10 Feb 2025 501 Hometown Hall of Famers: Houston Nutt
By David Grimes
Most Arkansans remember Houston Nutt for his time as a player and coach for the Razorback football team, but many may not be aware of the success he had as a multisport star at Little Rock Central High School.
Houston Nutt was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 2019 as part of the 61st class, along with Gary Adams, Richard Akel, David Alpe, Denny Flynn, Madre Hill, Jerry Jones Jr., Jim King and Sherry Raney White.
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. was born in 1957 in Little Rock. He and his three younger brothers, Dickey, Danny and Dennis, all excelled in athletics. Their parents were both teachers at the Arkansas School for the Deaf, and their father, Houston Nutt Sr., also served as coach and athletic director. The elder Nutt was inducted into the ASHOF in 2001.
In 1973, Nutt started at quarterback for Central and led the Tigers to an 8-3 record. The Arkansas Democrat named him the top sophomore in the state. He also excelled for the basketball team.
He had an even better year as a junior. In the fall of 1974, Nutt led the Tiger football team to a 10-1-1 record. He was selected as the quarterback on the prestigious all-classification Associated Press Super Team. He then helped the basketball team attain even greater success, winning the 1975 Class AAAA state championship, defeating Little Rock Hall and star guard Sidney Moncrief in the title game. The Tigers then captured the all-classification Overall Championship as well.
As a senior, Nutt led the football team to a perfect 12-0 record, and when they defeated rival Little Rock Hall in their annual Thanksgiving Day matchup, Central claimed the 1975 Class AAAA state championship. Nutt was again named to the AP Super Team. His three-year record as starting quarterback was 30-4-1.
Nutt stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 205 pounds, and was considered by many to be the best passer to ever come out of Arkansas. He pretty much had his pick of colleges and considered SMU, Tennessee and Oklahoma State, among others. Alabama Coach Bear Bryant came to Little Rock to personally recruit Nutt. But he decided to become a Razorback.
As a freshman in Fayetteville, he played for legendary Coach Frank Broyles, starting several games at quarterback in 1976. Nutt also continued his basketball career with the Hogs, lettering as a freshman in 1977 for Coach Eddie Sutton.
Broyles retired before Nutt’s sophomore campaign, and Lou Holtz became the new head coach. Following that season, Nutt transferred to Oklahoma State, where he played football and again also played basketball, joining his brother Dickey on the Cowboys’ roster.
After graduating from Oklahoma State, Nutt followed in his father’s footsteps into the coaching profession. Like most coaches starting out, he bounced around as an assistant at several schools, including Arkansas and Arkansas State.
In 1993, Nutt got his first head coaching job at Murray State. He spent four years with the Racers, qualifying for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs his final two seasons there. He spent the 1997 season at Boise State before accepting his dream job as head coach at the University of Arkansas.
Nutt would remain in Fayetteville for a decade, leading the Razorbacks to some of their most successful and memorable accomplishments during their time in the SEC. His teams were SEC West champions in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
In his inaugural 1998 campaign, Arkansas shocked everyone by starting out 8-0 before losing a heartbreaker to eventual national champion Tennessee. But the Hogs got their revenge on the Volunteers the following season in Razorback Stadium, when quarterback Clint Stoerner hit receiver Anthony Lucas for a late touchdown for the win. It was such a monumental victory that the fans stormed the field, tearing down the goal post and carrying it down Dickson Street.
The Miracle on Markham occurred in 2002 when the Hogs beat LSU, 21-20, at War Memorial Stadium on a touchdown pass with nine seconds left from quarterback Matt Jones to DeCori Birmingham.
In 2006, the Hogs won 10 games for the first time since 1989. Their SEC record of 7-1 is the best in school history. The 2007 season would be Nutt’s last at Arkansas, but he went out in style, defeating the No. 1-ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge in a 50-48, three-overtime classic in his final game.
Nutt finished his tenure at Arkansas with a 75-48 record, including 42-38 in the SEC. He later coached at Ole Miss for four seasons, retiring with an overall career coaching record of 135-96.
