NFF John L. Toner Award Recipients
Biography
Frank Broyles starred in football, basketball and baseball at Georgia Tech and was an All-Southeastern Conference quarterback in 1944 and 1946. He was head coach at Missouri in 1957 (record: 5-4-1) before becoming head coach at Arkansas in 1958. Broyles' record at Arkansas speaks for itself - in the 19 years prior to his arrival in Fayetteville, Arkansas had recorded only five winning seasons. In his 19 years, Broyles-led teams produced 14 winning campaigns and an overall record of 144-58-5. Before Broyles, the Razorbacks had been in only one bowl game. Under Broyles, the Cardinal and White played in 10 bowl games and won seven Southwest Conference titles. During the 1964 and 1965 seasons, Arkansas won 22 straight games, including a Cotton Bowl victory and the 1964 National Championship.
He turned out great players as well. In all the years football had been played at Arkansas before Broyles arrived, the 'Hogs had only four All-America selections. However, in the Broyles era, the Razorbacks turned out 18 All-Americans and 88 all- conference players. Broyles retired from coaching after 1976 and became Arkansas athletic director. During his time Arkansas won the Southwest all-sports title 12 times and was national all-sports champion in 1985. In that year Arkansas won the conference in 7 of 9 sports. He was born December 25, 1924, in Decatur, Georgia. Before becoming a head coach, he was an assistant at Baylor, Florida, and Georgia Tech 1947-56.
As Arkansas athletic director, he steered the school from the Southwest to the Southeastern Conference in 1992. In his first 29 years as athletic director, Arkansas won 36 national championships. He served a term as president of the American Football Coaches Association and served on the NCAA football rules committee. He was named a lifetime trustee of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He broadcast for 8 years on the ABC national football network.
On June 17, 2003, the university gave him a 5-year extension on his contract as Arkansas director of athletics.