Bruce James was told by his high school football coach in Mississippi that he should not play football at the University of Arkansas.
James went against his coach's wishes and became one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the Razorbacks football program.
"I did it," James said. "It was the smartest thing I've ever done in my life. I've never looked back."
James was a first-team Southwest Conference selection at Arkansas and helped the Razorbacks lead the Southwest Conference in total defense in 1970 (267.1 yards per game), rushing defense in 1968 (138.0 ypg) and scoring defense in 1969 (7.6 ypg).
On Monday, James was one of nine inductees in the Razorbacks' 2019 Southwest Conference Hall of Fame class.
Other inductees Monday included former Arkansas athletic director and football coach John Barnhill; Johnny Ray (baseball); Delmonica Dehorney-Hawkins (women's basketball); Paul Donovan (track and field); Scott Hastings (men's basketball); Jon Richardson (football); Glen Rose (football, basketball, baseball); and Lisa Sparks-Walker (track and field).
Texas Sports Hall of Fame President and CEO Cooper Jones appreciated the nine former Razorbacks who entered the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame on Monday.
"You are not just Razorback royalty, you are also Southwest Conference royalty," Jones said.
Hastings reflected on his career at Arkansas in a video message.
"It's an honor to be inducted," Hastings said. "I am sad that the SWC has gone bye-bye.
"When you went there [to schools in Texas], it was us against them. It was a cool, awesome vibe, whether your playing Baylor, Rice, Houston or Texas. They were just big games. The Southwest Conference is ingrained in me, man."
James said he enjoyed being a Razorback, but it was the 1968 season that he enjoyed the most as the Southwest Conference showed its supremacy over the SEC, in which Arkansas is now a member.
"Jan. 1, 1969, we played the undefeated SEC champion Georgia," James said. "We were 18-point underdogs. We beat Georgia 16-2. Later that afternoon in the Cotton Bowl, Texas plays Tennessee. They beat Tennessee 36-13. So, both Southwest Conference teams beat the two best teams in the SEC. I could go home and nobody would talk about the SEC."
The SWC was dissolved in 1996, and its property rights were transferred to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2013, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame was created.
Arkansas was the only non-Texas school to play in the conference. The UA joined the SEC beginning with the 1991-1992 basketball season.
The SWC Hall of Fame is located in Waco, Texas.
Sports on 11/12/2019