HOT SPRINGS — The basketball court at Bud Walton Arena will now be named after the only coach to lead the Razorbacks men's basketball team to a national championship.
The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees on Thursday approved without dissent naming the basketball court Nolan Richardson Court. The vote came nearly 25 years to the day after Richardson led the Razorbacks to an NCAA Championship, beating Duke 76-72 on April 4, 1994.
A date for the ceremony has not been set, but is expected to occur during the 2019-20 season.
Trustee John Goodson said the honor was "long overdue."
Trustees also approved without dissent a resolution to honor former Coach Eddie Sutton in a manner to be determined later.
University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz said ideas for Sutton include a statue or a display in the planned hall of honor at Bud Walton Arena.
Steinmetz said trustees and fans had urged him and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek to honor Sutton after the two started discussing honoring Richardson.
Sutton coached Arkansas for 11 seasons from 1975-85 and led the Razorbacks to nine NCAA Tournaments and the 1978 Final Four.
After Sutton left for the Kentucky job, Arkansas hired Richardson, who won a school-record 389 games in 17 seasons.
In addition to the 1994 championship, Richardson led the Razorbacks to a national runner-up finish in 1995 and the Final Four in 1990.
Richardson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - the sport's highest honor - in 2014. Sutton is a finalist to be inducted this year. The 2019 class will be announced at the Final Four in Minneapolis next week.
During a seven-season span from 1989-96, Richardson won 195 games, the most of any coach in college basketball during an era that included greats such as Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Dean Smith at North Carolina, Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Roy Williams at Kansas.
He led Arkansas to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and won 29 games in the NCAA postseason. He also won the SEC Tournament in 2000 and three consecutive Southwest Conference tournaments from 1988-90.
The Razorbacks won five regular-season conference championships under Richardson. His teams included three Associated Press All-Americans and eight NBA Draft picks, including five first rounders.
Despite leading Arkansas to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the previous 14 seasons, Richardson was fired before the final game of the disappointing 2002 regular season. Asked about his job security following a game against Kentucky, Richardson said, “If they go ahead and pay me my money, they can take my job tomorrow.”
During a news conference two days later in Fayetteville, Richardson alleged he was treated differently than other Arkansas coaches because he was black. He was fired following the Razorbacks’ next game, a loss at Mississippi State.
In 2004, Richardson sued the University of Arkansas, multiple university leaders and the Razorback Foundation for wrongful termination, alleging discrimination in federal court. His lawsuit was dismissed and the decision was upheld on appeal.
The sides have reconciled in recent years, beginning in 2009 when Richardson and his 1994 team were recognized at halftime of a home basketball game. In 2011, Arkansas hired Mike Anderson, a long-time Richardson assistant and protege, as the program's head coach.
Anderson was fired Tuesday after recording a 169-102 record in eight seasons. On Wednesday, Richardson said he was not angry that the university decided to make the move.
"I was more sad than anything," Richardson told the Arkansas-Democrat-Gazette. "Was I disappointed? Yeah. But was I surprised? No. That's just the nature of the beast."
Prior to Arkansas, Richardson was head coach at Tulsa. He finished his 22-year Division I career with a 508-206 record and seven regular-season conference championships.