DraftKings Sportsbook is coming to Arkansas, and to celebrate we thought we would look back at some of the Natural State’s most iconic sports figures.
And as you take a trip down memory lane, remember that we’ve got some great offers for new users in the Natural State!
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Without any further ado, here are the most iconic sports figures in Arkansas history!
Arkansas’ most iconic sports figures
Jerry Jones (University of Arkansas football, 1962-64; three Super Bowl titles as Dallas Cowboys owner)
When talking about the sports history of the Natural State, the first name to come to mind for many will be Jerry Jones. There is perhaps no more famous owner in the history of professional sports. Outspoken and opinionated, Jerry has made himself part of the fabric of sports in this country for nearly four decades through sheer force of will. There is no middle ground with Jerry — you either love him or hate him.
But even before he took America’s Team to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, Jones was an offensive lineman for the Razorbacks in the 1960s. Jones was a co-captain of the 1964 national champion Razorbacks and while at the University of Arkansas he was teammates with a man who would play a big part in his future success, Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson.
Jones opened AT&T Stadium, aka Jerry World, in 2009, was NFL Executive of the Year in 2014 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. Jones has a career record of 326-270-1 in 37 years as owner of the Cowboys.
Scottie Pippen (University of Central Arkansas basketball, 1983-87; six NBA titles with Chicago Bulls; two-time Olympic Gold medalist)
Like his humble upbringing in Hamburg, Arkansas, Scottie Pippen had humble beginnings in sports. Pippen was unheralded and lightly recruited coming out of high school, and actually had to walk on at Central Arkansas. However, a growth spurt that saw him grow from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-8 would lead to two Consensus NAIA All-American honors (1986, 1987) and set Pippen on a path to basketball immortality.
Possessing a guard’s skills in a bigger man’s body, Pippen perhaps more than any player of his era embodied the notion of a point forward. Despite playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan in Chicago, Pippen has achieved plenty of accolades of his own:
- Seven-time NBA All-Star
- 1994 NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 3x All-NBA First Team
- 8x NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Member of the 1992 Dream Team
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (1992, 1996)
- 6x NBA champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Member of the NBA 50 and 75 anniversary teams
- 2010 inductee into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame
Pippen may have been the Robin to Jordan’s Batman, but there’s no denying that even without his famous teammate Pippen would have gone down as one of the NBA’s all-time greats, posting 18,940 points, 2,307 steals, 7,494 rebounds and 6,135 assists.
Brooks Robinson (born in Little Rock; 18-time MLB All-Star; two-time World Series champion)
Born in Little Rock, Robinson is one of the greatest defensive players in MLB history, earning nicknames like “the Human Vacuum Cleaner.”
Of course, you’ll earn a title like that when you win 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards, as Robinson did with the Orioles from 1960 to 1975. Robinson wasn’t all glove, however — the man could hit, too! Consider that Robinson collected the following accolades:
- 18-time All-Star
- 1964 American League RBI leader
- 1964 AL MVP
- Career .267 batting average
- 268 home runs
- 1,357 RBI
- Average WAR of 4.4.
Robinson won two World Series titles with Baltimore (1966, 1970), had his number retired and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1983.
Paul “Bear” Bryant (born in Moro Bottom; six-time national champion as head coach)
Born in Moro Bottom, Arkansas in 1913, Bryant is considered by many to be the greatest college football coach of all-time.
Bryant took his alma mater Alabama to six national titles in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978 and 1979, as well as 13 SEC championships. Bryant has an all-time record of 323–85–17 as a college head coach, behind only Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden. He posted a winning record in 37 of 38 seasons as a head coach and led his teams to a total of 29 bowl games.
Bryant was a three-time national coach of the year (1961, 1971, 1973), 12-time SEC Coach of the Year (1950, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977–1979, 1981) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Lou Brock (born in El Dorado; six-time MLB All-Star; two-time World Series champion)
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Brock would go on to become one of the greatest base stealers in the history of Major League Baseball, leading the National League in swipes eight times.
A six-time All-Star and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1985, Brock is second all-time in stolen bases (938), trailing only Rickey Henderson (1406). Brock also held the single season steals record, 118 in 1974, before it too was broken by Henderson in 1982 (130). Brock’s legendary resume also includes:
- 3,023 hits
- a career batting average of .293
- 149 home runs
- 900 RBI
Brock was a member of two World Series championship teams with the St. Louis Cardinals (1964, 1967), making the Cubs pay for trading him during the 1964 season in what is considered by many to be one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history. His number 20 is retired by the Cardinals.
From Hall of Fame legends to championship icons, Arkansas has left an outsized mark on the sports world. As DraftKings Sportsbook arrives in the Natural State, there’s no better time to celebrate the figures who built that legacy — because Arkansas, the crown is yours!
