FORT WORTH, Texas – Former Razorback football All-American Dick Bumpas was among nine honorees inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame on Monday in a luncheon at the Brown-Lupton University Union on the TCU campus.
Hosted by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (TSHOF), the event honored Bumpas as well as other legends from schools previously affiliated with the Southwest Conference.
“Congratulations to a great former Razorback on this prestigious honor,” University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “As both a player and a coach, Dick made an impact on college football. In his time with the Razorbacks, he had an outstanding career and was part of some of the most successful teams in our history. We are pleased that he is now fittingly recognized among the best to ever compete in the Southwest Conference.”
Bumpas was a three-year letterwinner for the Razorbacks (1968, 1969, 1970) at defensive tackle. He was an All-SWC selection in 1970 and an AP first-team All-American that same season. In 1970, he led the defense on a team that went 9-2 and finished second in the SWC. He record 53 tackles that season for the league’s top defense (267 yards per game) and was the MVP of the Blue-Gray Game.
In his 38 years of coaching, Bumpas won championships in four conferences, working at his alma mater Arkansas, Kansas State, Houston, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Utah State, Navy, Western Michigan and TCU. He was a three-time Broyles Award finalist (top assistant coach in the nation). Bumpas retired from coaching following the 2014 season and lives in Fort Worth. Bumpas is a member of the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to Bumpas, the 2017 class included All-SWC Baylor basketball player, Maggie Davis-Stinnett, three-time National Title winner from the University of Houston, Steve Elkington, four-time Southwest Conference hurdle events champion from Rice, Bobby May, SMU tennis standout, Jennifer Santrock, University of Texas five-time tennis All American, Beverly Bowes-Hackney, Texas A&M basketball legend, Sonny Parker, former TCU star sprinter, Horatio Porter and three-time All-SWC basketball player from Texas Tech, Jason Sasser.
“In 2017 we have yet another outstanding group of student-athletes who exemplify what made the Southwest Conference so great; these elite athletes represented their schools with distinction,” Cooper Jones, the President & CEO of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame said. “The Southwest Conference Hall of Fame exists to honor a proud tradition of excellence in sports in the southwest.”
“The class of 2017 is legendary,” Jones stated. “It is legendary because of the character and accomplishments of these talented student-athletes.”
The Southwest Conference Hall of Fame is one of four separate halls of fame housed within the Texas Sports Hall of Fame’s physical structure. They include the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and now, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.
Later this month, 14 other legendary Razorbacks will be inducted into the SWC Hall of Fame in an event in Little Rock, including Jim Benton (football, deceased) Ron Brewer (basketball), Ronnie Caveness, (football, deceased) Joe Ferguson (football), Edrick Floreal (track & field), Orville Henry (sportswriter, deceased), Steve Little (football, deceased) Fred Marshall (football), Cynthia Moore (track & field), Wear Schoonover (football, deceased) Amber Shirey (basketball), Billy Ray Smith Sr. (football, deceased) Darrell Walker (basketball) and Dennis Winston (football).
The Southwest Conference (SWC) Hall of Fame induction ceremony and luncheon will be held at the Embassy Suites Little Rock (11301 Financial Centre Pkwy, Little Rock, AR 72211) on Monday, October 30th, at 11:30 a.m. Visit www.lrtouchdown.com or call 501-690-3944 to reserve event tickets and to access sponsorship information.
