Nolan Richardson Jr.

Alma Mater: 

Texas Western

Class of: 
Hometown: 
El Paso, TX
High School: 
Bowie High School
  • Received Naismith Award as national coach of the year and shared similar NABC award in 1994
  • Coach of three Final Four teams--1990 (tied for third place), 1994 (champion) and 1995 (runner-up)
  • Coach of 1981 NIT champion with Tulsa and 1997 fourth-place team with Arkansas
  • Coach of six conference tournament champions--two in Missouri Valley (1982 and 1984), three in Southwest Conference (1989, 1990 and 1991) and one in SEC (2000)
  • Arkansas' all-time winningest coach
  • Won 1980 NJCAA Tournament championship (37-0 record)
  • Compiled a 101-14 record (.878) for Western Texas Junior College in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80
  • Major-college career playing statistics under Harold Davis and Don Haskins (14.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 41.8 FG%, 58.9 FT%)
  • Final Top 20 Rankings (13: AP/UPI/USA)--1982 (10/11), 1984 (12/12/21), 1985 (18/14/NR), 1989 (NR/17/20), 1990 (7/8/4), 1991 (2/2/5), 1992 (9/8/10), 1993 (12/12/10), 1994 (2/1/1), 1995 (6/6/2), 1996 (NR/NR/18), 1998 (17/22) and 1999 (17/25)
  • All-Americans (five): Tulsa's Steve Harris (1985) and Paul Pressey (1982) and Arkansas' Todd Day (1991 and 1992), Lee Mayberry (1992) and Corliss Williamson (1994 and 1995).
Record: 

Season

School

Overall

League

Finish

Conference (Division)

Postseason (Record)

1980-81

Tulsa

26-7

11-5

T-2nd

Missouri Valley

NIT (5-0)

1981-82

Tulsa

24-6

12-4

T-2nd

Missouri Valley

NCAA (0-1)

1982-83

Tulsa

19-12

11-7

T-3rd

Missouri Valley

NIT (0-1)

1983-84

Tulsa

27-4

13-3

T-1st

Missouri Valley

NCAA (0-1)

1984-85

Tulsa

23-8

12-4

1st

Missouri Valley

NCAA (0-1)

1985-86

Arkansas

12-16

4-12

7th

SWC

DNP

1986-87

Arkansas

19-14

8-8

5th

SWC

NIT (1-1)

1987-88

Arkansas

21-9

11-5

T-2nd

SWC

NCAA (0-1)

1988-89

Arkansas

25-7

13-3

1st

SWC

NCAA (1-1)

1989-90

Arkansas

30-5

14-2

1st

SWC

NCAA (4-1)

1990-91

Arkansas

34-4

15-1

1st

SWC

NCAA (3-1)

1991-92

Arkansas

26-8

13-3

1st

SEC (Western)

NCAA (1-1)

1992-93

Arkansas

22-9

10-6

1st

SEC (Western)

NCAA (2-1)

1993-94

Arkansas

31-3

14-2

1st

SEC (Western)

NCAA (6-0)

1994-95

Arkansas

32-7

12-4

T-1st

SEC (Western)

NCAA (5-1)

1995-96

Arkansas

20-13

9-7

T-2nd

SEC (Western)

NCAA (2-1)

1996-97

Arkansas

18-14

8-8

2nd

SEC (Western)

NIT (3-2)

1997-98

Arkansas

24-9

11-5

2nd

SEC (Western)

NCAA (1-1)

1998-99

Arkansas

23-11

9-7

2nd

SEC (Western)

NCAA (1-1)

1999-00

Arkansas

19-15

7-9

3rd

SEC (Western)

NCAA (0-1)

2000-01

Arkansas

20-11

10-6

2nd

SEC (Western)

NCAA (0-1)

2001-02

Arkansas*

13-14

5-10

T-4th

SEC (Western)

DNP

* His contract was bought out for $3 million with one regular-season game remaining after complaining he was treated differently because he is black.