Coach Dave Van Horn Among Nine Razorbacks Selected for UA Hall of Honor
FAYETTEVILLE — If University of Arkansas baseball Coach Dave Van Horn isn’t already considered a living legend in the state, he will be officially recognized as such this fall.
Van Horn headlines a class of nine Razorback athletics figures who will be inducted into the UA Hall of Honor on September 13 at the Walton Arts Center. The ceremony will take place the evening before the Razorbacks’ football team hosts Alabama-Birmingham for the campus opener at 3:15 p.m. on September 14.
Joining Van Horn are former football players Alex Collins, Matt Jones, and Ravin Caldwell; former basketball player Kareem Reid; former baseball player David Walling; track and field great Matt Hemingway; former softball player Devon Wallace; and former women’s basketball player Wendi Willits.
Inductees are selected to the UA Hall of Honor based on a vote by former Razorback letter winners in conjunction with the A Club.
“The University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor represents the best of the best in the history of our program,” Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “This year’s talented class features a Hall of Fame coach and some of the most dynamic athletes in Razorback history, including national champions, Olympic medalists, and standouts from six of our programs who helped lay the foundation for our success.”
Van Horn, 63, has led Arkansas to seven College World Series appearances in 22 seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2018. His teams have won five of the last six SEC West titles and two of the last four SEC overall championships. He will be the sixth active Arkansas head coach inducted into the UA Hall of Honor since its inception in 1988, joining his college coach Norm DeBriyn, Dick Booth, Lance Harter, John McDonnell, and Nolan Richardson. Frank Broyles and Bev Lewis were both inducted as active administrators.
Collins, who tragically died in a motorcycle accident last summer in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., was honored last season by having his initials placed at the 3-yard line at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in recognition of his No. 3 jersey. Collins joined Darren McFadden and Herschel Walker as the only SEC running backs to compile 1,000-yard rushing seasons in their first three years. The SEC freshman of the year in 2013, he holds a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns as a junior in 2015. Collins ranks second in the UA record books in career rushing yardage (3,703) and 100-yard games (17), and fourth with 36 rushing touchdowns.
Jones, from Fort Smith, was the SEC’s all-time quarterback rushing leader with 2,535 yards and 24 touchdowns before being surpassed by Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald in 2018. He finished his career as the school record holder with 8,392 total yards and 77 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. Jones led Arkansas to wins in two seven-overtime road games against Ole Miss and Kentucky, and his 7.38 yards per play ranks second in SEC history behind Florida’s Danny Wuerffel. A team captain in 2004, Jones amassed 5,857 passing yards and 53 passing touchdowns.
Caldwell, also from Fort Smith, recorded 153 tackles as a linebacker at Arkansas from 1982-85 and went on to win two Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins in 1987 and 1991. Caldwell led the Hogs with 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 4 fumble recoveries as a junior. His teams at Arkansas won 32 games and achieved two top-12 final rankings. Caldwell played six seasons in the NFL.
Reid, from New York City, set a school record with 749 assists from 1995-99, ranking second in SEC history. Reid’s 1,475 points rank 14th at Arkansas. He earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 1996 and led the Hogs to the NCAA Sweet 16. Reid had a lengthy pro career, including a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Walling, from San Diego, had two All-America seasons for DeBriyn in 1998-99, including a school-record 155 strikeouts in 1999. Walling pitched a school-record 29 consecutive scoreless innings as a junior and was drafted as the No. 27 pick in the first round by the New York Yankees.
Hemingway, from Buena Vista, Colo., was an SEC champion and Olympic medalist. The four-time All-American helped Arkansas win three consecutive NCAA Outdoor titles and one NCAA Indoor title. Hemingway won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and took the 2000 USATF Indoor title with a career-best jump of 7-9.75.
Wallace, who played from 2012-15, holds Arkansas records in walks, runs, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. The native of Double Oak, Texas, was a three-time All-SEC selection and the 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year. She led the nation in walks and on-base percentage in 2013.
Willits, a four-year starter from 1997-2001, made a school-record 316 three-pointers and played for the 1997-98 Final Four team. She is seventh on the UA’s all-time scoring list with 1,574 points. Willits set a single-season record with 104 three-pointers in 1998-99 and later helped the Los Angeles Sparks to the 2001 WNBA championship before beginning a coaching career.
Information on obtaining tickets to the induction ceremony will be released in the coming weeks.
