Coach Frank Broyles: A Double Legacy Revealed
By Dr. H.D. McCarty, Chaplain of the Razorbacks, Emeritus

It is my conviction that Hog fans can never be grateful enough for the leadership of Frank Broyles and his contributions to the Razorback Athletic Program, the University, and the State of Arkansas.
What he has accomplished at the University of Arkansas is legend, and the great majority of our Razorback fans have too little knowledge of the depths of his unique vision, numerous successes, and his mostly brilliant decisions. I will leave those visible achievements and known records to the sports editors, educators, financial gurus, and average fans, but I sense I am as qualified as any to speak of the higher spiritual legacy that has been created by Coach Broyles.
At the recent dedication of his statue at the Broyles Complex, highlights of Coach’s experience and service were again touched on, but the one contribution that is almost always overlooked is how the impact of his Christian convictions and character has infused every part of what he calls “The Program.”
As the plans unfolded to honor Coach Broyles before our last football game, Razorback great, Jim Lindsey, a major contributor to the statue, had spoken to me about saying a word on the Coach’s spiritual legacy. I was excited by the thought, but, as I was recovering from surgery, I was too weak to attend; hence, the point of this article.

I met Coach Broyles when he was only 40 years of age and I was a new pastor in Fayetteville. Many of the young football players started attending our church, and I led an active and growing Bible Study in the Athletic Dorm. Many of the players had spiritual, motivational, moral, and philosophical issues, and it seems the Lord was using my efforts significantly in their midst.
Seeing the relationships that I had with many of the athletes, and knowing I was his loyal friend and shared his broad vision of authentic Christianity, Coach asked me if I would serve as the Team Chaplain on a voluntary basis. I knew we shared a mutual passion of helping these young players become both greater athletes and greater men. So naturally, I responded in the affirmative! I loved the players, loved sports, and, even though I was an immigrant from Texas, I had already fully embraced Arkansas and the Razorbacks.
Even though Coach and I were from two different denominations, our vision merged because we saw that our first Christian duty was to use our faith to benefit others, rather than use others to benefit our particular faith mindset.
Little did I know that, for over 30 years, I would serve as “Chaplain of the Razorbacks”, become close friends with not only Frank Broyles, but also Lou Holtz, Ken Hatfield, Joe Kines, and Houston Nutt. Some of my best friends in life were the assistant coaches and staff, now scattered all over America.
I counseled dozens of the players, coaches, and staff, performed their marriages, was available in their crises, and had the privilege of teaching and sharing with them the compelling truth of the magnificence of Jesus Christ. There were scores and scores of participants in “The Athlete Program” who had an earnest love for and appreciation of Jesus! It was some of these players in the late 60s who dubbed me as “The Rabbi”, and the title “Razorback Rabbi” is with me to this day.
I have written all of the above not to be self-serving, but to give some essential history and to acknowledge publically the personal debt that is mine to Coach. I owe everything I did in this athletic ministry to the character, the choice, and the support of Coach Frank Broyles. I know, for a fact, that his integrity, his commitment to excellence, his high moral standards, and his ethical vision that he shared with his players and staff have reaped a great spiritual harvest.
I could fill several pages with personal stories from my over 30 years of being closely associated with the football team and the other sports and coaches, as I had time and opportunity. I could share with you some stunning insights into our greatest players whose names we all know. But I could also share even more names of players whose lives were changed that no one will ever know other than the coaches, their teammates, and their families.
Nevertheless, Coach’s impact on hundreds of young lives through his own example and the other leadership he put around him, including me, gave a rational, positive, and healthy vision of both athletic and spiritual “perfection.” I can still hear Coach’s words to this day: “We have got to get ‘bettah’ [better]!”; “Don’t beat yourself!”; “We must improve!”; “We can’t win unless we precisely prepare, perfectly practice, and play with passion!”; and “No athlete will ever win without earnest emotion for the game!”
There were many fans through the years who said we ought to forget “the God stuff” and “just kick tail”, because that was the way to build a winning team. Some of the Christians, however, were also off balance by sometimes thinking that “God was enough” without the “kicking tail” part. (I have a great story at this point about Coach Monte Kiffin when at Arkansas — his son, Lane, now Head Coach at USC in California, was in our church Sunday School as a youngster — but space forbids.)
Coach Broyles knew how to put “spiritual reality and physical exhaustion” together in a marvelous, winning way. There are scores of former Arkansas athletes, coaches, and staff who would testify that they learned to appreciate both from the Broyles touch as a Coach and as an Athletic Director.
He would be the first to admit he is far from perfect. “Frankly”, however, I would prefer his imperfections to countless other people I have known in sports, education, business, and religion!

Even though Coach was bold about being a Christian and supporting Christian causes (i.e. Fellowship of Christian Athletes), he never pushed his particular beliefs on anyone. Because of this, we tend to overemphasize the greatness of his athletic accomplishments and forget the Biblical character and integrity that was in him.
It was this “spiritual rootedness” which enabled him to bring a strong, spiritual atmosphere and force to our athletic pursuits. My writing of this article is simply to acknowledge both parts; hence, my title, “A Double Legacy.”
Most of us who are truly mature do not try to push our Christianity on others, but we are somewhat justly offended when those who do not share our faith want us to say nothing about it because it might offend them or someone else. For those of us who are God lovers, we understand this, but feel it is our responsibility, as well as right, to at least acknowledge, from time to time, the Source of what and who we say we are.
Frank Broyles speaks often of having lived “a charmed life”, and that it all began with his relationship with the Lord and growing up under the leadership of his great family and their values. It occurred to me that Friday morning, as his statue was dedicated in front of the Broyles Complex, that his “legacy in the faith” was as critical to his success as his “legacy on the field.”

It is probably unknown to many that Jim Lindsey, a major contributor to the funding of the statue, is a “God lover.” The one who sculpted the beautiful statue, Dr. Gary Renegar, is also a “God lover.” And, of course, it cannot be missed that the statue is of a man who is also a “God lover.” All three are my friends and would unapologetically authenticate my words as true. This knowledge will bring joy to all you Hog fans out there who are seeking to be “God lovers.”
For those of you who see only the “kick tail” and “raise money” side of things, I would say thanks for letting us speak up — just a little — about what we feel is essential and critical. We rejoice we can still be Hog fans together. We know some (many) of the fans out there are offended when we talk about Christ. We’re sorry, and don’t intend to offend. Nevertheless, remember this: We Christians are somewhat offended when you send us the message that our Lord Jesus isn’t worth talking about!
Hence, again, no matter what anyone says or thinks, Coach has a double legacy. If you want to see the athletic legacy of Frank Broyles, look around you.
We easily observe some of the greatest athletic facilities in America. Our stadium was recently appraised as one of the tenth most beautiful in the United States. Look at our Baum Stadium at George Cole Field, Bud Walton Arena, John McDonnell Field, and our women’s facilities.
But let’s also look at our more hidden accomplishments and lack of debt compared to the other SEC schools and nation! Look at the people he hired, the standards he set, the Razorback family he sought to build, and you can’t escape the current of the spiritual.
But if you want to discover the hidden legacy he has left in the minds and hearts of his “teammates” that only the wise can see, look to the faith in God that motivated the emotion and passion resident in the life of Coach Frank Broyles. That was the nucleus of all he accomplished.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England, is one of the most magnificent churches in the world and is a top attraction for London’s many visitors. It was designed by the renowned architect, Christopher Wren (1632–1723). I was always awed, on my own visits to London, by the statues, richly adorned plaques, gorgeous and expensive memorials, and, most of all, the elegant sarcophagus of Admiral Horatio L. Nelson (1758–1805). Sir Winston Churchill said that Nelson was the greatest Englishman who ever lived!
But when I first looked for some monument to Wren, the man who had envisioned, designed, and built the facility, I saw nothing except a small square plaque in a corner of the basement which simply states, “There is no monument in this building to the architect. If anyone seeks such a sign of his greatness, we simply direct you to look around you.”
That is my advice to those who would appraise the Broyles years at Arkansas! His statue now stands where an old cyclone fence used to run to separate a gravel parking lot from the ticket booths and stadium entrance!
When I look deeply at the work, the life, the service, the sacrifice, and the ministry of Coach Frank Broyles, I see two realities. I not only see what must be some of the most beautiful athletic facilities in America (mostly already paid for), but I see also the beautiful lives of scores and scores of student athletes who, over my last 45 years, have been positively changed forever through the vision and efforts of Frank Broyles.
If this is not a double legacy, then what can be? He has impacted my own life in this way, so my writing this tribute is more than just facts; it is my own testimony, as well.
One of my favorite Scripture verses is Psalm 149:6: “Let the high praise of God be in my mouth and a double-edged sword in my hand.”
I would be at the head of the pack saying that Coach Frank Broyles is worthy of my high praise as a “God lover” for the multitude of his positive accomplishments through the University of Arkansas Athletic Program. He should also be praised for the way he has sought, always, for a bottom line that will help develop all people into their own higher status as human beings, as superior athletes and coaches, as well as possible “God lovers.”
He has been a man who has truly wielded the double-edged sword. He held a pure, “secular sword” when it came to his duties to the University, but I also see a “sacred sword” when it came to pointing others to what he believed was their highest Truth.

Thank you, my friend Frank, for being a man in our midst who wielded the double-edged sword. I am one of thousands who are grateful that our Lord has given you, here at Arkansas, a double legacy.
All of us like to think we can learn the hard character lessons of life and always get the win at the same time, but a perfect record at this ambition is beyond the skill and depth of any coach, anywhere! Nevertheless, we are always served best by any leader, in the long run, who fights with a double-edged sword. They are the ones who leave the generation following both the legacy of records and buildings that is seen with the eye as well as the legacy to posterity that builds and enlarges the spirit and the hearts of the people who participated in “The Program!!”
One of my most profound observations in life is recognizing that “great sacrifice” by leadership is almost never appreciated except by those who have, themselves, “sacrificed greatly.” In Coach Frank Broyles, we had a leader who wielded the double-edged sword and sacrificed greatly to keep his blades sharp.
I hope enough of you reading this little piece today have also “sacrificed greatly enough” to appreciate a man with a double-edged sword and those like him who have followed in his train.

I can still hear Coach’s words to me, “Everything I am or have done, except for my many mistakes, I owe to Jesus Christ!”