Nolan rollin’ to Hall of Fame
Former Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
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Here’s his bio and credentials courtesy of a news release:
Nolan Richardson
The only coach to win a national junior college title, a postseason NIT crown and the NCAA championship, he led Arkansas to 15 consecutive national postseason tournaments in his 16 seasons at Arkansas. With 13 of those appearances in the NCAA tournament, the former UTEP standout under Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins guided the Razorbacks to three Final Fours, the 1994 NCAA championship, the 1995 championship game, six trips to the Sweet 16 and four to the Elite Eight.
Combined with his five seasons at Tulsa, Richardson, who was the first African-American head basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference, has a record of 508-206, a winning percentage of just more than 71 percent. He has also been recognized for his contributions off the court, including receiving the prestigious Courage Award from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) in 1995. Most recently he has been the head coach of the Mexican Olympic team.
Nate Allen will have a story on Nolan’s upcoming induction in tomorrow’s Times. Here’s what Nolan had to say:
“It’s more about the guys who worked with me and the kids that I coached.”
“It’s been a glorious ride,” Richardson said. “It’s a great honor and I have been blessed.”
Nolan has been in the news quite a bit in recent months. From leading crowds in Hog Calls, to UA athletic director Jeff Long extending an olive branch, to the recent flirtation by the legend and Arkansas State, Richardson has been rollin’.
This is a much deserved enshrinement into the Hall. The Hall class of 2008 is rounded out with Charles Barkley, Billy Packer, Dick Vitale, Danny Manning, Arnie Ferrin and Jim Phelan.
5 Responses to “Nolan rollin’ to Hall of Fame”
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Nolan is going to love it that Billy Packer is being inducted at the same time. I still rtemember that post-game interview after the Arizona game in the 1994 Final Four. Nolan and Packer werent exactly best buds!
Well deserved and well overdue.
I’m not sure how Vitale got in. A Howard Cosell wannabe, its like hands across a chalkboard to put up with his commentary during a game. He was no success at the Univ. of Detroit either.
Congratulations Coach Richardson!!!!! You deserve this honor. Job well done.
congratulations Coach Richardson, it has been long over due i can imagine some of the sports writers are really fuming.