Long before the Clintons showed up, Frank Broyles put Arkansas in the public eye, as head coach of University of Arkansas’ football team. Helming the team from 1958 to 1976, Broyles is best known for leading the team to an undefeated record and national championship in 1964.
As The New York Times reported, Broyles died Monday at the age of 92.
Originally from Georgia, Broyles attended Georgia Tech in the ’40s and was a star quarterback, with four bowl appearances to his name. He held the record for most passing yards in Orange Bowl history—until a guy named Tom Brady broke it in 2000.
Though drafted by the Chicago Bears in ’46, Broyles ended up pivoting to coaching. After taking a number of coaching positions around college football—including the role of head coach at the University of Florida in 1950—Broyles would end up landing in Arkansas in the late ’50s, beginning his career run. He would lead the team to seven Southwest Conference titles, a pair of Cotton Bowl victories, and of course, that immaculate ’64 season.
He still holds the record for most wins by an Arkansas head coach with 144. From ’74 until his retirement in 2007, he also served as Arkansas’ athletic director.
In a statement from his family, they said Broyles “lived nothing short of a remarkable life. To all who would listen, Frank Broyles was quick to proclaim, in his unmistakable and infectious southern tone, that he was blessed to live ‘a charmed life.’”
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