I just got in not long ago and checked in here per usual. I saw the news and it hit me like a rock. I remember the 1957 season and that November and then what followed for all those years. It is how I now measure our coaches and so far they have ALL came up lacking by a long degree as have how their teams played (not so much W & L) compared to his. Just as an example; The four don’ts of the kicking game. He could go on and on. I have a big thread below about a poor defense. I compare all our defenses to those of Coach. It is probably not fair to any of the coaches to be compared to the best, but that is the standard he gave us for Arkansas.
I met him so many times. He always had time for me and always made me feel important. I had a professor in the 60s who would design plays and send to coach in the campus mail, and he would always get a thank you note back. He did not have to do that, but he did.
JFB was just a great man plain and simple. I feel so empty tonight. The Razorback Nation has lost its true leader. I feel like I lost a member of my family and I did as did we all.
I will close by thinking of the feeling I had that great day in Dallas as we beat NE in the Cotton Bowl and then saw hated TX take down Bama (I have never pulled so hard for another team as I did for TX and coach DKR that night). We were on top and it would have never happened without Coach.
May God bless he and his family and may God bless us on this time when we have and open wound that will never be filled.
You are loved by your State Coach and we will miss you so much. God’s team is now blessed with a great coach and man!!