Nolan Richardson watched with interest as workers installed new video boards inside Walton Arena on Tuesday morning.

The new boards are part of the upgrades Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has initiated since taking over for Frank Broyles almost a year ago. One of the more meaningful changes Long has made, though, is bringing back an old friend in Richardson.

Yes, Richardson is a friend of Razorbacks basketball. Forget all the nastiness that surrounded his departure from Arkansas almost seven years ago. Life's too short to waste any more time or energy reliving that nightmare.

Richardson, of course, is well acquainted with the brevity of life. For a brief, but heart-tugging moment during Tuesday's news conference to announce plans to honor Arkansas' 1994 national championship team, Richardson touched on that subject.

"When I came to this place, the University of Arkansas, I had a little girl," Richardson said, "and she didn't last very long at this place."

ADVERTISEMENT

Richardson was speaking of his daughter Yvonne, who battled - and ultimately succumbed to - cancer during his early days at Arkansas. Those were tough times on the basketball court, too, as Richardson caught flak for everything from his run-and-gun style of play to his penchant for wearing polka dots.

Looking back, it seems safe to suspect Richardson survived those times at least partially by relying on the same advice he gave his teams: "Never let them see you sweat, and pretend that you're tougher than what you are."

Whatever Richardson relied on, it worked. He took 13 Arkansas teams to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 six times and making three Final Four trips that were highlighted by the national title in '94.

Then came the unraveling. The end was a bitter divorce that included Richardson sneaking out of Walton Arena - the place his teams were responsible for building - to avoid reporters after he was fired.

Richardson said those circumstances troubled him even as they were unfolding, and that he talked to his deceased daughter about them.

"To come in one way, and to hide and leave out another way, that was the thing that bothered me the most," Richardson said, "and that's the thing I talked to her about as I moved away from the University of Arkansas."

During moments like those when he spoke of his daughter, it's easier to see Richardson as a mere mortal rather than the Hall of Fame coach who at times could terrorize players, officials, opponents, fans and media members alike. Underneath a sometimes gruff exterior, Richardson feels the same pains and joys we all experience.

The good news for Hogs fans is they'll soon get to experience what promises to be a goosebump-raising reunion. Long overdue, Arkansas will honor Richardson and the national championship team at a game on March 1.

"We've been gone from home a long time," Richardson said.

That time, of course, has allowed many of the wounds that festered in the immediate aftermath of Richardson's departure to heal. Richardson acknowledged as much while also saying the rocky times - no matter how bad they seemed - can never erase the memories of that national championship run.

"You're connected," Richardson said of his players and staff and Arkansas fans everywhere. "You're connected forever."

Richardson is right. Anyone who witnessed Arkansas win that national championship will never forget it.

A few months from now, Arkansas will make sure Richardson and his players haven't been forgotten. They'll walk onto the court and wave at the crowd.

Maybe Richardson will look towards the rafters as he did last week, and maybe he'll see the national championship banners that hang there. What would really be nice is if he saw another new addition, some kind of tribute to the coach who made the building possible in the first place.

A banner of his own would be appropriate. Maybe something in polka dots.