A man who has accomplished incredible things in his 82 years announced his retirement this morning in the student union of the University of Arkansas at shortly after 9:30 a.m. CST. I am proud to have been present as he spoke of the privilege he has enjoyed of serving the University of Arkansas for 50 years. FIFTY YEARS! You can read about ESPN’s account of his retirement here. It was impressive to hear him talk about how blessed he had been to be able to marry his one life long love, Barbara, (that he first loved at the age of 15) and to have the one job that he wanted for his entire life. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and former University of Arkansas football player under Coach Broyles, also came and spoke on his behalf.
Athletic Director Broyles will end his illustrious career on December 31, 2007, but I hope we will continue to serve the University of Arkansas for years to come. John White, our Chancellor, announced that he is trying to work out details to continue to work with Coach Broyles as a consultant.
In 19 seasons as Razorback head coach, Broyles amassed a record of 144 wins, 58 losses and five ties. In 1964, in just his seventh season, Broyles led the Razorbacks to their only national championship in football. That was in the midst of the longest winning streak in college football in the 1960s, 22 games in a row from 1963-1966. As director of men’s athletics, Broyles oversaw a program that claimed 43 national titles, 57 championships in the now defunct Southwest Conference and 47 Southeastern Conference titles. It is one of the few programs that is profitable in college athletics and the only program in the Southeastern Conference that doesn’t use one dime of student fees to support the athletic program. It also has been noted nationally that the University of Arkansas has the best athletic facilities overall of any college in America. Moreover, he never just raised money for athletics; in fact, he was the Co-Chair of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century that raised $1.046 billion for the University of Arkansas and has worked tirelessly to ensure both athletic and academic support.
Not only is Coach Broyles a very accomplished and blessed man, whose loyalty to one woman and one employer is an example for us all, he also is personally very generous and kind and would give credit to Jesus, His Lord and Savior, for all that he has accomplished.