This week in Razorback history

Arkansas chancellor Dan Ferritor, SEC commissioner Roy Kramer and Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles listen during a University of Arkansas Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 1, 1990, at which the Razorbacks were invited to join the SEC.

July 27

2019

Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi, the Golden Spikes Award winner as national player of the year as a Razorback in 2015, had three hits, including a home run, and scored three runs as the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 9-5 at Fenway Park.

2011

North Carolina fired football Coach Butch Davis, who played at Arkansas, amid an NCAA investigation into improper benefits and academic misconduct.

Davis, a Springdale native, returned to coaching at Florida International in 2017. He has a 23-16 record in three seasons at FIU with three bowl appearances.

2010

Former Razorback Cliff Lee (Benton) didn’t allow an earned run in nine innings and had 13 strikeouts for the Texas Rangers, but he got a no-decision in their 3-1 victory over Oakland in 10 innings.

Oakland’s lone run was unearned after an error by second baseman Ian Kinsler in the sixth inning.

July 28

2009

Ace left-hander Cliff Lee, a former Razorback and the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner, was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“One of our goals has been to add someone to our rotation that can be a difference-maker,” then-Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “It’s important to show our guys on the field that we’re making the best effort to put the best team out there.”

Philadelphia sent pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, infielder Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson. Lee helped the defending World Series champion Phillies win the National League pennant.

2007

Larry Shank, the public address announcer for Arkansas baseball games from 1990 through 2007, died at 56 at his home in Springdale after a battle with cancer.

Shank became a fan favorite with his enthusiastic greeting — “Hello, sports fans, 75 baseball degrees!” or whatever the temperature was at game time — to singing the national anthem to his rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch, which was always followed by Shank’s signature tagline, “This is baseball!”

Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn, who coached at Nebraska before returning to Fayetteville to coach his alma mater in 2003, said Shank was a big part of the home game experience.

“I thought we had it going pretty good at Nebraska … but Larry blew them all away, from announcing the lineup on the field to singing the national anthem to his P.A. voice,” Van Horn said. “For everyone who has ever been to Baum Stadium, it’s a great loss.”

July 29

2008

Ex-Razorback Eric Hinske, playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, hit his 100th career home run against former teammate and future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.

Hinske’s solo shot against Halladay, the Toronto Blue Jays ace, sparked a 3-0 victory for the Rays.

2006

All-SEC running back Darren McFadden underwent surgery to repair a dislocated big left toe after being involved in a fight outside of a Little Rock nightclub.

The injury made McFadden doubtful for the season opener against USC, but the sophomore from Little Rock made a remarkable recovery and helped lead Arkansas to a 10-4 record and the SEC West title.

McFadden played in every game, won the Doak Award as the nation’s top running back and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith.

McFadden rushed for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore and caught 11 passes for 149 yards and 1 TD. He also played quarterback out of the Wildcat formation and completed 7 of 9 passes for 69 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown.

“At some point I got so down on myself I didn’t even know if I’d be able to play,” McFadden said after winning the Doak Walker Award. “People were telling me different things like I might as well just redshirt and wait until next year to come back.

“I didn’t know what to think going into the season, but I didn’t really believe what has happened would be possible.”

McFadden said showing he could come back from such a serious injury was a great motivating factor.

“A lot of people doubted how I’d be able to play this season, so I felt I had something to prove,” McFadden said. “I feel blessed with the way things have turned out.”

McFadden repeated as the Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up as a junior, when he rushed for 1,830 yards. He declared for the 2007 NFL Draft and was the No. 4 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. He played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

In 2019, McFadden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

1978

Razorback great Lance Alworth, recently selected by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as the No. 1 pro football player from the University of Arkansas, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

A native of Brookhaven, Miss., Alworth signed with the Razorbacks because home state Ole Miss had a policy against providing scholarships to married players.

Alworth, an All-America back for the Razorbacks in 1961, was a first-round draft pick by both the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and the fledgling AFL’s Oakland Raiders, who quickly traded his rights to the San Diego Chargers.

Alworth negotiated his own deal with the Chargers, earned seven AFL all-league honors and won a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys in 1971.

Nicknamed “Bambi” due to his speed and grace, Alworth became the first player who spent the majority of his career in the AFL to be inducted into the hall.

July 30

2019

Drew Smyly pitched seven shutout innings in the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Smyly, a former Little Rock Central and Arkansas star, now pitches for the Giants.

2009

Arkansas running back Broderick Green’s request for immediate eligibility after his transfer from USC was granted by the NCAA.

“I went crazy,” said Green, a former Parade All-American out of Little Rock’s Pulaski Academy. “I was waiting all this time and I didn’t know what they were thinking.”

Normally, an athlete transferring from one Football Bowl Subdivision school to another must spend a year in residency before gaining his eligibility. But Green’s waiver request to the NCAA indicated his desire to move closer to his maternal grandmother, Shirley Nellums of England, who had been ill.

“The fact I’m home and have been talking to her, that’s exciting for me to be able to go back home whenever I want,” Green said. “I’m excited right now.”

Green played three seasons at Arkansas and had 276 carries for 1,067 yards and 15 receptions for 156 yards. His most memorable play was a 99-yard touchdown run against Eastern Michigan in 2009.

July 31

2012

Jordyn Wieber, now the head coach at Arkansas, was a member of the United States women’s gymnastics team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. It was the first Olympic title for the U.S. women since 1996.

“The feeling is incredible,” Wieber said. “To have this gold medal around your neck, it’s really an indescribable feeling.”

The U.S. women’s team score of 183.596 was five points better than second-place Russia.

2012

Harold Horton retired at 72 from his job as executive director of the Razorback Foundation. Horton also served Arkansas as a football player, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in his career.

“He may have been in administration for 22 years, but he’s a coach,” said Tim Horton, Arkansas running backs coach and Harold’s son. “Not very often do you get to go out on your terms, so for him to do that is great.”

2006

Long-time Razorbacks announcer Paul Eells died in a two-car crash on Interstate 40 near Russellville.

Eells, 70, had called Arkansas football games for 28 years. He was driving from Fayetteville to his home in Maumelle when his car crossed the median and struck a car driven by Billie Jo Burton of Dover, who also died in the crash.

Aug. 1

2015

Daniel Gafford, a 6-10 forward from El Dorado, committed to Arkansas as a high school junior.

Gafford chose Arkansas over scholarship offers from Florida, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Virginia Tech and several others. He received an offer from Arkansas after an outstanding showing at Nike EYBL Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga., while playing for the 16-under Arkansas Wings.

Gafford was a first-team All-SEC pick as a sophomore when he averaged 16.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots. He left the team before the 2019 NIT to focus on preparing for the NBA draft and was a second-round pick by the Chicago Bulls.

As a NBA rookie in 2019-20, Gafford averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds for the Bulls.

2011

All-SEC guard Rotnei Clarke told CBSSports.com he would transfer from Arkansas to Butler for his senior season.

Clark scored 1,306 points at Arkansas, including a school record 51 against Alcorn State as a sophomore in the 2009-10 season opener when he hit 13 of 17 three-pointers.

Clarke, who averaged 14.2 points in his three seasons with the Razorbacks, redshirted at Butler in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, then averaged 16.9 points and helped the Bulldogs to a 27-9 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

2010

The Arkansas Wings 17-under boys team, including future Razorbacks Ky Madden and Hunter Mickelson, won the AAU Division I national tournament with a 48-46 victory over the South Carolina Ravens in Orlando, Fla.

2003

The Razorbacks’ relay teams were announced as the best in the country for the men’s 2003 season by Track and Field News.

1990

The University of Arkansas board of trustees, acting on the recommendation of long-time athletic director Frank Broyles, approved a measure to move to the Southeastern Conference.

The Razorbacks, a charter member of the Southwest Conference in 1915, began playing in the SEC, along with South Carolina, during the 1992 football season.

Aug. 2

2016

Former SEC Player of the Year Andrew Benintendi made his debut with the Red Sox at age 22, just over a year after being taken by Boston in the first round of the draft.

The Golden Spikes Award winner as the best player in amateur baseball in 2015, Benintendi was the seventh pick of the MLB Draft by Boston in 2015. He debuted as a pinch hitter and went 0 for 2 in Boston’s 5-4 loss at Seattle.

Benintendi, a native of Cincinnati, would go on to hit .295 in 2016, with 2 home runs, 16 runs and 14 RBI in 34 games as the Red Sox won the American League East with a 93-69 record.

Because he did not play in enough games to qualify, Benintendi was classified as a rookie the following season and finished second in the voting for AL Rookie of the Year behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Benintendi hit .271 with 20 home runs, 90 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 2.9 in Wins Above Replacement.

2005

Matt Jones, the former Arkansas quarterback who was a first-round NFL draft pick as a wide receiver by the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed a five-year, $8.45 million contract to end a brief training camp holdout.

“I’m glad that everything got worked out,” Jones said. “I’m glad I haven’t missed too much. I’m ready to get out there and start making plays and helping the team win.”

Jones played four seasons for Jacksonville and had 166 receptions for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns.