UA athletics far better with Long gone

FAYETTEVILLE — Followers of University of Kansas athletics soon will learn what followers of University of Arkansas athletics can tell them.

It takes little for an athletic director succeeding Jeff Long to look good.

But a succeeding athletic director doing much good does much good for state pride and morale,

At Arkansas that’s happening under Hunter Yurachek.

Men’s athletics remind of 1979 when the late Hall of Fame Athletic Director Frank Broyles presided over a juggernaut of Southwest Conference championships and or national successes achieved by UA Hall of Honor honored coaches Lou Holtz, Eddie Sutton, Norm DeBriyn, John McDonnell and Tom Pucci.

Look around today. Yurachek hire Eric Musselman piloted the basketball Hogs to the Elite Eight.

Chris Bucknam’s 2020 cross country and 2021 indoor track teams won SEC championships.

Coach Dave Van Horn’s baseball Razorbacks began this weekend’s series at Ole Miss 24-4 overall, tied with Ole Miss, at 7-2 for best in the SEC West and variously nationally rank No. 1 or No. 2.

Coach Andy Jackson’s tennis Hogs have upset nationally No. 3 Tennessee and No. 12 Texas A&M.

Coach Brad McMakin’s golfers are the reigning SEC champions.

Coach Sam Pittman’s 3-7 2020 football campaign doesn’t seem worth celebrating until contrasting that entirely SEC schedule with the 1-7, 0-8, 0-8 SEC seasons inherited from 2017-2019 under his immediate predecessors.

The UA’s then Lady Razorbacks program still was much in its competitive infancy back in 1979. Look at the ladies now. Lance Harter, “McDonnellesque” in success since former Lady Razorbacks Athletic Director Bev Lewis hired him to succeed herself as track coach, coached Arkansas again to SEC Cross Country and SEC Indoor crowns this past fall and winter and the 2021 NCAA Indoor championship, his sixth national championship team since 2015 in cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

Coach Colby Hale’s soccer squad won last fall’s SEC season championship.

Coach Courtney Deifel’s nationally No. 10 softball team stood 32-3 overall/ 12-0 in the SEC going into this weekend’s SEC series against nationally No. 3 Alabama.

Coach Shauna Taylor’s golfers, appear building back towards the 2019 crescendo of a fourth-place national finish. Coach Mike Neighbors’ basketball Razorbacks reached Arkansas’ first NCAA Women’s Tournament since 2015 and during the season upset national powers UConn and Baylor.

These coaches have won before but the atmosphere under which they win has changed.

It’s far less about “branding and revenue streams,” favorite topics in Long’s corporate lingo, and far more about Arkansas which Greenwood’s Neighbors especially appreciates.

“We hit a gold mine when we got an athletic director in Hunter Yurachek,” Neighbors said. “Somebody who came in and listened and made me and us feel like we were one of his. Even though we technically won’t be considered one of his hires, we should be. Because he rehired us and made women’s basketball important.”

In Razorbacks athletics it apparently seems infinitely more inspiring feeling part of Arkansas’ team than cast for a revenue stream.