Honkytonk Hitman

SULLIVAN: Sports People of the Year
by Steve Sullivan
Drum roll please. Here they are – my finalists for sportsperson of the year in Arkansas:
• Scott Norwood. Now the baseball coach at UALR, led Ouachita Baptist University to a school record 51 wins and the Tigers' first trip to the NCAA Division 2 World Series, reaching the title game.
• Joe Johnson. This former Little Rock Central High star is now a bona fide NBA All-Star in Atlanta who still spends the off-season in Little Rock playing in the Dunbar Summer League. And, he still jams for letter jackets for high school athletes in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
• Greg Hatcher. The insurance man provided the mats and the leadership needed to make high school wrestling a sanctioned sport in the state.
• Cliff Lee. The comeback player of the year in baseball and American League Cy Young Award winner from Benton who still finds time to go to bat for the kids of the Miracle League.
• Ken Duke. Five PGA Top 10 finishes, and a 22nd-place finish in the FedEx Cup standings; over $2 million in earnings and two charity golf tournaments in his home state.
• Stacy Lewis. A remarkable year for the former UA All-American, including a third-place finish in the U.S. Women's Open and a first-place finish In the LPGA's Q-school tourney.
• Clint Conque and Nathan Brown. A joint entry, as Conque provided the University of Central Arkansas' brightest moment in months when he led the Bears to a first-place finish in the Southland Conference, while Brown ended his career as the most prolific college passer in Arkansas – 100 touchdowns and 10,558 yards.
• John McDonnell. He says goodbye after leading the running Hogs to a mind-blowing 42 national titles.
• Joe Foley. So much for the critics who said the UALR women's basketball coach, who achieved Hall of Fame success at Arkansas Tech, couldn't win the Sun Belt Conference with Arkansas girls. He led UALR to its first Sun Belt West Championship.
• Bobby Petrino. You are probably thinking, "5 and 7 and he makes the list?" This is based on the hope he provided for the future; the wins over Tulsa, Auburn and LSU, and an offense where a tight end (sophomore D.J. Williams from Central Arkansas Christian) can catch 61 passes in a season.
They're all great finalists. But the winner is: Mr. Golden and Silver Gloves Boxing, Little Rock's Ray Rodgers.
Forget everything Ray has done for everyone in the rings over the past 50 years. Ray's dream is now a reality: the new Ray Rodgers Study Center. The brand-new 2,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility is designed to address the needs of young boxers outside the ring. The facility was funded by Ray, and built by Ray. Ray Rodgers is a true Arkansas treasure.
(Steve Sullivan is sports director of KATV, Channel 7 in Little Rock.)