Frank Broyles’ footprints tread through every step of the University of Arkansas’ Sports Hall of Honor ceremonies Friday night at the Embassy Suites in Rogers.

All nine inductees either played or coached for Broyles during his 1958-76 era as the Razorbacks’ head football coach, or played at the UA during Broyles’ 1973-2007 tenure as the Razorbacks’ director of athletics.

A charter member of the UA’s original Hall of Honor class, Broyles, now the athletics director emeritus, on Friday night receives the Hall of Honor’s Distinguished Service Award.

Friday’s nine inductees sport five from football with the late Steed White, a Razorback letterman under John Barnhill in 1946 and ‘ 47 and a Razorback assistant coach for Jack Mitchell in 1957 and Broyles from 1961-63, Tommy Brasher, an El Dorado native and Razorback middle guard from 1961-63 and then a longtime NFL coach, George McKinney, a Razorback quarterback from 1959-61 and senior captain in ‘ 61, Newport native Rodney Brand, a center from 1967-69 and senior team captain and All-American in ‘ 69, and Bruce James, a defensive end from 1968-70 and an All-American in ‘ 70.

Inducted from basketball is Darrell Walker, a guard under Eddie Sutton from 1981-83 and an All-American in ‘ 83.

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From baseball comes Ryan Lundquist of Fort Smith, a first baseman from 1996-99 under Norm DeBriyn and still the holder of nine school records including his 24 home runs in a season. From men’s track comes Daniel Lincoln, a four-time NCAA champion and seven-time SEC champion under now retired coach John McDonnell with three steeplechase NCAA championships and a co-championship, he was officially credited with the victory, when he and teammate Alistair Cragg crossed the finish line with hands clasped as they annihilated the field in the 2003 NCAA Outdoor 10, 000 meters.

Inducted from the women’s program is Lady Razorback heptathlete Gigi Miller Johnson. She was Gigi Miller when she won the SEC heptathlon outdoors in 2000 and won the NCAA Indoor triple jump in 2001 for coach Lance Harter’s Lady Razorbacks.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is the guest speaker for the program which begins with a 6 p. m. social hour and banquet at 7 p. m. Tickets can be obtained by calling 479-443-9000. Change for the better Change sometimes may seem too much too fast since the Jan. 1 passing of the AD torch from Broyles to Jeff Long, but credit the new regime with one definite change for the better. The logo for the men’s and women’s programs, now combined, is the classic Hog adorning the football helmets, it was announced earlier this week. Previously, the Lady Razorbacks had their own logo that did not include a Hog, and recently the men’s logo had the Hog with Razorbacks spelled out in front of it. No need to spell out Razorbacks in front of the Hog. The nationally unique emblem speaks for itself.

New digs on site Another Long move initially well received since combining the men’s and women’s programs is moving men’s track coach Chris Buckman and his staff from Walton Arena and women’s coach Lance Harter and his staff from Barnhill Arena to offices at the John McDonnell Field outdoor track. That frees the men’s track offices for women’s basketball coach Tom Collen and his staff eventually to move from the Bev Lewis Center to Walton Arena, where the men’s basketball staff, now in Year Two under John Pelphrey, has been ensconced since the late Bud Walton put up money to build it for Nolan Richardson’s Razorbacks in 1994. Obviously there are advantages for coaches to have their offices and team locker rooms right in the facility where their events are played. However there is a double edge to that sword. Scattering sports offices can scatter loyalties and priorities. The Broyles Center appar ently is soon to become all football and senior athletic administration. Baseball under Dave Van Horn has been entirely housed at Baum Stadium. Men’s and women’s golf aren’t even in Fayetteville with their offices at The Blessing golf course. Long and his staff face a monumental communications task to avoid fiefdoms and make their program not just combined but unified. Nate Allen covers the Razorbacks for the Northwest Arkansas Times.