When the Governor asked Cecil Alexander if he would be interested in serving on the Arkansas Racing Commission there was no hesitation, but there was a caveat.
Alexander wasn't just looking for a good seat at the Arkansas Derby. As fan of the sport, he wanted to be a difference maker.
That was 1991, and the Governor would soon be known as President Bill Clinton.
Alexander would become almost as respected in racing circles, but mostly he did so out of the limelight. He was always more comfortable working behind the scenes.
Alexander brought knowledge of the sport, but as vice president of governmental affairs for Entergy Arkansas he knew a lot about government, laws and lawmakers. At the time of his appointment no one knew how valuable that knowledge would be.
A couple of weeks ago, days after the Arkansas Derby, Alexander quietly resigned from the Racing Commission stating he simply wanted more time with his family. He and his wife Kathy have four daughters, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
At home in Heber Springs they all love their family time.
Alexander wanted no fanfare. No parties. Just a quiet departure that he felt was on time.
Truth is, the man deserved a colorful parade from Hot Springs to West Memphis because he was instrumental in the survival of Oaklawn and Southland.
The Hendrix graduate who played fullback and was chosen team captain was fearless in his leadership.
Casinos started popping up all over Mississippi about the time Alexander started working on the Racing Commission, and the impact was immediately felt at the thoroughbred and greyhound racing tracks in Arkansas.
Attendance dropped. Wagering dropped.
How long can you hold out? Alexander asked management at both tracks in 1995.
The answers were not good.
Alexander called the teams in from both tracks and huddled with them.
"If we are going down, at least let's go down with a fight," he said and urged them to think outside of the box.
It was a process, but eventually he was one of the first to preview the idea of Instant Racing, the brainchild of Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson.
It took previously run races and repackaged them into an electronic format but kept the betting parimutuel, and Jackson flew all over the country meeting with people to get his idea off the ground.
Alexander was a bit skeptical, but he knew Arkansas racing was desperate and he worked tireless hours selling the new creation to anyone who would listen.
Instant Racing got state approval and went live at both tracks in January 2000. Almost immediately it became apparent the lifeline was in place.
Three years later Southland officials came to Alexander and said because of their proximity to Mississippi casinos they wanted his blessing to seek legislative approval of skill-based electronic gaming, a natural progression from Instant Racing.
In 2003 the idea never made it out of the Legislature. By 2005 Alexander had the entire commission, horse and dog owners, breeders, tourism folks, community leaders and state agencies interested and this time the Legislature signed off, and voters in Garland and Crittenden counties approved the measures in November.
Under Alexander's watch, the tracks invested $150 million in their facilities, and thousands of jobs were created, millions of new tax dollars were paid and the purses at both tracks grew, making them not only survivors but leaders of their industries.
The Chairman of the Racing Commission deserves a lot of praise and credit after a quarter-century of leadership. He doesn't want it, but the fact is, job well done, Cecil Alexander.
Sports on 05/18/2016