When the final seconds ticked off the clock of his remarkable and consequential life, a look at the scoreboard confirmed for all that Frank Broyles had won big in the biggest game of all--the game of life. He epitomized what it means to be a difference-maker for others.
Now gone but never to be forgotten, Coach Broyles made us better, not only in sports but in many other meaningful ways. What he methodically built as a football coach and athletic director was far bigger than himself and will endure, a lasting testament to the profound impact his life's work had on our university and state. More than anyone, Broyles is the reason the Razorbacks are in our bloodstream and why children in Arkansas learn at an early age how to Call the Hogs.
For me and other kids who grew up in Arkansas in the 1960's, Coach Broyles seemed larger-than-life and we recognized those older than us considered him to be the most important public figure in Arkansas. In only a few years as head football coach, he'd made it cool and fun to be a Razorback fan. Moreover, he made people feel good about themselves and to believe in and be proud of Arkansas, something our state sorely needed in the wake of what had happened at Little Rock Central in 1957.
It matters a lot that Arkansas is where Broyles wanted to be. He chose our state as the place to make a living and a life for himself and his family. He bloomed after planting himself in our state and loved it so much he never left. How many people outside our state in the late 1950's saw the potential in Arkansas like Broyles did? How many others back then believed their dream job was in Arkansas? Broyles did and he arrived bearing the gift of hope, with a brilliant plan for success and a clear vision for the future. One of his finest legacies is that he taught us from the very beginning that our small state could compete in any endeavor with anyone else in the country.
When I heard Coach Broyles had passed away, I instantly thought of my father, remembering he had marveled at how Broyles had been able to unite people from all walks of life throughout Arkansas in a common cause and how he had made the Razorbacks so important to our state and to our identity. And I remembered what it meant to my father when Coach Broyles came to see him for a lengthy visit near the end of my dad's life and then returned the day after my father's death to comfort and encourage our family. I'll always remember the games and championships Broyles won as the Razorbacks football coach and what his superb and visionary leadership as athletic director did to make men's and women's sports at the University of Arkansas nationally competitive, but it was the genuine caring he showed for my father and our family 11 years ago that will stick with me the most.
Broyles' influence extended far beyond our borders. For 60 years, he was a tireless and effective goodwill ambassador for our state and university, always representing Arkansas so beautifully throughout America and casting our state in its highest and best light.
Lending his voice and good name to numerous important causes and organizations over the years, Broyles saved the best for last. As a coach, he preached to his players that football games were won in the fourth quarter and Broyles fulfilled that belief in his own life by finishing strong down the stretch. In 2006, he and his family launched the Frank and Barbara Broyles Foundation to provide guidance, education, training and support to Alzheimer's caregivers. The foundation created "The Playbook for Alzheimer's Caregivers", by far the most important playbook Coach Broyles ever helped author. It has proven to be enormously helpful worldwide to untold numbers of Alzheimer's patients and their families and caregivers, something Broyles will be fondly remembered for in all the years to come.
Coach Broyles knew what he believed in and he lived it each day. His passion for life, for the Razorbacks and for all that mattered to him rubbed off on us, capturing our hearts and minds and inspiring us. The goals he met and all that he accomplished through the years lifted us up, leaving an indelible mark and a solid foundation for the future. All that he achieved has left us much better off than we were when he first found us. He unconditionally loved and embraced Arkansas, nourishing our state and our lives in countless ways.
We were lucky to have had a man like Frank Broyles walk among us for so many years.
Commentary on 08/17/2017