Somewhere, there is a large box full of Southwest Conference sports gear.
Sweatshirts, jackets, shorts and assorted untouched items have been saved for 22 years, for what I am no longer sure, but there must have been a great purpose at one time.
They are in an attic now. Maybe mine, maybe in the attic of my daughter and son-in-law (which means it is past time to be moved), but it is there.
You see, I loved the old Southwest Conference.
It was what I grew up with, and after a few years of covering the Arkansas Razorbacks, you could have blindfolded and dropped me anywhere in any of the cities in Texas where the Southwest Conference was king and within minutes I could have found good Mexican food.
I used to argue long and hard that SWC football and basketball was as good as any in the country.
There certainly were some great football and basketball teams, and some great individual players.
Monday, the Little Rock Touchdown Club and the Texas Hall of Fame honored nine of the all-time great Razorbacks with induction into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.
I had the honor of covering three of the inductees: basketball coach Eddie Sutton, basketball great Sidney Moncrief and Olympic gold medalist Mike Conley, but I knew of them all.
Sutton built the foundation of Razorbacks basketball. He was 260-75 at Arkansas, taking the Razorbacks to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments. He finished his career with an overall record of 804-328, one of eight Division I men's coaches to win more than 800 games.
I first wrote about Moncrief when he was taking Little Rock Hall High to great success and Conley in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Moncrief was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and became a fan favorite, mostly because of the tenacious defense he played every game.
I only knew of Clyde Scott's great feats playing football and running track. He won the silver medal in the 1948 Olympics, and after college he played on two NFL championship teams.
Lance Alworth and Billy Moore helped build the foundation for Frank Broyles' success as the head football coach of the Razorbacks.
Alworth, from Brookhaven, Miss., ended up at Arkansas because Ole Miss didn't accept married students. He was nicknamed "Bambi" because of his speed and agility, and he made multiple All-American teams in football and track and field at Arkansas before embarking on long, successful professional career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also a three-time academic All-American.
Moore was one of the toughest football players, pound for pound, to wear a Razorbacks uniform. He was athletic and fearless as a quarterback. We went to the same church, so he was something of an idol of mine as a youngster. I always looked for him on Sunday mornings, seeing him a few times when he was home visiting his family.
There are tons of theories about Arkansas' stunning 31-6 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl, but it all started with a great offensive line anchored by Leotis Harris, who went on to play six seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Lloyd Phillips won the Outland Trophy, as the nation's best lineman, in 1966 and was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears, but his career was cut short because of circulatory problems in his leg. He went on to impact thousands of lives as a public school administrator in Arkansas.
Melody Sye was a star for the Arkansas women's track and field team and went on to compete in the Olympics.
Those former Razorbacks, long deserving of this honor, attracted a huge crowd to the Little Rock Marriott on Monday, and it was a bit of stroll down memory lane for yours truly.
Sports on 11/11/2014