Crowd celebrates Van Horn's Hall of Fame achievement

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn speaks Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, during a ceremony to induct Van Horn into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in the Fayetteville Town Center.

FAYETTEVILLE — Dave Van Horn was the toast of Fayetteville Town Center on Friday night.

Wearing a black suit and red tie, Van Horn looked and sounded different than his persona of a baseball coach with a quiet, poker-faced demeanor.

In a 52-minute speech, Van Horn smiled, told jokes and thanked dozens of people who helped him make it to Friday night’s Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet - from former University of Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles to the Baum Stadium grounds crew.

His speech included a pre-recorded, eight-and-a-half-minute video in which he doled out his most heartfelt thank yous to his wife, Karen, and adult daughters, Hollan and Mariel.

“There’s no way I could have said that without crying,” Van Horn said after the video. “…I get a little emotional when I’m talking about my family.”

He actually had been voted into the 2017 class but could not match his schedule up to the grand, formal induction ceremony in Little Rock.

Van Horn tailored much of his speech to his time in Arkansas. He played for the Razorbacks in 1982 and was the Southwest Conference newcomer of the year as the team’s starting second baseman.

“All I ever wanted to be was a Razorback,” said Van Horn, who grew up in Grandview, Mo., near Kansas City.

Van Horn finally got his chance after two years of playing at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. But it didn’t come without some hiccups during the recruiting process.

He said former coach Norm DeBriyn wrote him a letter addressed simply to “Van.” And his first time to meet with DeBriyn was at a Waco McDonald’s during the Razorbacks’ bus ride to the Southwest Conference Tournament.

“It’s only by the grace of God that Dave is a Razorback,” DeBriyn said. “I tried to screw up that recruiting as good as you could, and I almost did.”

In speeches, DeBriyn and former Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn both credited Van Horn with the Razorbacks’ success during his time as a graduate assistant coach from 1985-88, which included two trips to the College World Series. DeBriyn said Van Horn made a defensive alignment decision that helped the Razorbacks win their regional in 1985.

“I knew how good he was,” said Jorn, who was a groomsman in Van Horn’s wedding in 1987 and worked with him for 18 seasons until his 2016 retirement as the team’s pitching coach. “Our program benefitted from him.”

Van Horn returned to Arkansas in June 2002 after leading Nebraska to three Big 12 championships and two College World Series in five seasons. He recalled being interviewed by Broyles that summer.

“I will never forget the look on Frank’s face when he was interviewing me,” Van Horn said. “We were overlooking the stadium and I told him, ‘We need to put some more seats in this stadium.’ He said, ‘Why? We have 3,300 chair-back seats and we only average 1,800 a game.’ I just turned to him and said, ‘Coach, we’re going to need them.’”

Van Horn has won 643 games, an SEC championship, at least a share of four division titles and been to five College World Series at Arkansas. Last season the Razorbacks finished national runner-up and this year the team has distributed more than 6,700 season tickets.

“That’s nine College World Series,” Jorn said, counting Van Horn’s time as an assistant and head coach. “It’s not easy to get to the College World Series.”

Instead of basking in his first-of-its-kind induction ceremony, Van Horn, 58, made his speech mostly about the coaches and players whose paths he has crossed during a 30-year head coaching career that has included time at the Division II and junior college levels.

“I think any successful person, whatever you’re doing, you know you’re not going to get it done unless you have a lot of really good people around you,” Van Horn said. “I know I’ve been really fortunate with that.”

Carson Shaddy, an All-Southeastern Conference second baseman last season, delivered perhaps the biggest compliment of the night.

“The guy is consistent, he changes lives and he teaches boys how to be men,” Shaddy said. “…He’s a true icon of the baseball world, an unbelievable coach and an even better human being.”