(TSX / STATS) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Frank Broyles, the legendary coach who brought the University of Arkansas football program to prominence, died Monday. He was 92.
The family of Broyles released a statement that he passed away peacefully at home due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.
Broyles was the head coach at Arkansas for 19 years, amassing a career record of 144-58-1 from 1958-76. The 144 wins are a school record.
During his tenue, Broyles guided the Razorbacks to seven Southwest Conference titles and his 1964 unbeaten team was voted national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.
Alabama was voted the No. 1 team by the Associated Press in 1964, an award bestowed prior to the bowl games. The Crimson Tide lost its bowl game while Arkansas capped an 11-0 season by beating Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.
Broyles retired at coach in 1976 and went on to serve as athletic director and a fundraiser for Arkansas, spending 57 years in some capacity at the university.
“The Razorback Family has lost its patriarch and Arkansas has lost one of its most beloved figures. Coach Frank Broyles was a legendary coach, athletics director, broadcaster and a tireless advocate for those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s,” Razorbacks Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “In his more than 50 years of service to the University of Arkansas and intercollegiate athletics, his vision and leadership allowed the Razorback program to flourish and in turn enrich the lives of thousands of young men. In the process, he brought unprecedented national attention to Arkansas. His passion for the Razorbacks was infectious, his spirit was indomitable and his vision helped transform a program, a university and an entire state.
“His legacy in our state is unmatched.”
Broyles, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, also served as the school’s athletic director from 1973 until his retirement on Dec. 31, 2007.
During his tenure as AD, Broyles was a driving force behind Arkansas’ decision to leave the Southwest Conference and accept membership into the Southeastern Conference.
Broyles also served as a lead college football analyst with ABC for nine years from 1977 to 1985 and was honored with an award named for him. The Frank Broyles Award is presented annually to the top college assistant coach in college.
“As a coach and longtime athletic director for the university, his devotion to the school, and the young men and women who attended it, helped put young Arkansans on a path to success,” U.S. Sen. John Boozman said in a statement to Arkansas Online.
