Commentary

Listing favorites not so difficult

It’s an often asked question, perhaps just a way to break the ice in a new relationship. It’s usually prefaced with something obvious.

“You’ve been around a lot of Razorbacks in a lot of different eras, who are your favorites?”

It’s a dangerous subject. You don’t want to offend.

I can recall asking Frank Broyles to list his favorites. He just wouldn’t do it. It’s understandable that he would avoid an answer. It’s like asking someone to name his favorite child.

I asked my father that question in the last few months of his life during a memorable drive to Tuscaloosa for his last Arkansas-Alabama football game. Orville Henry was battling cancer and asked if I would drive him, a plane trip being out of the question.

Somewhere around Greenville, Miss., I asked for his list of favorites. He divided them into two categories. It sounded easy then, and it is for me, too. It’s generally about the relationships.

First, there were those he enjoyed watching. At the top of his list: Lance Alworth and Clyde Scott. He spoke of their pure athletic ability. They took your breath away with an ability to hit a different gear. He also mentioned Quinn Grovey. As for linemen, he pointed to Loyd Phillips. He said Phillips played in a rage. Wayne Harris was the first linebacker mentioned.

And, then there was a different category, all of the quarterbacks. He said there were hours spent sitting with them, picking their minds in the detailed preparation to write their stories. Billy Moore, Fred Marshall, Bill Montgomery, Joe Ferguson, Kevin Scanlon and Grovey seemed to be on his special list.

“You get to know the quarterbacks in a little bit different way so they stand out,” my father said. “I lived in Fayetteville during Quinn’s time. So I might have spent the most time with him. I saw a lot of his practices and always had a special relationship, but I could say that about the rest of the quarterbacks, too.

“There was always a kind of bond with the quarterbacks. It’s those relationships that make my job special. It’s what makes all the work fun.”

I get that. I recall the early days of Hawgs Illustrated magazine. As they say, I came in with Barry Lunney Jr., detailing his signing class in the first issue in the summer of 1992. Lunney’s up there on my list. More recently, James McCann is one of those you just feel lucky to have gotten to be around.

Barry was engaging. It was clear he was the son of a coach. As a true freshman, he understood the relationship needed by the media from the quarterback’s perspective. Perhaps that came from watching his father handle interviews.

Incidentally, that was also the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Barry’s father. I always looked forward to the chance to make the call when the Razorbacks signed a Fort Smith Southside or Bentonville player.

There are a bunch of other quarterbacks that were fun to get to know, like Tyler Wilson and now Brandon Allen. Most have been patient and willing to give their time to a reporter with sometimes silly questions.

There have been neat relationships formed through time spent with quarterbacks, like with Matt Jones’ father Steve, and Don Wilson, Tyler’s dad. The conversations often ended up about the outdoors. You might talk turkey hunting with Steve, bass fishing with Don.

George Wilson has to be one of my all-time favorite football players. The sharpest dresser among those mentioned here, Wilson might have been the best listener of any that I’ve interviewed. He was good on the field, good off and great to everyone along the way.

I wouldn’t have predicted that Wilson would still be playing in the NFL. He switched from wide receiver to safety and has earned notoriety for his play on special teams. He’s preparing for his 11th season and has 525 career tackles.

Curt Davis was an over achiever if ever there was one. Handed one of the last scholarships in his class, Davis was targeted as a center by Danny Ford. But he came to school with his heart on playing in the defensive line.

I recall many a Thursday practice getting the word from Davis on how the Hogs would play that Saturday. Players don’t do interviews on Thursday, but he’d find me on the way off the field and it might be something as simple as eye contact and a nod to signal the Hogs were ready. He was always on target.

Clay Henry is publisher at Hawgs Illustrated, an NWA Democrat Gazette publication. His email is [email protected].

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