LIKE IT IS

Summerall’s humility will not be forgotten

Pat Summerall died on Monday.

Pat Summerall was one of a kind among broadcasters on any level, especially the national one.

He never lost his sense of humor or humility. He was kind and considerate.

Although he was extremely talented, he always acted as if he was just happy to be there.

Last week he told Ray Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, that he was going to attend next month’s celebrity golf tournament, hosted by Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema. He said he thought that would be fun.

Summerall, who died Tuesday, lent his name to the first 11 Hall of Fame golf tournaments, and this weekend Tucker will ask Summerall’s wife, Cheri, for permission to put his name on the tournament permanently.

The Pat Summerall Memorial Golf Tournament will always have a host or two, but the guy who gave so much back and never asked for a thing deserves to be remembered in his adopted state.

Funeral services for Summerall will be at 11 a.m. Central Saturday at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Not everyone was blessed to meet Summerall, a great storyteller and speaker, so for those in Arkansas he was a lot like the late, great Paul Eells. In an era where broadcasters often want to be bigger than the game, coaches and players, Summerall was a unique individual and will be missed by legions.

Pat Summerall was a great American.

It did not come as a surprise that Hunter Mickelson asked to be released from his basketball scholarship at the University of Arkansas, nor was it a shock that his dad, Darien Mickelson, refused to say anything negative about the Razorbacks or the program.

In this case, it simply seems like it wasn’t a good fit.

It wasn’t that the 6-10 Mickelson wouldn’t play defense - he did, and he is a great shot blocker - or that he couldn’t run the floor. He can.

As a matter of fact, Mickelson is a very hard-nosed player, but despite his size he grew up playing facing the basket as much as he did with his back to it.

So after spring break, when he went home and sat down with his parents, rumors started that he was going to transfer.

When those became a reality, his dad simply said: “We’re just very appreciative of the opportunities the University of Arkansas has given him, and he enjoyed the two years he had there. He loved the campus, but as a basketball fit we just think there’s better opportunities out there for him. As the parent, I need to pursue them or I’ll be second-guessing myself all the time.”

A source close to Mickelson’s father said they were examining numerous opportunities but would do nothing until after Mickelson had met with Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, which is the standard way Long works.

So any thought that it was a done deal that Mickelson was going to Arkansas State or anywhere else was wrong although, to be honest, he could do a lot worse than playing for ASU Coach John Brady, who put several players in the NBA when he was at LSU.

Mickelson has the talent and the body to play professionally, and the best thing that will happen for him could be sitting out a year. If he hits the weight room and practices every day, he will be much better wherever he next plays.

UALR’s baseball team pulled off two of the biggest upsets of this season when it swept a doubleheader against No. 10 Oklahoma on Tuesday.

The Trojans won 5-2 and 4-3.

Scott Norwood has done a great job with the Trojans, who are at Troy this weekend. They play at Texas-Arlington next Wednesday before returning home to Gary Hogan Field for four games, including a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Western Kentucky next weekend.

Sports, Pages 19 on 04/18/2013