.jpg)
2 hours ago
3
Arkansas will soon honor one of the most important figures in program history.
Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson, who led the Razorbacks to the 1994 national championship, is set to receive a statue outside Bud Walton Arena. Current Arkansas coach John Calipari reacted to the news with humor and deep respect for the man who helped build the program.
“I had to go out and clean that thing once a week,” Calipari joked. “They put an addendum in my contract that I had to go out and clean that thing once a week. So if there’s bird poop on it, it’s up to me to go wipe it off, which I will do in a pleasant way. I would love it.”
Behind the joke was genuine appreciation.
Calipari said Richardson has supported him since the moment he arrived in Fayetteville and made sure the legendary coach was comfortable with the statue before it became official.
More: Doug Gottlieb follows disastrous Green Bay debut with Coach of the Year level season
“One thing I said to [Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek] is has anybody talked to Coach Richardson to make sure he’s good with this?” Calipari said. “He said, ‘Yeah, coach said he’d be exactly what you know.’ So he was in my corner from day one.”
The 84-year-old Richardson was clearly overjoyed when he heard the news, a moment of recognition for the coach who helped define Arkansas basketball. His 1994 national championship team remains one of the most celebrated in Razorbacks history.
BREAKING:
The University of Arkansas athletics is working towards building a statue of Nolan Richardson in front of Bud Walton Arena #WPS
Nolan's reaction is everything! pic.twitter.com/wWrR3iwZm3
His high-pressure, 40 minutes of hell, style helped produce the Razorbacks’ national title and multiple Final Four appearances.
Calipari made clear the current program still rests on that foundation.
More: Could Kim Mulkey be headed to Rutgers?
“You have Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson,” Calipari said. “We’re all standing on their shoulders. Anybody that follows those two, they built this. They built it their own way, but they built it.”
For Calipari, the statue is both recognition and reminder.
“Coach deserves a statue,” he said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach. He deserves that statue.”
English (US)