It didn’t matter where you went to school.
Golden Lions, Boll Weevils, Bears, Muleriders, Razorbacks or any other school that has sports and a mascot were all the same.
There’s no difference between All-Americans and walk-ons when the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame throws its annual reunion in the form of a golf tournament.
Needless to say, it is competitive.
You can’t put that many former athletes and coaches together and there not be competition.
The truth is, only the winner will remember they won and all will have had fun.
Chenal Country Club rolled out the red carpet for the 40 teams, plus a celebrity who is usually a ASHOF inductee or on the bullet train headed there.
This year’s presenting sponsor, secured by President Rodney Peel, was Fence Builders owned by Chris Walker who is adding a factory in Benton to help with the demand for timber.
It was hot and sunny all day, and fun was all over the place.
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Speaking of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Lois Manor has decided that is the perfect place for her husband’s memorial service at 1 p.m. this Saturday.
Brison Manor, a ASHOF inductee, played for the Arkansas Razorbacks and spent eight seasons in the NFL before making Little Rock his home where he made legions of friends.
Manor died last week after a courageous battle with cancer. Lois and family were at his side every step of the way.
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The Razorback Foundation Board of Directors announced Ryan White was named the new executive director of the Razorback Foundation last week.
White replaces Scott Varady, who became vice chancellor of the University of Arkansas advancement last March.
White was selected after a nationwide search was conducted by the board of directors earlier this year. He will head the nonprofit fundraising organization that supports the Arkansas Athletics Department.
White previously served as senior associate athletes director for development at the University of Kansas.
“Ryan brings decades of experience that will be crucial to the mission of the Razorback Foundation,” added Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek. “He understands what it takes to be successful at a major program and I’m confident in his abilities to provide valuable support to our organization. Ryan and I worked together previously at the University of Virginia. I was impressed with his fundraising abilities then and look forward to working with him again here at Arkansas.”
White will begin his role at the Razorback Foundation on July 10.
White has a great staff and some big shoes to fill as Varady started at the UA in 2001 as an attorney and then held several positions until he took over the Foundation.
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Dick Vitale, the Hall of Fame voice of ESPN’s college basketball coverage and nice guy, tweeted last week that he’ll be sidelined for about two months following a pair of surgeries on his vocal cords.
Vitale added he does expect to return for his 45th season on ESPN broadcasts later this year.
In a series of posts on Twitter, the 84-year-old Vitale said “past issues on my vocal cords have returned.” He said he’s currently on “voice rest” ahead of the first procedure July 11, after which he’ll be on “on total voice rest for 6-8 weeks” while recovering.
Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. He called ESPN’s first college basketball broadcast.
In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he had multiple surgeries to remove melanoma.