FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Senior defensive tackle T.J. Smith is the winner of the inaugural Broyles Razorback Award.
Smith is one of the leaders for Arkansas’ defense.
Chad Morris talked about this award on Saturday and what it is meant to do as far as honoring Broyles, the former head football coach, and athletic director.
“We are going to give out the Broyles Razorback Player Award tonight,” Morris said. “It’s an award that we’ve been wanting to give you. I’ve been thinking about it for close to a year. Wanted to do the right time to give it out, and this was the right time. And basically what we want is to just continue to educate our young men on what Coach Broyles did, not just for this university but for our entire state of Arkansas and for college football and his love of the Hogs that he had.
“And so, there’ll be a lot of his family that will be here tonight that will give the award out. This will be a prestigious award. It’s something that I hope is given to a player as long as they play football here because it’s important that our young men know the impact that Coach Broyles had in this program and all across the country.
“We’ll show a video tonight of Coach Broyles and the family will come in and speak, and we’ll present the award to the young man, and it’ll be something that’s very, very special. We’ll find a place here in the building on the wall to make sure we recognized these young men each year. We’ll always do it the third Saturday of August on the night of team pictures.”
Broyles, who died on Aug. 14, 2017, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease, came to Arkansas in December 1957. He was head football coach until he retired following the 1976 season. He led Arkansas to a national championship in 1964.
He was named Arkansas’ Director of Athletics in 1973 and served there until 2007.
Smith finished the 2018 season with 26 tackles, 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Smith signed with Arkansas out of Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County High School in the Class of 2015.
