December 27, 1941

Nolan Richardson was born in El Paso, Texas. He lived only a short distance from Mexico and grew up in a predominantly Mexican El Paso neighborhood. Richardson began his coaching career at Bowie High School, where he first implemented his patented style of play to great success. His “forty minutes of hell” consisted of constant full court pressing and an offense continually pushing the ball up the basketball court. This fast style of play put a lot of pressure on the opposing team. Richardson is one of the most famous coaches to have served the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) Razorbacks basketball program. Richardson won nearly 400 games at UA using his unique style.