FAYETTEVILLE — Sixteen years after Houston Nutt reluctantly resigned under pressure as the University of Arkansas football coach and went to an SEC West rival program, he’ll be inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Honor.
Nutt, who led the Razorbacks to a share of SEC West titles in 1998 and 2002 and an outright division championship in 2006, was among nine inductees into the Hall of Honor’s 2023 class announced Tuesday.
Other inductees include Felix Jones (football), Marc Brumble (baseball), Taylor Ellis-Watson (women’s track and field), Lenzie Howell (men’s basketball), Kimberly Wilson Jenkins (women’s basketball), Oskar Johansson (men’s tennis), Honey Marsh (soccer) and David Swain (men’s track and field).
The inductees will be inducted in a ceremony Sept. 8 at the Walton Arts Center the night before the Arkansas-Kent State football game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. They’ll be recognized again on the field at halftime of the game.
Nutt said he learned of his induction in a phone call from Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek a few days ago.
“When Hunter called I was very excited and very humble, and so appreciative,” Nutt said. “What an honor.
“I just know I wouldn’t be in this position without all the great assistant coaches and players and staff we had at Arkansas. That’s the only reason I’m going into the Hall of Honor.”
Nutt, a Little Rock native inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, said he was pleasantly surprised by the UA honor.
Inductees are elected based on a vote by former Arkansas letter winners in conjunction with the A Club.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m very thankful,” said Nutt, who went to Ole Miss after resigning at Arkansas. “We had some great, great times at Arkansas, but there were also a couple of years of difficult times.”
Nutt had a 75-48 record coaching the Razorbacks from 1998-2007, including 42-38 in the SEC.
An Associated Press media panel and the conference coaches voted Nutt SEC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2006. He coached seven first-team All-Americans at Arkansas — Brandon Burlsworth, Jermaine Petty, Ken Hamlin, Shawn Andrews, Felix Jones, Darren McFadden and Jonathan Luigs — and 47 first-team All-SEC and 45 second-team All-SEC selections.
Nutt’s 10 seasons were the third-most for an Arkansas coach behind Frank Broyles’ 19 from 1958-76 and Fred Thomsen’s 13 from 1929-41, and he has the second-most victories behind Broyles’ 144.
Nutt’s last game at Arkansas in the 2007 regular-season finale, the Razorbacks upset No. 1 LSU 50-48 in triple overtime at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. It’s the last time the Razorbacks beat a No. 1 team.
Despite the Razorbacks being a combined 18-8 under Nutt in 2006 and 2007, there had been turmoil in the program.
Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn left after the 2006 season to take the same position at Tulsa. Quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams — both star recruits who played at Springdale High School for Malzahn and were Arkansas freshmen in 2006 — transferred to Southern California.
Also figuring into Nutt’s decision was that Broyles, a staunch supporter, was retiring as athletic director. Jeff Long already had been hired as Broyles’ replacement.
“I thought hard about trying to stay,” Nutt said. “But when they removed Coach Broyles, I thought it was just time for me to go.”
Two days after Nutt resigned at Arkansas, he was hired at Ole Miss, where he coached for four years and went 2-2 against the Razorbacks.
Nutt taking the Ole Miss job didn’t sit well with many Arkansas fans, of course, nor did the fact he received a buyout reported at $3.65 million from the UA as if he had been fired.
“Deep, deep down in my heart as an Arkansan, as a person who loves the Razorbacks so much, [I wanted] for the state to come together as one,” Nutt said during a news conference at the Broyles Center when he announced his resignation. “At this time, I didn’t think we could have one heartbeat.”
Nutt said playing in a charity golf tournament a few years ago with the late Bobby Bowden, who coached Florida State to a 304-97-4 record from 1976-2009 with two national championships, helped him gain perspective on his time at Arkansas.
“I loved Coach Bowden and always looked up to him,” Nutt said. “We were riding together in a golf cart and he gave me a nice compliment when he said, ‘Houston, I loved watching your Razorback teams play. Your teams played so hard.’
“Instead of saying, ‘Thank you,’ I said, ‘I just didn’t go out the right way, Coach.’
‘Coach Bowden stopped the cart. He said, ‘Houston, my name’s on the stadium at Florida State, and I didn’t get to go out the right way.’
“It just woke me up. … It made me more appreciative of my 10 years at Arkansas and my 14 years in the SEC. When I look back on it now, I look at it differently.”
Nutt was a star quarterback at Little Rock Central High School and played for two seasons for Broyles and Lou Holtz at Arkansas. He finished his playing career at Oklahoma State.
He was a graduate assistant under Holtz at Arkansas in 1983 before being the quarterbacks coach at Arkansas State in 1984. He returned to Arkansas at wide receivers coach under Jack Crowe and Joe Kines in 1990-92.
He was head coach at Murray State (1993-96) and Boise State (1997) before returning to Arkansas.
Nutt, who lives in McKinney, Texas, and works for CBS Sports, said he believes many Arkansas fans also look back at his tenure differently based on the reaction he gets when he’s traveling through Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
“I run into a lot of Arkansas fans in DFW, and many of them will want photos or autographs,” said Nutt, who is always happy to oblige. “Isn’t it amazing what time does? Time definitely has a way of healing things.
“Today when I look back at 10 years at Arkansas, I’m confident we did the best job we could. We ate and breathed football, and we recruited hard and coached our players up.”
2023 UA Sports Hall of Honor inductees
Marc Brumble, Baseball: All-Southwest Conference outfielder who as a senior in 1979 helped lead the Razorbacks their first College World Series appearance.
Taylor Ellis-Watson, Women’s Track and Field: A 10-time All-American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist on the U.S. 1,600 relay team in 2016.
Lenzie Howell, Men's Basketball: MVP of the 1990 NCAA Midwest Regional to help Arkansas advance to the Final Four.
Kimberly Wilson Jenkins, Women’s Basketball: Three-time All-SEC player who ranks fifth on Arkansas’ all-time scoring list with 1,733 points in 120 games from 1994-97.
Oskar Johansson, Men’s Tennis: Two-time All-American earned No. 1 spot in the 2001 NCAA/ITA National rankings.
Felix Jones, Football: Two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC performer running back and kickoff returner. First-round NFL Draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2008.
Honey Marsh, Women's Soccer: Started 76 games as a Razorback, a mark that still ranks in the program’s top 10. The first SEC Player of the Year in the inaugural year of the award following the 1993 season.
Houston Nutt, Football: Had a 75-48 record over his 10 seasons (1998-2007) as Arkansas coach and led the Razorbacks in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
David Swain, Men's Track and Field: Four-time first-team NCAA All-American and the 1984 Southwest Conference cross country individual championship.