Richardson Wins Them Over at Arkansas : College basketball: Memories of racial slights and family heartbreak linger for Southwest Conference pioneer.

The first black basketball coach in the Southwest Conference, Arkansas’ Nolan Richardson, was heavily criticized after the Razorbacks struggled in his first two seasons, failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Fans and alumni wrote hate mail, and some in the media said Richardson should be replaced.

“They barbecued me,” Richardson said. “They thought I was supposed to be like Moses and come in here and deliver a winner overnight. It just didn’t work that way.”

Richardson said some criticism was racially motivated.

“You (could) see the underlying racism,” Richardson said. “Let’s face it, it’s here. I don’t think I’ve ever read such brutal (newspaper) articles. I even used to be graded out in the paper. I’d get a ‘D’ for recruiting and an ‘F’ for bench coaching. It was ridiculous.

“It’s amazing. You can be at an all-white school with black players, and as long as you win, you never hear racial things. You only hear racial things when you’re losing.”

While Richardson fought to build a good team, his daughter, Yvonne, fought for her life. The day before Richardson left the University of Tulsa for Arkansas in 1985, Yvonne’s condition was diagnosed as leukemia. His wife, Rose, remained in Tulsa, where Yvonne received medical treatment.

Richardson admitted that he couldn’t devote his full energies to coaching and recruiting because of his daughter’s illness. He said he considered quitting, but his daughter talked him out of it.

“I’ll never forget when I told her that I don’t want to coach anymore, she told me that tough people last and rough times won’t,” Richardson said. “She told me it was just a matter of me getting some players that I could coach, and she guaranteed me that the fans would love me.”

In 1987, after Yvonne died at 15, Richardson devoted his life to rebuilding the Arkansas basketball program. He signed two high school All-Americans, guard Lee Mayberry and forward Todd Day.

With the influx of talent, Arkansas has won two consecutive conference championships, compiling a 55-11 record. When the Razorbacks defeated Texas in the Midwest Regional final to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1978, Richardson dedicated the victory to his daughter.

“I’ve got a young girl that I wish was here,” Richardson said. “My first thought when the game was over, was, ‘Yvonne, we got one for you, baby, and we’re going to get some more.’ She’s the reason I’m still coaching.

“Whether or not she’s alive, she’s here in spirit with me. I know she’s at God’s hand smiling and saying, ‘I told you, Dad, that if you just do what you say you’re going to do, you’ll be there one day.’ ”

And the Razorback fans--even those who tried to run Richardson off--are begging him to stay. Everyone in the state claims to be on a first-name basis with Nolan Richardson.

Does he feel vindicated?

“I can forgive some of the things that happened and the things that were said about me, but I’ll never forget,” Richardson said. “I’m glad for all the people that were Nolan Richardson standbys.

“(My enemies) are going to be angry anyway, so I don’t have to worry about that group. They tried to barbecue me, but they just ran out of sauce. Hopefully, next year they won’t get a gallon of sauce again and get ready for me. But I can expect that, because coaches are only as good as their last win. I understand that.”

Arkansas’ success has helped Richardson become a hot property. Colorado reportedly is interested in hiring him. However, there are reports that Arkansas will offer Richardson a $1-million annuity in an effort to retain him. Richardson, who turned down an offer from Ohio State last summer, is expected to stay.

Richardson, who grew up poor in El Paso, never dreamed that he’d be financially successful.

After graduating from Texas El Paso, where he played football, basketball and baseball, Richardson signed with the San Diego Chargers as a defensive back in 1963. After an Achilles’ tendon injury cut short his career, he became a basketball coach at Bowie High in El Paso, where he compiled a 190-80 record in 10 seasons.

He left Bowie for Western Texas Junior College, where he had a 101-13 record in three years, winning the National Junior College title in his final season.

He left for Tulsa in 1981, rebuilding the Hurricane into a national power. Tulsa won the National Invitation Tournament championship in his first season and qualified for the NCAA playoffs in three of his five years.

He would have been content to remain at Tulsa, but he left for Arkansas because he wanted to blaze a trail for other black coaches.

“In the East, (Georgetown Coach) John Thompson had a lot to do with helping black coaches, but in the South it wasn’t happening for black coaches,” Richardson said. “That was one of my main goals. I wanted to do some of the things that Jackie Robinson has done.

“Maybe that’s one of my callings.”