said Pfeifer, who earned a degree in industrial engineering and a master's in sports management at Arkansas. "I didn't have a lot of free time in college, but I was able to prioritize with school being the most important and basketball being second."
Pfeifer, who had four major surgeries at Arkansas, added a final chapter to to her career as a rare sixth-year senior in 2008. She still managed 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds on an Arkansas team that finished 17-13 after ending the season with nine consecutive losses.
"Sarah exemplifies what it's like to be a Lady Razorback more so than any player in the history of the program," former Arkansas coach Tom Collen said near the end of Pfeifer's storied career. "That'll be her legacy, and that's a pretty good legacy."
That legacy will soon include being recognized in her home state as an SEC legend. It's an honor well-deserved.
Rick Fires can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NWARick
Sports on 02/15/2015