Forty Minutes of Hell (29 page)

Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson have provided advice, books, friendship, beer, gourmet meals, and parenting tips for the last fourteen years. They are the best friends a writer could hope for.

Barry Pearce is a loyal and unselfish friend, as well as a fine writer.

Several people gave me great suggestions on the manuscript: Carol Capitani, Tom Spieczny, Josh Wheeler, Barry Pearce, Jeff Vance, Connie Voisine, Robert Boswell, Sheila Black, Tracy Sherrod, and Candice Mor-row.

Thanks to: Geoffery Stark at University of Arkansas Special Collection.

Thanks to American sports heroes David Meggyesy, Dave Zirin, Doug Harris, Michael James, Steve and Tracey Yellen, and Ben Jobe.

Thanks also to John Conroy, Dennis Daily, Henry Thomas, Ken Olsen, Garrett Hongo, Austin Hoover, Keith French, Mike Thomas, and Modzel “Bud” Greer.

For help steering me around the UA campus, thanks to: Jim Harris, Donita Ritchie, Terri Mercer, Findlay Edwards, Robbie Edwards, and Wayne Stehlik.

Thanks also to Rosie Dixon and Frank Fellone at the
Democrat-
Gazette
, Glen Guthrie, John Podesta, David Shields, Dagoberto Gilb, Jennifer Grotz, Sharon Ord-Warner, Michael Collier, and Chris Engskov.

Big thanks to New Mexico State's Lou Henson, Duncan Hayse, Tama Garski, Chris Burnham, Harriet Linkin, Monica Torres, Pam Jansma, Bill Conroy, and Dr. Waded Cruzado.

Interviews were conducted with the following people: Ballard Shapleigh, Jimmie Tramel, Darren Ivy, Marc Spears, Wally Hall, Bob Holt, Chip Souza, David Hargiss, Steve Narisi, Joe Neal, Charles Robinson, Carrol Williams, Bob Carver, Fred Vorsanger, Dave England, Dr. John White, Rudy Keeling, Dick Versace, Tony Barone, Steve Green, Kelly Green, Pat Foster, Lanny Van Eman, Sid Simpson, Bob O'Day, Kenny John, Alvis Glidewell, Manny Placillas, Dwight Williams, Andy Stoglin, Mike Anderson, Earnest Starks, Phillip Trapp, Lyell Thompson, Otto “Bud” Zinke, Reggie Minton, Judge Thomas Spieczny, Don Haskins, Eddie Mullens, Lou Henson, Jim Haney, Almer Lee, Scotty Thurman, Alex Dillard, Clint McDaniel, Pat Bradley, Ben Daggett, Jeremy Rose, Ralph Brewster, Melvin Patridge, Tim Hardaway, Larry Gipson, Ed Beshara Jr., Alan Mantooth, Norris Stevenson, Charles Prigmore, John Phillips, Frankie Allen, Thomas Trotter, Jay Jennings, John Chaney, Stan Heath, Charles Martin, Richard Pennington, Lonnie Williams, Wendell Griffen, Darrell Brown, Sheryl Walters, Shelton Walters, Danny Walters, Irv Cross, Milton Katz, Bert Williams, Madalyn Richardson, Rosario Richardson, and Nolan Richardson.

Nearly a dozen people were interviewed who insisted that their names not appear. Thanks to them, as well.

Frank Broyles turned down repeated requests to be interviewed.

Thanks to the
Democrat-Gazette
for allowing me access to their archives.

Lonnie Williams gave me sage advice. Both Wendell Griffen and Darrell Brown not only made themselves constantly available, but were inspiring. Just as inspiring was the Walters family, whose stories of Bob Walters still resonate. Meeting Bert Williams was an honor.

The research and suggestions of Charles Martin, Richard Pennington, and Milton Katz were invaluable. All three have authored important works on race and college sports. Richard Lapchick's research was also helpful.

Ben Osborne at
SLAM
magazine first published my piece on Nolan Richardson, and his encouragement was vital. Thanks also to Khalid Salaam and Susan Price at
SLAM.

Special thanks to Christina Morgan, who championed this project initially.

Bobbito Garcia and Jesse Washington at
Bounce
magazine gave me encouragement, as did Alexander Wolff of
Sports Illustrated
. Dan McGrath and Barry Temkin of the
Chicago Tribune
were also supportive.

Thanks to Don Johnson, Scott Peterson, and everyone in the Sports Literature Association.

Glory Road
, Dan Wetzel's book about the 1966 Texas Western team and Don Haskins, was terrific help. So was Frank Fitzpatrick's book
The Walls Came Tumbling Down.
Barry Jacob's book
Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage
was a wonderful resource.

The quote “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children” is from the Irish Republican hero Bobby Sands.

UTEP, Tulsa University, Western Texas College, Eastern Arizona Junior College, Bowie High School, the
Democrat-Gazette
, and the University of Arkansas all provided information, photos, or media guides.

Eric Howerton at Now Creative Inc. and
Hawgs Illustrated
provided great help with photos.

Big thanks to Nolan Richardson and his family. Nolan was always available and willing to talk.

What I miss most about college basketball is the sense of optimism sometimes lacking in the book business. My amazing agent, Andrew Blauner, is an exception, and he has been a fantastic help. Thanks, Bird!

Thanks to editor extraordinaire Dawn Davis, Maya Ziv, Van Luu, and everyone at HarperCollins and Amistad.

Finally, thanks to my incredible wife, Connie Voisine, and to our daughter, Alma Bradburd, for their love and patience.

Mike Anderson
: Longtime assistant to Richardson, he also played point guard for him at Tulsa. Now the coach at University of Missouri.

Jim “Bad News” Barnes
: Born in Arkansas, Barnes was probably the best player in Texas Western (later UTEP) history. Richardson helped recruit him to TWC.

Ed Beshara
: Tulsa clothier and close friend of Richardson. Beshara died in 2007.

Ken Biley
: Benchwarmer; a surprise starter in the NCAA title game of 1994.

Jim Bowden
: Former UTEP director of athletics who encouraged Richardson to apply at Tulsa University.

Pat Bradley
: Best three-point shooter in Arkansas history.

Ralph Brewster
: Richardson's best player at Bowie High School in El Paso. Went to Texas Tech in exchange for their recommendation of Richardson for a junior college job.

Charlie Brown
: First black player at Texas Western College (later UTEP).

Darrell Brown
: First black football player to attempt to play for Frank
Broyles's segregated teams at the University of Arkansas in the mid-1960s.

Frank Broyles
: Icon of Arkansas sports; his association with UA as football coach and director of athletics lasted fifty years. He hired and fired Richardson.

James Cash
: First black basketball player in the Southwest Conference at TCU.

John Chaney
: Outspoken African-American basketball coach at Temple.

Bill Clark
: University of Arkansas Board of Trustees member who admitted using the word “nigger” in conversation and jokes.

Bill Connors
: Iconic Tulsa sportswriter who covered Richardson's time at Tulsa.

Rosario “Rose” Davila
: Richardson's longtime wife; mother of the late Yvonne Richardson.

Harold Davis
: Richardson's coach for his first season at Texas Western College.

Todd Day
: Leading scorer in Arkansas history, helped lead team to their first Final Four.

Alex Dillard
: Hot-shooting sub who scored in bunches for Richardson's 1994 team.

Evans Dunne
: Wealthy Tulsa booster who was originally opposed to hiring Richardson.

Rob Evans
: Texas Tech assistant in the 1970s and 1980s, who recruited Ralph Brewster in 1977. Later the head coach at Mississippi; now an assistant at Arkansas.

Orval Faubus
: Governor of Arkansas during the Little Rock Central crisis.

Hayden Fry
: Former Arkansas assistant coach under Frank Broyles, then head coach at SMU who brought the first black player (Jerry LeVias) to the Southwest Conference.

Clarence “Big House” Gaines
: Highly successful coach at historically black Winston-Salem State.

Rocky Galarza
: El Paso icon and Bowie High School star whose three-sport heroics predated Richardson's by a decade.

Gary George
: University of Arkansas Board of Trustees member who admitted using the word “nigger” in conversation and jokes.

Alvis Glidewell
: Longtime El Paso high school basketball coach after whom Richardson modeled his first pressure defenses.

Judge Wendell Griffen
: University of Arkansas double graduate, civil rights and justice advocate, friend of Richardson.

Wally Hall
: Longtime sportswriter for the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette.

Jim Haney
: Head of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); his articles on the lack of black administrators enlightened and infuriated Richardson.

Tim Hardaway
: Star guard at UTEP for Don Haskins in the 1980s; his high school coach, Bob Walters, was from Arkansas.

David Hargiss
: Former Arkansas football player in the mid-1960s who defended and befriended black walk-on Darrell Brown.

Don Haskins
: Richardson's college coach, he was the first man to start five blacks and win an NCAA basketball title in 1966.

Stan Heath
: African-American coach who replaced Richardson at Arkansas in 2002; now at the University of South Florida.

Orville Henry
: Iconic Arkansas sportswriter and close friend of Richardson.

Nemo Herrera
: Longtime Bowie High School coach who mentored Richardson.

Darren Ivy
: Penned most of the articles in
Untold Stories
, the collection of articles about black athletes in Arkansas during the time of segregation.

Ben Jobe
: Politically conscious college coach who led historically black Southern University to the NCAA tournament.

Kenny John
: Richardson's workout partner at Fort Bliss, played at UTEP, outstanding high school coach in El Paso.

Jimmy King
: Tulsa basketball coach whose firing opened the way for Richardson.

Almer Lee
: First black basketball player to letter at Arkansas.

Jerry LeVias
: First black football star in the Southwest Conference, recruited by Hayden Fry, former assistant to Frank Broyles.

Charles Martin
: UTEP professor; one of America's top scholars on the integration of college sports.

Wilson Matthews
: Former Little Rock Central football coach; joined Frank Broyles's first staff at Arkansas.

Lee Mayberry
: Star guard on Richardson's first Final Four team at Arkansas.

Terri Mercer
: Longtime Arkansas basketball secretary.

Clint McDaniel
: Defensive star of Richardson's NCAA champs in 1994.

John McLendon
: Legendary black coach; won three consecutive national titles at Tennessee State; the godfather of black coaches and fast break basketball.

Oliver Miller
: Center on Richardson's first Final Four team at Arkansas.

Reggie Minton
: Groundbreaking black basketball coach at Air Force; now codirects the NABC.

Gordon Morgan
: First black professor at University of Arkansas.

Steve Narisi
: Arkansas native and TV journalist who has studied the desegregation of the Southwest Conference.

Joe Neal
: Leader of progressive movements in Arkansas.

Melvin Patridge
: Bowie High School basketball star on Richardson's final teams there.

Paul Pressey
: Richardson's best player at Tulsa; went on to a long NBA career.

Helen Richardson
: Richardson's high school sweetheart and first wife; mother of Madalyn, Notes, and Bradley.

Jon Richardson
: First black scholarship football player at Arkansas, no relation to Nolan.

Madalyn Richardson
: Richardson's first child.

Nolan “Notes” Richardson III
: Richardson's son and former assistant coach.

Yvonne Richardson
: Richardson's daughter; died of leukemia in 1987.

Will Robinson
: the first black coach in Division I at Illinois State.

Sid Simpson
: Richardson's athletics director at Western Texas College in Snyder.

Andy Stoglin
: Teammate of Richardson at UTEP, assistant at Tulsa and Arkansas, later the head coach at Jackson State.

Eddie Sutton
: Arkansas coach whose departure opened the door for Richardson in 1985.

John Thompson
: First black coach to win NCAA title in Division I, at Georgetown.

Lyell Thompson
: Professor at Arkansas for decades who pushed for desegregation.

Scotty Thurman
: He made the decisive “3” to beat Duke for NCAA title in 1994.

Phillip Trapp
: Longtime UA psychology professor who pushed Frank Broyles to desegregate.

Ken Trickey
: Oral Roberts University coach in the 1970s whose fast-breaking teams had great success.

Lanny Van Eman
: Arkansas basketball coach in the early 1970s, before Eddie Sutton.

Fred Vorsanger
: Former Fayetteville mayor and manager of Bud Walton Arena at UA.

Duddy Waller
: Arkansas basketball coach who signed the first black players at Arkansas in the late 1960s.

Bob Walters
: Scored ninety-six touchdowns in high school in Arkansas but was ignored by the segregated teams of the South. Later was Tim Hardaway's high school basketball coach.

Bert Williams
: Former El Paso city alderman (later mayor) who wrote the anti–Jim Crow legislation in El Paso after being denied service at a restaurant with Richardson.

Carrol Williams
: Head of University of Arkansas black alumni group.

Dwight Williams
: Key guard on Richardson's first junior college teams; transferred to Texas Tech.

Lonnie Williams
: Longtime Arkansas administrator; now at Arkansas State.

Corliss Williamson
: Center on Richardson's 1994 champs.

Judge William Wilson
: Presiding judge in Richardson's court case.

Otto “Bud” Zinke
: Senate Council member at UA, antiwar activist, quiet leader of desegregation movements on campus.