ORLANDO, Fla. — Arkansas’ big showing at the ESPN College Football Awards show on Thursday night had Frank Broyles beaming.

The architect behind the modern-day Arkansas athletic program, and the man who spent 50 years keeping Arkansas football on the national map, Broyles was in Orlando to receive the National Contributions to College Football Award.

Broyles was ecstatic that his honor came on a night when Razorbacks like Darren McFadden, Jonathan Luigs and Felix Jones were pulling down national awards.

“It’s all just so exciting, you don’t know how to take it all in,” Broyles said. “You think, this couldn’t be us, but it is. It’s the Razorback passion, the Razorback spirit that helped these players become part of our program and inspired them to continue to be motivated and improve all the time.

“ That’s the thing, like Darren said last year, his mother said he was born to be a Razorback. I just think it’s a great privilege for Arkansas to be so represented with the awards here tonight.” Broyles learned his most valuable lessons as a 20-something football player and assistant coach at Georgia Tech.

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“I learned them from Bobby Dodd, who was my mentor at Georgia Tech,” Broyles said. “He taught me the values of being a coach, having integrity, educating, making sure your players graduate, helping them find jobs.” Broyles was introduced by one of his former players, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“Well, one of his mantras when I was in school was ‘They remember what you do in November,’” Jones said. “When I think of his career and what it means to the University of Arkansas, he won 48 games and lost four in November. That’s the equivalent of the fourth quarter. What has been an inspiration to me is how he’s played the fourth quarter of life and what he’s done in his November.

“ He’s an inspiration... because since he’s been 65 years old, his energy has created a quarter of a billion dollars in improvement to the University of Arkansas athletic department.

“ He showed all of us what he used to tell us on the football field.” Broyles said he was happy that the honor he received focused on long-term contributions.

“It’s a tribute for contribution, and I hope that I’ve made a contribution to college athletics and college football in particular,” Broyles said. “It was my goal.” Thursday’s winners MAXWELL AWARD Best all-around player Tim Tebow, Florida, QB CHUCK BEDNARIK TROPHY Best defensive player Dan Connor, Penn State, LB OUTLAND TROPHY Best interior lineman Glenn Dorsey, LSU, DT DAVEY O’BRIEN AWARD Top quarterback Tim Tebow, Florida DOAK WALKER AWARD Best running back Darren McFadden, Arkansas FRED BILETNIKOFF AWARD Best wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech JIM THORPE AWARD Best defensive back Antoine Cason, Arizona LOU GROZA COLLEGIATE Place-kicker award Thomas Weber, Arizona State RAY GUY AWARD Best punter Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech THE HOME DEPOT COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD Mark Mangino, Kansas