Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long is respected, by most, for a myriad of reasons.
In his eight years at Arkansas, he has shown an ability to raise money, build new facilities and make good, solid coaching hires.
The way he handled the Bobby Petrino situation, in light of the John L. Smith interim-coaching experiment falling flat, just added to his reputation of being able to handle adversity and do the right thing.
One of his strengths that he may not get enough credit for is his acknowledgement of Razorbacks history.
He is one of the main forces behind getting Nolan Richardson back in the good graces of fans. Sure, Richardson’s recent mellowing and regret of how his firing and impending lawsuit were handled had something to do with that, but it was Long who extended the olive branch.
When the 15th anniversary of the Hogs winning the national championship came along, he was honored. Then again when the 20th anniversary was celebrated and the Hall of Fame coach was awarded with a banner that hangs in the rafters at Bud Walton Arena.
Long didn’t have to acknowledge Richardson or the 1994 team.
In fact, some athletic directors may have shied away from such celebrations as to not offend some of the old-school Razorbacks boosters, who sided with former athletic director Frank Broyles during the dispute. Long did what he thought was right, and now Richardson sits proudly behind the Arkansas bench rooting on his former Razorbacks aide and Tulsa player, Mike Anderson, who vigorously roams the same sidelines Richardson used to.
Long was also responsible for moving Sidney Moncrief’s retired number banner to Walton Arena. I’m still not sure how the banner was lost or why it was never moved, but Long made sure it found its rightful place.
Those were just some of the ways Long has recognized the Razorbacks' rich athletic tradition.
He gave another classy nod to Razorbacks history this week by announcing a ceremony Feb. 20 to honor former UA coach Eddie Sutton with a banner representing his time at Arkansas from 1974-85.
Sutton resurrected the program from one of the bottom feeders of the old Southwest Conference to a perennial winner. The Hogs were 260-75 during his nine seasons and earned a Final Four berth in 1978 with the famed Triplets – Marvin Delph, Sidney Moncrief and Ron Brewer Sr.
During his time, Barnhill Arena expanded from 5,000 to 9,000 seats and Arkansas beat No. 1 North Carolina in Pine Bluff (wow, that is hard to believe now) in 1984.
Richardson is known as the Godfather of Arkansas hoops, but if it weren’t for Sutton building a solid foundation and a loyal fan base, it is doubtful Richardson would have been able to succeed the way he did.
Like Richardson, Sutton’s tenure was not without controversy and fans still talk about him saying that he would “have crawled to Kentucky” when he left Arkansas to succeed Joe B. Hall with the Wildcats in 1985.
The anger of those comments has subsided over the years and Sutton, following a successful tenure at Oklahoma State, is a welcome visitor at Walton Arena again. Arkansas fans had to grin as they saw Sutton sitting courtside, flanked by former stars Joe Kleine and Darrell Walker, when the Hogs lost to Kentucky last week.
Sutton, 79, didn’t look as sturdy as he did maybe even two years ago when he appeared with President Bill Clinton for his banner-raising ceremony. Still, he was there and obviously enjoying his time with his former players.
Doug Gottlieb and other former OSU players are lobbying for Sutton to be elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. With all of his years of success at different programs, he makes a solid case. While that honor may not happen, Long knows Sutton’s contributions at Arkansas are long overdue to be recognized.
By honoring Sutton, who hasn’t coached at the UA in 30 years, Long is once again showing why he is one of the best collegiate athletic directors. He doesn’t let the pressing matters of fundraising and stadium expansion distract him from doing the right things and giving legendary Hogs their respective due.
Now, if he would only keep UA football games at War Memorial Stadium.
Just kidding, kind of.