Hall of Fame
Position: Center/Linebacker
Years: 1962-1964
Place of Birth: Houston, TX
Date of Birth: Mar 06, 1943
Place of Death: Little Rock, AR
Date of Death: May 10, 2014
Jersey Number: 55
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
High School: Smiley HS (Houston, TX)
Ronnie Caveness was born March 6, 1943, in Houston, Texas. A standout at M.B. Smiley High School, Caveness chose to play at Arkansas under Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles from 1962-64. A First-Team All-American his senior year, Caveness led the Razorbacks to a share of the 1964 National Championship. That year the Razorbacks were the only major team to go through the entire season undefeated, beating Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. Caveness played both ways in 1962 and 1963 at linebacker and center before becoming a full-time defensive player as a senior.
Caveness helped Arkansas to the 1964 conference championship on a team that included Jimmy Johnson, a 2012 Hall of Fame inductee as a coach, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who serves on the NFF Board. Caveness set the Razorback record for most tackles made in consecutive seasons (309), and at the time of his induction he still held the top two spots on the school’s rankings for most tackles in a game (29 and 25, respectively). The team captain was Arkansas’ leading tackler in 21 consecutive games.
Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1965, Caveness spent one year with the franchise before spending the remainder of his five-year professional career with the Houston Oilers. Following his playing days, he became a sales manager and also served as president of the Little Rock Razorback Club. Caveness has been named to the Arkansas All-Century Team, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Cotton Bowl Classic All-Decade Team for the 1960s. Caveness passed away May 10, 2014 at the age of 71.
