Pitts/Delph Award recipients: Rival coach ‘rides’ Dyer at awards luncheon
Cliff Garrison, who has known Don Dyer as a mentor, rival and friend, noted that how the winningest basketball coach in Arkansas history left no stone unturned in his search for good players.
Or cars on the junk heap.
Garrison, the winningest basketball coach in Hendrix College history, began his coaching career at Henderson State as an assistant to Dyer, the winningest basketball coach in both Henderson State and UCA history. When he became coach at Hendrix, where he became an icon, Garrison’s ride was a 1947 Plymouth in which one could see through the floor board. “I paid $45 for it and it looked like it had been in a wreck,” Garrison said. “I sold the thing to Dyer for $25 and I’d be darned if he didn’t use that as a recruiting tool to get a 6-8 post man.”
The former Hendrix coach introduced Dyer as the recipient of the Elijah Pitts Award for career achievement at the Conway Athletic Awards Commission’s annual luncheon, held Sunday at the Mabee Student Center at Central Baptist College.
Garrison noted that Dyer, while coaching at Henderson State and UCA, compiled a 606-277 career record, guided teams to 18, 20-win seasons, led teams from two different schools to the NAIA title game, had four teams reach the NAIA Final Four and guided three of them to the title game, UCA teams in back-to-back years.
“He was a hard worker, was dedicated, had perseverance, discipline, attention to detail and good players,” Garrison said of the coach he sent several teams up against in many classic matchups in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference.
“You don’t know how much that hurt Cliff to say all that,” Dyer said. “I remember those days when we’d go over to Hendrix and Cliff seemed to have those cheerleaders doing that ‘Ho, Ho, Hey, Hey”’stuff as soon as we walked in the door. (The legendary “Ho, Ho, Hey, Hey, you’ll be working for us someday,” chant that Hendrix students traditionally shouted to the UCA players). It was nice to play in games where that it was hard to get seats and people lined the walls.
“Cliff and Meribeth (Garrison) are some of my best friends. Well, lately. Early on, it wasn’t that way.”
Garrison added, “In 29 years of coaching, Dyer only got one technical foul. He had those refs right where he wanted ‘em.” The Pitts Award is named after the late Elijah Pitts, who went from Conway’s old Pine Street Elementary to star for the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi, earning two Super Bowl rings. Garrison earned the award in 2009.
“I’ve been in Conway 33 years,” said Dyer. “I’ve met a lot of good people and have a lot of good friends. I never wanted to leave.”
Two athletes were honored with Marvin Delph Awards, named for the former Conway High and Arkansas Razorback basketball star, as male and female athletes of the year in Conway.
The female recipient was Conway High golfer Summar Roachell, who won her third straight 7A state girls title, her second girls Overall title and helped a United States team to victory in international competition with a European all-star group in the Junior Solheim Cup in Scotland.
“The first time I saw Summar, I saw she was something special,” said CHS golf coach Janet Taylor. “She was in the 5 to 7 age group and she was at the Conway Country Club pro shop arguing with the guys why their championship was 18 holes and the girls just played nine.”
Roachell is currently ranked 11th nationally in her age group.
“She has been a tremendous role model and ambassador at our school,” Taylor said. “She has a 4.2 GPA and she’s just a good Christian student-athlete. She was a catalyst in starting at FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) chapter at our school.”
Roachell thanked her coaches and school officials and particularly her family.
“My parents and grandparents put a lot of time, effort and money into letting me chase my dreams,” she said. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the support from this community.”
UCA quarterback Nathan Dick, who helped the Bears to a 9-4 record and the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs, was the male winner of the Delph Award. He was unable to attend the luncheon because he was traveling to San Antonio, Texas, to continue preparations for the NFL draft. He was a December graduate of UCA.
Clint Conque, UCA football coach, accepted the award on Dick’s behalf.
“Nathan helped shape the record book as a quarterback at UCA,” Conque said. “He told me he’s very appreciative of the honor and hopes folks see him again playing in the National Football League.”
Receiving the Joe B. McGee Meritorious Service Award was the Hendrix Aquakids youth swim program, founded by the late Dr. Bob Courtway and which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. Through the years, the Aquakds developed several highly competitive swimmers and was responsible for thousands of youngsters throughout the region learning to swim and developing an appreciation for swimming as a lifetime recreational sport. The organization has averaged 100 to 150 swimmers a year participating in the program.
Tyler Crosson of Conway High, recently honored by U.S. Swimming as a Scholastic All-American, accepted the award on behalf of the program.
“I just started swimming for the Aquakids to stay in shape between football seasons,” Crosson said. “I fell in love with the sport. It taught me discipline and time management and I learned to always push for excellence. I got the opportunity to go across the country and meet people I would never get to meet otherwise and see places I’d never get to go.”
The recipients were selected by a vote of Conway athletic officials and media.
David Grimes, commission chairman, also presented Marvin Delph Student Athlete Awards to eight, eighth-graders at Conway public and private schools. Those were voted on, based on citizenship, academic and athletic achievement, by administrators and teachers at their schools.
Earning those awards were:
Mircale Holliday and Orlando Phillips, Bob Courtway Middle School; Mica Walter and Collin Cahill, Carl Stuart Middle School; Sami Foster and Landon Bruich, St. Joseph; Mary-Morgan Ellis and Will Callaway, Conway Christian.
