FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball will honor its most iconic coach with a permanent fixture outside of Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks unveiled plans for a statue of Nolan Richardson during halftime of their game against Texas on Wednesday, March 4. Richardson led Arkansas to three Final Fours and, in 1994, the Hogs won their only national championship.
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Richardson played basketball at NJCAA member Eastern Arizona Junior College for one season before transferring to Texas Western College. After Western, he retired from playing and entered the coaching ranks.
Richardson earned his first college coaching job at Western Texas, where he posted a record of 101-13 in three seasons. In his final season, Richardson led the Westerners to the 1980 NJCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with a 37-0 record.
He left for the University of Tulsa in 1981 and became the first African-American coach to win the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship. After five years with the Golden Hurricane, Richardson came to Fayetteville.
Richardson led the team to 15 postseason appearances in 17 years. Richardson’s career garnered numerous accolades, including NABC Coach of the Year, Naismith College Coach of the Year, two-time MVC Coach of the Year, three-time SWC Coach of the Year, SEC Coach of the Year, and the USBWA Most Courageous Award.
He is a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted as part of the 2008 and 2014 classes, respectively.
