Like it is

Eclectic Hogan lived his passion at UALR

In a restaurant on the 33rd floor of a building in Tokyo, staring at an avalanche of neon, Gary Hogan said quietly that he was thinking about changing careers.

The year was 1984, and we were in Japan covering the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Razorbacks basketball team in an international tournament.

It was a trip that boosted both of our careers, but on that night -- after a week of traveling with the team, coaches, wives and administrators -- we needed a break from the corn soup, served cold and gross three times a day, and the routine.

If memory serves, Hogan was told he was crazy and that he was a good sportscaster. Even at the No. 3 KTHV Channel 11 Hogan had carved a niche in a market owned by Paul Eells and Dave Woodman.

Hogan had driven into Little Rock in a shiny Corvette and immersed himself in the community by doing charity work, and pulling stunts like riding a bull or playing softball while riding a donkey. But Hogan had lived his life for baseball, playing as a youngster through two years in the Chicago Cubs' minor-league system before he went back to school at the University of Miami to graduate.

He did a short stint in Columbus, Ga., before racing into Little Rock in 1977.

He met his wife Heidi in The Rock, had his children (Gary Jr. pitched for the Razorbacks) and never wanted to leave, but he did want to be in baseball.

Just a year after Japan, he was offered the chance to be the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That was 1985 and Curran Conway Field -- which was leased from the city because the city didn't want that dump anymore -- was about to undergo a huge face-lift as Hogan went all over town asking for help to make it top shelf.

He spent 11 years coaching, becoming the school's all-time winningest baseball coach before shifting into administration in 1996.

At the end of June, he's retiring, and on Wednesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park his contributions to UALR and the community will be celebrated with Gary Hogan Night.

On that trip to Tokyo a lot was learned about Hogan. He was always more than a guy who looked good on TV.

He had a dream to own a restaurant. His first shot at that was near the UALR campus, and in the end he escaped with a couple of TVs and a burning desire to do better.

A few years later he met a guy who said he had his grandmother's recipes from Italy, and another partnership was formed and the food was amazing. Within a week, lines were out the door and down the sidewalk to get in.

Our man Eric Harrison went to do one of his famous restaurant reviews, and his story raved about the richness and flavors. A picture of Hogan's partner in front of the restaurant ran with the story.

The next day when the eatery was scheduled to open, a long line had formed but the doors remained locked. They stayed that way.

Hogan's partner was in the witness protection program and had to be moved immediately after his picture ran in the newspaper.

Hogan began a series of trips to Washington, D.C. After months of battles, he got his investment back.

Later he would be part owner of a successful barbecue restaurant. He became a senior boxer and didn't retire until a couple of years ago.

All the while though his labor of love, the UALR Trojans were getting the bulk of his work attention as he raised money for the athletic programs. He worked at games and did whatever necessary to help.

He's earned his night of recognition and his retirement, and in June he will ride out of UALR in a shiny Corvette.

Sports on 04/22/2018

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