University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor

Established to recognize distinguished athletes who elevated the profile of the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) and its athletic programs, the UA Sports Hall of Honor began with a class of six inductees—all linked to basketball or football—and, by 2025, had grown to include more than 300 athletes across myriad sports.

The UA Sports Hall of Honor was formed in 1988 as a joint venture between UA’s athletic department, the Razorback Foundation, and the A Club (a program of the Razorback Foundation). It emerged at the behest of Frank Broyles, then UA athletic director and former football coach, and was organized by Bill Gray, a former dual-sport Razorback who was serving as associate athletic director.

Gray enlisted the A Club, then called the Lettermen’s Club, which consisted of about 400 UA lettermen, to submit nominations for the first slate of inductees. The stipulations for enshrinement called for players to be three-year starters or selected to an all-conference or All-American team, and away from UA for five years or active for fifteen years.

A committee winnowed submissions to eleven nominees from the “pioneer era”—1948 and earlier—and thirteen from the “modern era.” Lettermen voted on the candidates, taking three from each era to select six to be inducted into the inaugural class of 1988: Lance Alworth, John Barnhill, Frank Broyles, Sidney Moncrief, Glen Rose, and Clyde Scott.

While the initial class consisted solely of men who had played basketball and football, the Hall expanded to encompass most of UA’s scholarship sports, as well as female athletes (Bettye Dickey was the first) and athletics staff like trainers and administrators. Nearly 300 people had been inducted by 2025, with football and basketball accounting for more than half of the membership.

Several athletes have been inducted for multiple sports, including Alton Baldwin (football/track and field), Steve Creekmore Sr. (football/golf), Melvin McGaha (baseball/basketball/football), Ike Poole (basketball/football), Dean Pryor (football/track and field), Wear Schoonover (football/baseball), Clyde Scott (football/track and field), and Martin Smith (football/swimming and diving). Bill Gray, who played baseball and football for the Razorbacks and captained their 1964 national-title team, was inducted for football in 2005.

New honorees are inducted each fall during a ceremony ahead of a Razorback football game in Fayetteville. They are fêted with a banquet and ceremonial rings and recognized on the football field during the game. The UA Sports Hall of Honor is housed at the Frank Broyles Athletic Center in Fayetteville and is open to the public on business days and game days.

For additional information:
Caldwell, Stephen. “Razorback Hall Takes Inaugural Inductees.” Arkansas Democrat, October 1, 1988, p. 3D.

———. “Six Inductees Open UA Hall of Fame Tonight.” Arkansas Democrat, September 30, 1988, p. 8D.

“Hall of Honor.” Razorback Foundation. https://www.razorbackfoundation.com/programs/hall-of-honor/index.html (accessed June 20, 2025).

Brandon Howard
Fayetteville, Arkansas