Legendary Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Frank Broyles has died.
Broyles was 92. He died from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease Monday. Broyles coached the Razorbacks from 1958-1976. He finished his career with a record of 149-62-6. He led the Hogs to a National Championship in 1964. Broyles also coached at the University of Missouri in 1957.
Broyles later moved into the broadcasting booth for ABC. He was the school’s athletics director from 1974-2007. Later in life, he became an advocate for Alzheimer’s research.
The family released this statement:
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Coach Frank Broyles. He passed peacefully in his home surrounded by his loved ones. For 92 years John Franklin 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’.
For more than five decades, he served the University of Arkansas and all citizens of his adopted home state in his role as a coach, administrator and goodwill ambassador for his beloved Razorbacks.
We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who helped contribute to his charmed life. Whether you were one of his players, coaches, colleagues or friends, a Razorback fan or fellow caregiver, you were an integral part of his fairy tale story. To his family, he was quite simply, our hero.
We take peace in knowing that his faith was the foundation for the impact he made on the lives of others. From innumerable private moments with his family and friends, to countless public interactions with millions in his various roles, Coach Broyles shared his attitude of gratitude and encouraged others to make a difference.
We know that this remarkable man does not want us to mourn, but to celebrate the hope and inspiration he passed along to each of us. For nearly two decades, he was a trailblazer for changing the stigma around dreaded disease which took the life of his first wife, Barbara Day, and ultimately his own. We will never know the impact that writing and publishing “Coach Broyles Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers” and establishing the Broyles Foundation will have on families, but Coach considered it a win the first time it helped one person.
He was the very definition of a difference maker. It will be impossible to fill the void created by his passing. But even in our grief, our hearts are overflowing with the love, gratitude and treasured memories of the charmed life and lasting legacy of our beloved Coach.
We are planning a public celebration of his life. Once the details are finalized we will share them with you.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.”
Athletics Director Jeff Long released this statement following the death of Broyles.
“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. 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. I will forever be grateful for the generosity, graciousness and unwavering support he extended to me when I came to the University of Arkansas. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Razorback nation are with his wife Gen, his children and the entire Broyles Family.”
