Frank Broyles
Encyclopedia
John Franklin Broyles is a former American football
player and coach, athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach the University of Missouri
in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas
from 1958 to 1976. Broyles also was Arkansas' athletic director
from 1974 until his retirement on December 31, 2007.
As a head football coach, Broyles compiled a record of 149–62–6. His mark of 144–58–5 in 19 seasons at Arkansas makes him the winningest coach in Arkansas Razorbacks football
history. With Arkansas, Broyles won seven Southwest Conference titles and his 1964 team was named a national champion
by a number of selectors including the Football Writers Association of America
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1983.
with a degree in Industrial Management. He led the Georgia Tech football team to four bowl appearances as quarterback
. He was named Southeastern Conference
Player of the Year in 1944. Until Michigan
quarterback Tom Brady
broke his record in 2000, Broyles held the Orange Bowl record for most passing yards in a game and is a member of the Orange Bowl, Gator Bowl
, and Cotton Bowl Classic Halls of Fame and the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame.
. In 1950 Broyles followed Woodruff when the latter took the head coach position at the University of Florida
. In 1951 he left Florida and returned to Georgia Tech as an offensive coordinator
under coach Bobby Dodd
. Broyles sought the head coaching position at Northwestern University
in 1954, and ultimately left Georgia Tech in 1957 when he was offered the position of head coach at the University of Missouri
. Broyles stayed at Missouri only one season when he was offered the head coaching job at Arkansas. During his many decades there he was offered other major coaching and leadership positions, but remained at Arkansas.
During his tenure at Arkansas
Broyles coached the Razorbacks to seven Southwest Conference championships and two Cotton Bowl Classic wins. His 1964 team was proclaimed national champions by the Football Writers Association of America
, and to date is the last Razorback team to go undefeated and untied in a season. He is still the winningest head coach in Arkansas football history. During the 1960s and 1970s one of college football's most intense rivalries was between Broyles' Razorbacks and the University of Texas
Longhorns
under legendary coach Darrell Royal
.
Athletic Director, Broyles served as the primary color commentator
for ABC Sports television coverage of College Football, normally alongside top play-by-play man Keith Jackson
. Broyles' time as a broadcaster at ABC lasted from 1977 to 1985. Broyles was often assigned games involving Southeastern Conference
or Southwest Conference teams, but if the primary game of a particular week involved the Arkansas Razorbacks
, Broyles was paired with another play-by-play man, many times Al Michaels
or Chris Schenkel
, while Jackson
called the game with another color commentator, many times Ara Parseghian
. Broyles' commentary was normally focused on play calling and coaching strategy, and while paired with Jackson
, resulted in an all-Georgian booth at ABC.
of the University of Arkansas. (Arkansas had a completely separate women's athletics department
from 1971 until the men's and women's programs were merged in 2008.) Broyles continued as head football coach for three years. Since stepping down as head coach, the University of Arkansas men's athletic programs, under his leadership as athletic director, have won 43 national championships. The Razorbacks have won 57 Southwest Conference championships and 27 Southeastern Conference
championships while he has been men's athletic director.
On February 17, 2007, Broyles announced his plans to retire as Men's Athletic Director at the University of Arkansas
, effective December 31, 2007, which ended the 50 years of association with the Arkansas athletic programs as either head football coach or men's athletic director.
, left the school because he couldn't abide Broyles' meddling. After Hatfield left, at least one booster doubted whether the Razorbacks would ever attract a top-tier head coach as long as Broyles was athletic director.
In 2000, following an expansion of Razorback Stadium, Broyles announced that one home game would move from War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock to Fayetteville, and that, in the near future, all home games might be played on campus. This move, known in Arkansas as the "Great Stadium Debate" drew heavy fire from the politicians in Little Rock, as well as businessmen and Razorback boosters Warren Stephens (Stephens, Inc.) and Joe Ford (CEO of Alltel). Broyles held meetings in Little Rock to try to persuade his case, and the University Board of Trustees even took student responses to the Great Stadium Debate on the Fayetteville campus. In the end, a long term agreement was reached to keep 2-3 games in Little Rock, while the rest would be played in Fayetteville.
Broyles' relationship with Ted Herrod, a wealthy booster in Dallas, came under fire after Herrod was accused of overcompensating Razorback athletes who worked part-time jobs at his trucking company. A lengthy NCAA investigation followed, and the University was sanctioned and penalized by the NCAA.
, Johnny Majors
, Joe Gibbs
and Jimmy Johnson all served under Broyles and have combined to win five collegiate national championships and six Super Bowls. Broyles' assistants have won more than 40 conference titles.
Broyles' tenure as men's athletic director has seen the construction of world-class facilities for basketball, football, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, and baseball at Arkansas. Broyles was selected as the 20th century's most influential Arkansas sports figure.
Broyles is known as a fierce competitor both as a head coach and athletic director. Broyles led Arkansas out of the Southwest Conference and into the Southeastern Conference.
In 1983 Broyles was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
, and in 1996, the Broyles Award
was established to recognize the top assistant coaches in college football.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach, athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
from 1958 to 1976. Broyles also was Arkansas' athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
from 1974 until his retirement on December 31, 2007.
As a head football coach, Broyles compiled a record of 149–62–6. His mark of 144–58–5 in 19 seasons at Arkansas makes him the winningest coach in Arkansas Razorbacks football
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
history. With Arkansas, Broyles won seven Southwest Conference titles and his 1964 team was named a national champion
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
by a number of selectors including the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1983.
Playing career
After his graduation from Decatur Boys High School, Broyles graduated from Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
with a degree in Industrial Management. He led the Georgia Tech football team to four bowl appearances as quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He was named Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Player of the Year in 1944. Until Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
broke his record in 2000, Broyles held the Orange Bowl record for most passing yards in a game and is a member of the Orange Bowl, Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
, and Cotton Bowl Classic Halls of Fame and the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame.
Coaching career
Broyles entered coaching in 1947 as an assistant coach under head coach Bob Woodruff at Baylor UniversityBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
. In 1950 Broyles followed Woodruff when the latter took the head coach position at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. In 1951 he left Florida and returned to Georgia Tech as an offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
under coach Bobby Dodd
Bobby Dodd
Robert Lee Dodd was an American college football coach at Georgia Tech. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and coach, something that only three people have accomplished....
. Broyles sought the head coaching position at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1954, and ultimately left Georgia Tech in 1957 when he was offered the position of head coach at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. Broyles stayed at Missouri only one season when he was offered the head coaching job at Arkansas. During his many decades there he was offered other major coaching and leadership positions, but remained at Arkansas.
During his tenure at Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Broyles coached the Razorbacks to seven Southwest Conference championships and two Cotton Bowl Classic wins. His 1964 team was proclaimed national champions by the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, and to date is the last Razorback team to go undefeated and untied in a season. He is still the winningest head coach in Arkansas football history. During the 1960s and 1970s one of college football's most intense rivalries was between Broyles' Razorbacks and the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Longhorns
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
under legendary coach Darrell Royal
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University , the University of Washington , and the University of Texas at Austin , compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5...
.
Broadcasting career
After his retirement from coaching, but concurrent with the early part of his tenure as ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Athletic Director, Broyles served as the primary color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for ABC Sports television coverage of College Football, normally alongside top play-by-play man Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
. Broyles' time as a broadcaster at ABC lasted from 1977 to 1985. Broyles was often assigned games involving Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
or Southwest Conference teams, but if the primary game of a particular week involved the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
, Broyles was paired with another play-by-play man, many times Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
or Chris Schenkel
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.-Early life and career:Schenkel began his broadcasting career at radio...
, while Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
called the game with another color commentator, many times Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
. Broyles' commentary was normally focused on play calling and coaching strategy, and while paired with Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
, resulted in an all-Georgian booth at ABC.
Athletic director
In 1974 Broyles was appointed Men's Athletic DirectorAthletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
of the University of Arkansas. (Arkansas had a completely separate women's athletics department
Arkansas Ladybacks
The women's teams competing for the University of Arkansas , refers to any of the women's sports teams that competes officially for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. The term Lady'Backs evolved over time as newspaper editors would shorten the mascot name...
from 1971 until the men's and women's programs were merged in 2008.) Broyles continued as head football coach for three years. Since stepping down as head coach, the University of Arkansas men's athletic programs, under his leadership as athletic director, have won 43 national championships. The Razorbacks have won 57 Southwest Conference championships and 27 Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
championships while he has been men's athletic director.
On February 17, 2007, Broyles announced his plans to retire as Men's Athletic Director at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, effective December 31, 2007, which ended the 50 years of association with the Arkansas athletic programs as either head football coach or men's athletic director.
Criticism
Broyles was known for being very hands-on with the football program. Indeed, at least one head coach, Ken HatfieldKen Hatfield
Ken Hatfield is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy , the University of Arkansas , Clemson University , and Rice University , compiling a career college football record of 168–140–4.-Playing...
, left the school because he couldn't abide Broyles' meddling. After Hatfield left, at least one booster doubted whether the Razorbacks would ever attract a top-tier head coach as long as Broyles was athletic director.
In 2000, following an expansion of Razorback Stadium, Broyles announced that one home game would move from War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock to Fayetteville, and that, in the near future, all home games might be played on campus. This move, known in Arkansas as the "Great Stadium Debate" drew heavy fire from the politicians in Little Rock, as well as businessmen and Razorback boosters Warren Stephens (Stephens, Inc.) and Joe Ford (CEO of Alltel). Broyles held meetings in Little Rock to try to persuade his case, and the University Board of Trustees even took student responses to the Great Stadium Debate on the Fayetteville campus. In the end, a long term agreement was reached to keep 2-3 games in Little Rock, while the rest would be played in Fayetteville.
Broyles' relationship with Ted Herrod, a wealthy booster in Dallas, came under fire after Herrod was accused of overcompensating Razorback athletes who worked part-time jobs at his trucking company. A lengthy NCAA investigation followed, and the University was sanctioned and penalized by the NCAA.
Legacy
Over thirty of his former players have also become college or professional football coaches. Broyles is known for producing high quality coaches and the prestigious Broyles Award, the annual award for best assistant coach, is named after him. Barry SwitzerBarry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
, Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors
Johnny Majors is a former American football player and coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player award, in 1955 and 1956. He finished second to Paul Hornung in voting for...
, Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
and Jimmy Johnson all served under Broyles and have combined to win five collegiate national championships and six Super Bowls. Broyles' assistants have won more than 40 conference titles.
Broyles' tenure as men's athletic director has seen the construction of world-class facilities for basketball, football, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, and baseball at Arkansas. Broyles was selected as the 20th century's most influential Arkansas sports figure.
Broyles is known as a fierce competitor both as a head coach and athletic director. Broyles led Arkansas out of the Southwest Conference and into the Southeastern Conference.
In 1983 Broyles was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, and in 1996, the Broyles Award
Broyles Award
The Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles...
was established to recognize the top assistant coaches in college football.