This is a big day for Arkansas sports.
The Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame selection committee meets to pick the candidates to be voted on by our membership.
It is an interesting meeting to say the least.
Having been on the board of directors since 1988, it is easy to say that this is one of the most entertaining days of the year, second only to the meeting when we vote.
Way back when yours truly was asked to be on the board by the late, great Buddy Coleman, who was president at the time, things were much different than now.
The Hall of Fame had no museum, no full-time executive director and put on one event a year, the induction banquet. That was one of the toughest tickets to get in town partly because Joe Garagiola was the master of ceremonies.
Today, we have a museum, Terri Johnson is our executive director, and we also host a golf tournament and a Hall of Fame Day at Oaklawn Park.
We give six college scholarships.
It was then, as it is now, the greatest sporting honor in Arkansas to be in the Hall of Fame, and back then, the board of trustees would take the top 15 vote getters by the membership and the board would then, after a lot of debate, choose the next class.
When Mike McGibbony was president in 1997, and after sitting through a board meeting in which three guys slept quite soundly (it wasn't a voting event), yours truly tried to resign.
McGibbony said give him a chance. He wanted to get young blood on the board and make changes.
In his four years he made many, including getting our first executive director, Ray Tucker, hired.
Tucker set out to tweak the thinking of the board and had success.
It was never just another Razorback Club, but it was close. Now every college in Arkansas has a voice on the board.
Generally, more Razorbacks are inducted, but the University of Arkansas plays on the highest level of competition.
Today, the membership votes make the two with the most votes automatic if they fit all the criteria, and then there is one from the senior/posthumous list.
The hall of fame has never had a bad president, but our world was changing when McGibbony became president, and every person serving in that position has continued to move the organization forward.
The organization has a strong-minded board and the selection committee answers to that board, but today will begin the process for the next class.
To be honest, the master and senior list is full of men and women who deserve to be in the hall of fame.
Sad, but true, there are some who with every passing day become more of a long shot to be inducted, many because they played so long ago, and they moved out of state and have had little to remind voters of their deeds.
Some of those nominated didn't play college ball in Arkansas, and despite great pro careers can't garner enough membership support to make them an inductee.
Mostly, though, this will be another quality class that deserves the honor.
At 11 a.m. today, 17 people will convene to decide who goes on that all-important voting list that will be mailed out in a couple of months.
As the chairman of this committee, and let it be known here and now that I'm resigning from the position after this meeting, some passionate debate is expected.
Corey Beck, Johnny Ray, Jeff King, Shekinna Stricklen and Kevin Kelley have been close and seem natural to remain on the list.
Some who get few votes may be removed from the voting list.
It is a process that begins today, some in person, some by Zoom and will take some time, but when the dust settles, the board of directors will have a heck of list to look at next month.