FAYETTEVILLE -- Being a great athlete, we know too well from some of this year's NFL, doesn't necessarily make one a great person.
That's why the University of Arkansas is so fortunate to honor its two greatest basketball players among its greatest representatives.
Corliss Williamson, who will be honored tonight at halftime of Arkansas' game against Missouri with a permanent banner bearing his name hung in Walton Arena, and Sidney Moncrief, honored with a permanent banner at Walton during Arkansas' last home game, both brought honor to Arkansas off the court during their Razorbacks tenures as they did on it.
Both native sons became so treasured in Arkansas that they didn't require last names for identification.
Sidney and Corliss always sufficed, so it will in this space.
Sidney, who played at Little Rock Hall, lettered for Eddie Sutton's Razorbacks from 1976-1979. He and fellow "Triplets" Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph led Arkansas to Southwest Conference championships and the 1978 Final Four. The Hogs' lone senior in 1979, he led Arkansas to the Elite Eight and an epic down-to-the-wire battle with Larry Bird and Indiana State.
Off the court Sidney conducted himself so impeccably during his UA tenure that none until Corliss rivaled him as an Arkansas icon.
Emerging from Russellville, Corliss lettered from 1992-1993 through 1994-1995 for Nolan Richardson's Razorbacks.
In Corliss' three seasons, Arkansas achieved a Sweet 16, its lone national championship (with Corliss the MVP), and a lone national runner-up.
A most powerful power forward who could run the floor with gazelle speed, Corliss' presence netted him the nickname "Big Nasty." But there was nothing "Nasty" about how Corliss represented Arkansas.
A big smile and always saying and doing the right thing marked his Razorbacks tenure. Like Sidney before him, Corliss melted racial barriers. All Arkansas adored him.
Playing in two national championship games, Corliss had a spotlight upon him that even Sidney didn't.
He handled it beautifully, especially before Arkansas defeated Duke for the 1994 national championship.
That was before Twitter, but national media proved loaded with twits.
"The smart team will win and the smart team is Duke" was a smugly common national media refrain.
Certainly national champion Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewksi is a smart man and Duke is a renowned private school, but the "smart team is Duke" supposition implied disrespect for Richardson, Arkansas' black head coach since inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, and his team. It also implied disrespect to Arkansas, a state that national media parodied often.
As a black Arkansan, Corliss had cause for outrage during news conferences. Instead he educated with charm.
"If you have a smart, little guy and a big, tough guy and they are in a fight," Corliss said, smiling, "who do you think is going to win?"
A charmed national media immediately knew Arkansas' best player was a smart one, too.
Russellville waxed so proud of its native son that for a day it changed its name to "Corlissville," which also served as the dateline for Bob Holt's story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporting the event.
Tonight, Corlissville again moves north to Walton.
Sports on 02/18/2015