Hog Calls

Harter proves nice guys finish first sometimes

Arkansas women's track and field coach Lance Harter is recognized during a baseball game between the Razorbacks and South Carolina on Sunday, May 14, 2023, in Fayetteville. Harter was celebrating his team's SEC outdoor championship the night before.

FAYETTEVILLE — This final column before a June-July hiatus and August resumption rebuttals Leo Durocher with Lance Harter.

Called “Leo the Lip” as a combative, acerbic major league shortstop and combatively acerbic Hall of Fame manager, a Durocher quote flourishes 32 years post his death.

“Nice guys finish last.”

Regardless where his Razorbacks finish as he coaches his farewell NCAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 8-10 in Austin, Texas, nice guy Lance Harter retires finishing first.

After amassing 14 Division II national championships at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Harter since 1990 became the by far most successful coach in University of Arkansas women’s athletics history, inducted into multiple halls of fame.

His Arkansas cross country, indoor and outdoor teams total 45 SEC championships, including the 2023 indoor and outdoor crowns. They won all seven national championships, including the 2023 NCAA indoor title, achieved by any of the Razorbacks' women’s sports.

Drama devoid, Harter succeeds nicely down to earth pulling staffs and teams together.

While coaching distance runners to conference and NCAA championships, Harter for decades employs Bryan Compton, arguably the greatest collegiate women’s pole vault coach with eight NCAA champions and four Olympians.

He’s employed two great sprints coaches, Lonnie Greene, the current Kentucky head coach, and since 2012 Chris Johnson, Arkansas’ next head coach. Johnson is a three-time national assistant coach of the year with current two-time NCAA champion Britton Wilson his most extraordinary star of stars. Wilson is the collegiate record holder in the 400-meter dash.

Johnson and Compton could coach anywhere. They chose sticking with Harter.

“I’ve been with him 24 years now and he’s steady the whole time,” Compton said. “That’s the great thing about him as a head coach, you always know what to expect. He’s great at what he does himself and he lets us take charge of our own event and trusts us in what we do.”

Lance leads listening, Johnson said.

“He’s definitely not a dictator,” Johnson said. “He takes and values your opinions. He complements himself with people that are different than himself.”

And excels at those head coaching essentials that Johnson soon bears.

“His ability to navigate coaches, navigate parents, navigate athletes and doctors and strength coaches,” Johnson said. “To have that ability to balance those things and balance his family life with his kids and grandkids, and still be able to produce a championship program year in and year out, you basically are looking at a unicorn. He’s truly a leader.”

Megan Jackson, the 2008 Arkansas All-American steeplechaser become Megan Elliott, the married with two children and nine-year director of women’s track operations, provides a uniquely dual perspective on Arkansas’ retiring head coach.

“He really cares for his athletes on and off the track,” Elliott said. “And he does the same thing for his staff. He wants to help his athletes and staff to be the best that they can be. He carries that throughout everything he does.”

No coach of Arkansas women’s athletics has carried that better.

Nicely done.