FAYETTEVILLE — A statue of Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson will be placed at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek made the announcement at halftime of the Razorbacks’ game against Texas on Wednesday evening. Yurachek said the design process has begun but did not provide a timeline.
Yurachek’s announcement was meet with a loud ovation from the sold-out crowd.
Richardson, 84, was on the court with Yurachek when he made the announcement. Richardson was seated alongside Yurachek during the first half.
“What can I say?” Richardson told the crowd. “A very short thank you for all of the great years and the great memories. I thank my assistant coaches for putting up with me, and thank everyone who had a chance to put up with me.”
Richardson then led the crowd in a Hog Call.
A fan holds a sign that encourages Arkansas leaders to build a statue of former coach Nolan Richardson during a game against Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Fayetteville. (Hank Layton/WholeHogSports)
Richardson won 508 games and the 1994 national championship in 17 seasons as the Razorbacks’ coach from 1985-2002. In addition to the national championship season, Richardson had the 1995 national runner-up and a Final Four team in 1990.
Six of Richardson’s teams won either a regular-season or tournament title in the Southwest Conference and Southeastern Conference, and two others won SEC West titles. Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament 13 times during his tenure and had a 29-12 postseason record.
Richardson was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
The statue will be the fourth high-profile recognition of Richardson’s career at or around the arena. The year after he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, a banner with Richardson’s name was hung from the rafters of the arena.
In 2019, the playing surface at Bud Walton Arena was named “Nolan Richardson Court.” The Fayetteville City Council renamed a street on the south side of the arena as “Nolan Richardson Drive” in 2021.
Richardson will become the third individual associated with the Razorbacks to have a statue placed on campus. A statue of former football coach and athletics director Frank Broyles was dedicated outside Reynolds Razorback Stadium in 2012, and a statue of former men’s track coach John McDonnell was placed outside McDonnell Field in 2014.
The only other statue of an individual on campus is of J. William Fulbright outside the Old Main building. Fulbright was president of the university from 1939-41 and later was a one-term U.S. representative and five-term U.S. senator.
