Nolan Richardson

[claycohog]

I will start off this topic by saying some of you ( I think) will strongly agree with me, while others may strongly disagree.  So here goes.

  In the past year a lot of unsatisfactory happenings have occurred in Razorback nation.  I shouldn't have to explain.  By paying close attention (as the rest of you have) I've come to this conclusion.  I can't find 1 thing NR had a gripe about that isn't true.

  He was definitely held to a different standard than HDN.  Anyone can see this now.  The bottom line is NR stood up to FB and he didn't like it.  I don't think FB is necessarily racist, but it would be over his dead body that a black man have more power than he does.  Frank Broyles was threatened by Nolan Richardson. (not literally)

  As a result of all of this, our basketball program is where it stands now. TERRIBLE!  Which brings me to another point.  Stan Heath can't get the job done.  He needs to go to a big-time program and be the head of recruiting.  His days at Mich. St. were his best, when he was just recruiting.

  Frank Broyles needs to retire NOW.  He does not need to hire our next BB coach. 

  Honestly, I feel like I need to send NR an apology.  Maybe I just have, it seems everyone reads Hogville these days. 

[pfrg999]

 

Honestly, I feel like I need to send NR an apology. Maybe I just have, it seems everyone reads Hogville these days.

No one needs to apologize to him.... he is still making 500K per year... I cannot say what he said at work and not get fired... He created his out fate...I loved Nolan... But we was bigger than the School, the program and the fans...in his mind.,... That was his downfall... he should apologize to US .. not JFB... but the Fans... we loved him... and he was an a$$to us... he didn't need us or anyone else..well you can't always bnit the hand that feeds you...

[hogsanity]

he THOUGHT HE WAS BIGGER THAN THE SCHOOL.  Then he found out he wasn't. 

What you have to ask about Nolan is, if he is so great, why is he still unemployed? 

[claycohog]

Can you blatantly lie as FB did and keep your job?  In my opinion FB thinks he is bigger than the program.  He should be terminated immediately.

[BentonHog]

I agree with certain parts of your post.  Nolan was screwed.  Basketball hasn't been the same since.  HND and Heath are treated better than Nolan was.  I don't think it was that JFB felt threatened by Nolan, but I think he just plain didn't like Nolan because Nolan wasn't a "company man" and always stick to the company lines.  Nolan did want Nolan wanted and didn't care who's toes got stepped on.  Perhaps is was anger that Nolan never got over from his first couple of years he was at Arkansas and the media and fans for the most part were all over him about everything.  There was probably resentment from that and his feeling that JFB didn't cover for him even when he was grieving the death of his daughter.  Nolan had a rough start and Arkansas.  Maybe he never let it go.

[BentonHog]

swine, I think you summed it up nicely.
In the words of Randy Rainwater, "You hit the proverbial head on the nail."

[hogsanity]

Okay we are quoting Randy Rainwater, time to go. 

[Temprees]

he THOUGHT HE WAS BIGGER THAN THE SCHOOL. Then he found out he wasn't.

What you have to ask about Nolan is, if he is so great, why is he still unemployed?

You might want you ask yourself, what has the U of A done in basketball since Nolan left?  Have we beaten any ranked basketball team in the last 4 years.  Apparantly the U of A needs Nolan, just like Nolan needs the U of A.  There it is, a match made in Hogville. 

[hawgbawb]

IMO, part of the problem was a personality conflict.  JFB is a diplomat. Normally the consummate southern gentleman.

Nolan, on the other hand, had a totally different background and upbringing. He was a street fighter. Outspoken. Controversial. He frankly offended some people who didn't like his style.  That is pretty easy to put up with when you are winning, but not so easy when you aren't. There were a number of boosters, particularly the old gentlemenly type, who no doubt despised him.

Conversely, I suspect that some African Americans don't trust "old southern gentlemen," for obvious reasons.

I don't think Frank Brolyles would be considered a racist by many people over 45, but there is a different standard applied to people of JFB's generation. He grew up in the South during an era of segregation. Lots of people in that generation have changed, but they sometimes still harbor feelings that are hard to shake. They might do something insensitive or politically incorrect out of habit, without realizing it.

That personality conflict is not there with HDN, nor I suspect with Heath.

[Temprees]

I don't think JFB is racially motivated at all. I think he is driven by success...which in his world is "W's". I think he wanted NR gone for a number of reasons but the primary one was people were becoming unhappy about the lack of "w's".

If that is the case, then why is Houston Nutt still the head coach at Arkansas after the last two seasons?  Nutt has not had success the last two seasons, and people (fans) have been unhappy about lack of W's in the football program; but JFB has chosen to look the other way.



I don't think NR "standing up" was the main reason he was terminated, though it didn't help Nolan's cause when his success (w's) went south.

It's sad the way NR's career ended. Most of it...if not all...was of his own doing, or not doing. He quit winning. Normally, you get the boot when you quit winning. 

Nutt has quit winning also.  I guess staying while not winning just depends upon who you are. 

[BentonHog]

Beyond a doubt, Nolan and Frank did not like eachother, but personal conflicts should not have led to Nolan losing his job.  If it was a personal thing, then Frank lied about his reasoning for firing Nolan and it only makes the matter worse.

Personal conflicts or not, even as controversial as Nolan was and there were times he was VERY controversial, he still did allot of good for the State of Arkansas that was never reported in the media in other things that just basketball.  He didn't deserve to be run out.

[Shag66]

Hey..  I was ALWAYS a Nolan fan... right up to the end...  He came to Fayetteville from Tulsa in my Sophomore year at the U of A.  That man took SO MUCH CRAP those first few years.  It was an honor watching him grow into a great coach on the sideline.  I did see a change in Nolan after Corliss and Scotty and the gang left though.  Maybe it was the NCAA thing with Sunday and the others, but I don't know.  It really seemed to me that Nolan started to rest on his laurels a bit after that.  He deserved to do that I guess, but it was disheartening.  Mike seemed to be the coach the last few years.  It was sad to me that Nolan chose to make a big fight out of everything and go out the way he did.  He could have retired and been one of the all time heroes in Arkansas history.  As far as Stan goes, maybe he isn't the coach that Nolan was, but he is just now getting to the age and experience that Nolan was when he started winning big.  No one could have came in here and done much better after the debacle that was left for him to deal with.  Stan is a heck of a recruiter.  I don't think anyone can argue that.  I hope he can turn it around.  He seems to be a really class guy and I for one hope that he can make it work.  We need guys like Stan Heath at Arkansas. 

[Buford T. Justice]

The question that needs to be asked is...where would we be if Nolan was still here?  Would we be any better?  My problem with him in the end was he quit recruiting.  He EXPECTED kids to come to him instead of him going after them.  He wanted kids that wanted to play for NOLAN and not necessarily Arkansas.

He was always outspoken.  I was done with him before the "they can pay me my money" thing. After '94 everything was downhill.  We did not show improvement.  Steadily got worse.  Joe Johnson helped him stay around longer.  Those 2 teams would have been horrible without Joe.  See the year after he left.  Same team minus Joe.  Losing season!!

So again I ask...would we be better off if he was still here.  I just don't see it. 

[nwarazfan]

Nolan owes the fans an apology for failure to continue to do his job.

[redsnapper]

When NR said he would bring tanks back on the campus, he lost me forever!

[claycohog]

On another note, Stan Heath is in much more trouble then many of you think.  He had better get his act together quickly.

[Art Vandelet]

Nolan should have acted like a man. If Coach Broyles was mistreating him he should have just moved on. I don't have any empathy for Nolan Richardson. His way of getting back at "the man" was to simply attempt to destroy the program which is selfish and wreckless. This program is bigger than Nolan even if he doesn't think so.

[HogHeathen]

Honestly, I feel like I need to send NR an apology. Maybe I just have, it seems everyone reads Hogville these days.

No one needs to apologize to him.... he is still making 500K per year... I cannot say what he said at work and not get fired... He created his out fate...I loved Nolan... But we was bigger than the School, the program and the fans...in his mind.,... That was his downfall... he should apologize to US .. not JFB... but the Fans... we loved him... and he was an a$$to us... he didn't need us or anyone else..well you can't always bnit the hand that feeds you...

Exactly!

[I'M EMBARRASSED]

I agree to a certain extent with the original poster.  Sad thing is, he public brought race into the picture and that vilified him.  Nolan could have not conformed to Broyles' BS behind closed doors and seen where he got.  Instead, he publicly played the race card and after being fired, was with Farrakhan.  Once he brought that extremist into the picture, his fate was sealed, and I lost the huge amount of respect that I had for him.

[hawgfan_18]

did you guys know Nolan Richardson was on the Texas Western Team in the movie Glory Road.?

[hogsanity]

did you guys know Nolan Richardson was on the Texas Western Team in the movie Glory Road.?

Did you know that, according to DRAKE who rarely speaks without the facts to back it up, that Nolan WAS NOT ON THE TEX WEST CHAMP TEAM. 

[Hog in MO]

When is this topic going to DIE?  Its almost reached the status of the GSD.  Nolan was fired because his team was no longer meeting expectations and he DARED frank to fire him on national TV.  All of the other stuff is semantics.  Sure, there was conflict between JFB and NR - but there was conflict between JFB and almost EVERY coach that has ever coached the Hogs. 

[claycohog]

And thats why FB should be fired.  Anyone that has any success at all, Broyles considers a threat. Example: Holtz, Hatfield, Sutton, etc.

[Shag66]

That is a crock and if you are old enough to remember what really happened then you would know...  I was ON the hill when Eddie crawled and when Kenny left...  there were reasons well beyond Frank...

[GorillaJMonsoon]

..well you can't always bnit the hand that feeds you...

Well said. 

I think Nolan's deal was that he went through a lot of crap growing up and it continued into his adulthood.  We are pretty used to black head coaches now, but when Nolan was hired here, it was a pretty rare thing.  I think that when he had to endure crap (Wally writing darn about him needed to quit when his daughter was dying, Broyles, etc) he always saw it through a racial lens.  What I mean to say is that he probably thought "if I was white, I wouldn't have to put up with this" and so he responded to what he thought was discrimination by getting angry and rebelling against it.  I thought his anger was misplaced a lot, but I don't really know what he had to go through growing up black in the south, or what really happened between he and JFB.  I know everyone always says that Nolan was a racist, but I think he really just hated racism and was trying to rail against it when he thought it was happening to him.  Too bad that he couldn't handle his anger and let it get the best of him.  I would have loved to see him finish out and get the respect that we deserves and have Mike Anderson now instead of Heath.

[hogoh]

Anyone that has any success at all, Broyles considers a threat. Example: Holtz, Hatfield, Sutton, etc.

If Frank is threatened by coaches who succeed, he must be really, really comfortable with Nutt and Heath.

[GorillaJMonsoon]

That's why he's holding on to them like Linus holds his blankie.

[pfrg999]

And thats why FB should be fired. Anyone that has any success at all, Broyles considers a threat. Example: Holtz, Hatfield, Sutton, etc.

Don't throw Eddddie into this... "I would have crawled through broken glass to Kentucky rather than to stay at Arkansas"... F him.... And Holtz wanted out of the SWC and into the Big ten... And Hatfield.... What the Fark has he done since... We gave Hatfield the job the day we Interviewed Jimmy Johnson... remember him... NC and two SB rings... So Hatfield is out also... Sutton, Holtz, Hatfield  all NCAA Violators... Nice try...Nolan punched his own ticket... now he is enjoying the ride... where are all the bid schools and the BNA offers... There are NONE... because they know who and what he is and what he has done....

   Please... JFB has made mistake... so the Frick have you.. like this post... But his are on a much grander scale

[brooks74]

I think Nolan brought it on himself by his comments.  Nolan was a great coach when he was coaching.  After winning in 95 and almost winning in 96 I think Nolan got content and started saying some stupid things (some may have been true, some of it wasn't).  He pretty much asked to be fired and got it.  I can't feel sorry for him b/c he's making more money in a year than i will in 10 for just sitting on his ranch and doing his thing.

[claycohog]

I'm sure a lot of people make more money than you.  They do me.

[100+GM HAWG]

Nolan was completely out of line, and completely stopped recruiting and working after he won the title. The proof is in the facts. Get your bball media guide out and look at the steady declined until the day he said give me my money and i'm out of here.

They did, and he was. Give it a rest already. Has nothing to do with being black. Has everything to do with being a jackass.

I grew up on Hawgball. From Nolans first recruiting class of Cannon Whitby, Philip Mckellar, Anthony Hurd, Ron Huery, Tim Scott, Mario Credit. I love hawgball and everything it stood for. But Nolan was over the line at the end and that is what got him fired. Period.


I agree that Stan Heath is a sissy and can't get his guys to play and he has no fire at all.

As for Frank. He leaves when he get's ready. Not because some morons on a message board want him gone.

[nobballconcept]

loved Nolan and his style of play.  he revamped college basketball and made the game the most exciting sporting event in the 90's.  he put Arkansas as the #1 jersey selling across this country.  kids wanted to play for the hogs b/c the style he implemented. 
i was a hog athlete during the glory days of Day, Mayberry and Miller.  I knew several of the players well and several on the team (no names to be mentioned) said Nolan and son were as backward as he preached society was to him.  Even then, it did not bother me much cause he was winning which shows a lot of problems we have with our priorities.  as his years ended and he became more and more vocal about holding down the black man, he lost me as a fan.  If he could only been smart enough to realize that the success of his teams were saying more than his big mouth at press conferences, he would be legendary both as a coach and a voice for equality in this country.  not to mention we would not be having these conversations about Heath being such a poor coach. too bad!

[GorillaJMonsoon]

If he could only been smart enough to realize that the success of his teams were saying more than his big mouth at press conferences, he would be legendary both as a coach and a voice for equality in this country. not to mention we would not be having these conversations about Heath being such a poor coach. too bad!

You said it best man. Its a damn shame.

[curioushog42]

 

You guys got to remember that nolan is from the old school. You fella's have no idea what nolan went during the sixties. Check out the movie because Nolan was on that team. Back in those days you were less than a man, being a black man. I beleive he have a lot of built up resentment like Bill Russel had toward Boston. It hard to tell a man like him to move on, knowing what went down during that era. I beleive that why he struck out at FB and everyone because he felt threaten and the fact someone shot and killed his horse. I met Nolan several years ago while i was visting Fayettville and like Nutt, he is one of the nice person you every want to meet. Nolan was wrong for saying what he said, but i beleive in due time he will reconcile with FB and the University and especially the fans. You guys remember he talked with Coach Heath about the job at Arkansas and told him to not only take it, but indicated to him that you have some of the most loyal and supportive fans in America. Make no mistake about it, Nolan might had problems with FB and the Unversity, but he really loved the fans.

[GorillaJMonsoon]

Hey,

I still like Nolan.

[rricha]

how we wish for the good old days

[brooks74]

I'm sure a lot of people make more money than you. They do me.

O yea, I am definitely on the low end of the payscale, but that's okay.  There's more to life than money. 

[Cure]

loved Nolan and his style of play. he revamped college basketball and made the game the most exciting sporting event in the 90's. he put Arkansas as the #1 jersey selling across this country. kids wanted to play for the hogs b/c the style he implemented.
i was a hog athlete during the glory days of Day, Mayberry and Miller. I knew several of the players well and several on the team (no names to be mentioned) said Nolan and son were as backward as he preached society was to him. Even then, it did not bother me much cause he was winning which shows a lot of problems we have with our priorities. as his years ended and he became more and more vocal about holding down the black man, he lost me as a fan. If he could only been smart enough to realize that the success of his teams were saying more than his big mouth at press conferences, he would be legendary both as a coach and a voice for equality in this country. not to mention we would not be having these conversations about Heath being such a poor coach. too bad!

Don't Forget he made a cameo in the movie, "The Sixth Man"...with the Hogs being in the NCAA Tourney