Nice guys do not always finish last

FAYETTEVILLE — At least three times this century University of Arkansas coaches have disproved Leo Durocher.

Though the manager of 2,008 Major League baseball victories piloting the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and their surprising 1954 World Series sweep, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, Leo the Lip’s lasting legacy is a quote.

Durocher died in 1991 but the quote attributed to him lives on: “Nice guys finish last.”

It seems a regrettable quote, too often excusing and equating boorish behavior as leadership.

So it’s something for Arkansas to celebrate since 2002 that Lance Harter last week joined Norm DeBriyn and John McDonnell as Razorbacks top-drawer coaches/ top-drawer human beings retiring on top.

Certainly other Hall of Fame coaches have come and gone from the UA scene since 2000, but not without the usual accompaniment of either feeling or being forced out, bought out, eased out or just flat canned.

Even the iconic Frank Broyles, either Arkansas head football coach, athletic director or both from 19582008, finished his 50th Razorbacks season with outsider since fired athletic director Jeff Long in place posturing as the neighborhood’s new big dog.

Baseball coach DeBriyn, men’s track coach/cross country coach McDonnell, and women’s track coach/cross country Harter retired on their own terms.

Deserving and wonderful that they did, Andy Shupe, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat photographer previously the longtime photographer for the Northwest Arkansas Times, noted as we chatted before Harter’s retirement press conference.

Great coaches you knew would be genuinely great neighbors by how down to earth they conducted themselves to all.

DeBriyn retired from coaching in 2002 upon piloting the Hogs to a Regional final and since then administrated in the Razorback Foundation. He still assists as often asked.

42- times national champion coach McDonnell, retired in 2008 immediately off his final SEC Cross Country- Indoor- Outdoor triple crown, passed away beloved last June.

Harter’s retirement tops them all. For while announcing retirement he continues coaching at his zenith through the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

At 70, Harter has coached six national championships since 2015 including the 2019 NCAA Indoor-Outdoor-Cross Country triple crown and 2021 NCAA Indoor. He’s one-third towards SEC triple crown No. 8 upon Arkansas winning SEC Cross Country last month.

With Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek’s approval, Harter continues through these next two cross country-indoor-outdoor seasons with his team of associate head coach/sprints coach Chris Johnson, world renowned pole vault coach Bryan Compton and valued director of operations Megan Elliott intact.

As Harter hoped, Yurachek already named Johnson the next head coach.

Johnson 11 years firsthand knows how effectively Harter delegates three functioning like sprints, field events and distance head coaches yet under authority of one head coach. He knows the importance of hiring a quality distance coach like Harter to the women and Chris Bucknam is and McDonnell was to the men.

Most importantly, Chris Johnson treats people like Lance Harter treats people.

Seems to bode for another destined eventually retiring on his own terms.