The 10 newest members of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame were inducted Friday night during a banquet held at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Seven of the 10 inductees were in attendance and gave speeches to the packed crowd in the Wally Allen Ballroom.
Ed Harris, Jason Peters and the late Ryan Mallett were the only inductees not present on Friday night. Harris is nearing 92 years of age and several health issues prevented him from making an in-person appearance. He had a prolific career on the amateur golf circuit in Arkansas that spanned four decades before his retirement from competitive golf in 1999.
No reason was given for Peter's absence, but the 42-year old NFL free agent has not announced his retirement and may be looking to continue his career in 2024 as the oldest active player in the league. Mallett, who tragically died in an accidental drowning in the Gulf of Mexico last June, was represented by his mother Debbie at the ceremony.
Carla Crowder, Glen Day, Al Flanigan, Butch Gardner, Jeff Glasbrenner, Peyton Hillis and Eric Jackson rounded out the 2024 class. Glasbrenner is the first Arkansan with a disability to be inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd when he was introduced Friday night.
After losing a leg in a farming accident during his childhood in Wisconsin, Glasbrenner was able to overcome his disability and become an elite athlete. He has played in three Paralympics as a wheelchair basketball player, competed in dozens of Ironman Triathlons and became the first American amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
"I think a lot of times people look at me and they see my disability," Glasbrenner said. "I think being here tonight, I'm being recognized for my ability because I am capable of doing so many amazing things."
After starring as a basketball player at Arkansas Tech from 1978-81, Crowder would go on to have a 38-year career coaching girls basketball in the state. She led Bryant High School to three state championships (1988, 1989 and 1991) and earned another state title in 2012 at Cabot.
Mallett and Hillis were each native Arkansans who starred at the University of Arkansas before going onto successful NFL careers. In his seven years in the NFL, Mallett had stints with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens.
Hillis played for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants during his seven years at the pro level. His best season in the NFL came in 2010, when he rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Browns.
Gardner was a standout basketball player in his four seasons at Harding University from 1973-77. His 2,255 career points at Harding still stand as the most by a player in program history.
Day, who is from Little Rock, attended the University of Oklahoma before going onto a successful career as a professional golfer. He was ranked as high as the 30th best golfer in the world in 2000. Day won the 1999 MCI Classic in Hilton Head, S.C.
Jackson served as general manager of what is now Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs for 30 years from 1987-2017. The Hot Springs native has been affiliated with Oaklawn since 1978 and is credited as a major figure in growing it into one of the premier horse racing tracks in the country.
After a successful playing career at Southern Arkansas University, Flanigan went on to coach Little Rock Parkview to seven state championships. When he took the podium Friday night, Flanigan shared many thanks to those who helped him along the way and also drew a number of laughs from the audience.
"This is the end of a great career and I had fun," Flanigan said. "I did it my way and I did it to the best of my ability. They talk about the GOAT [Greatest of All-Time], GOAT this and GOAT that. Well, I'm the GOAT of all GOATs! Thank you."