ATHLETICS
Oklahoma Baptist to join GAC
The NCAA Division II membership committee recommended Friday the application of Oklahoma Baptist, setting the course for its move from NAIA to Division II and membership in the Great American Conference.
The committee's decision will be reviewed by the NCAA Division II management council later this month, and if approved the Shawnee, Okla. school will begin the three-stage process of becoming a full Division II member. Oklahoma Baptist's membership will give the Russellville-based GAC 12 members, six in Arkansas and six in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Baptist will compete in the NAIA Sooner Athletic Conference for the 2014-2015 season and will begin GAC play in 2015-2016.
HALL OF FAMES
Union County hall to induct six
The fourth annual Union County Sports Hall of Fame will induct six members during a ceremony at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 at the El Dorado Conference Center.
The inductees are:
• The late Sam Lyle, a 1943 graduate of El Dorado who was an All-SEC football player at LSU in 1949 and went on to become an assistant coach at LSU and a part of three national championship teams as an assistant at Oklahoma (1955, 1956) and Georgia Tech (1952). He coached under Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma and under Bobby Dodd, along with former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles.
• Billy LeFear, who graduated from Washington High in El Dorado in 1967 and was a football standout at Henderson State before spending five years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
• Bill Rainer, a 1964 graduate of El Dorado High who was the first All-American at El Dorado and went on to play for two SWC championship basketball teams at SMU (1966 and 1967). He also was an All-SWC baseball player in 1967 and spent two years in professional baseball as a member of the Dodgers organization.
• The late Van Patrick, a 1935 Norphlet graduate who served as the radio voice of the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and Notre Dame football.
• Lynwood Cathey, a 1954 graduate at Smackover and a longtime coach at Mount Holly who also led Pine Bluff White Hall to a state championship in 1966 and coached at Arkansas-Monticello.
• Jerry Burson, a meritorious selection who graduated from Strong in 1958 and will begin his 56th season as the public address announce at Strong High School.
More information on the banquet is available at ucshof.com
Sportscasters/sportswriters hall adds 3
The eighth annual Arkansas Sportscasters/Sportswriters Hall of Fame will induct two new members tonight at the Centennial Special Events Center at Centennial Country Club in Conway.
The late sportscaster Dizzy Dean and sports writer Clay Henry will be inducted, and former Arkansas Razorbacks running back Clyde Scott will receive the lifetime achievement award.
Dean was a Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and went on to become a well-known radio and television sportscaster, calling games for the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Browns, the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves.
Henry, publisher of Hawgs Illustrated magazine, is a longtime sports writer who also worked for the Tulsa World and the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway.
There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m., with dinner starting at 6 p.m. and induction ceremonies beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Sports on 07/12/2014