Emmitt Smith is one of the most decorated football players ever.
The former Dallas Cowboys running back is also an in-demand speaker and will be in Little Rock on June 17 as the featured speaker for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's All-Arkansas Preps banquet that will honor more than 300 high school athletes and coaches.
Smith is the all-time leader in rushing yards in the NFL with 18,355 yards. He rushed for 164 touchdowns and caught 515 passes for another 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He has three Super Bowl rings, is in the Dallas Cowboys' Ring of Honor, College Football Hall of Fame and has a lifetime of memories as an athlete and successful businessman.
Smith is a great motivational speaker, and there is limited seating for this great event at the Wally Allen Ballroom in the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Doors open at 5 p.m.
For more information on tickets or the event, which is waiting on two final sports to wrap up to announce all the individual winners, go to allarkansaspreps.com.
This is the fifth annual All-Arkansas Preps dinner and awards banquet and as great as Smith will be, just like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Dick Vitale and Cal Ripken were before him, the real stars of the night are the athletes and coaches.
...
When it comes to golf tournaments in Arkansas, no one throws a bigger party than the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and this year's fiesta will be June 5 at beautiful Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.
Arkansas football Coach Bret Bielema and six of his assistants will be on hand, as well as numerous celebrities. Too many to mention them all, but guys like Ken Hatfield, Kevin McReynolds, Quinn Grovey, Chuck Barrett, Fred Marshall and Norm DeBriyn will be there.
What separates this tournament from most is the massive amount of prizes which can be won.
First- and second-place teams win Wilson golf bags, and that's just the start.
The price of a team has been lowered to $1,400.
Any teams wishing to have a meet-and-greet with Bielema and his coaches before the lunch and tournament can do so for $2,000.
To get a team in this great event contact Tom Mitchell at tmitch@arksportshalloffame.com.
Incidentally, the website for the Hall of Fame, arksportshalloffame.com, has been completely updated and is well worth a visit. It will be continuously updated in the future.
...
A final -- but important -- bit of information on the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, new President Richard Johnson's first meeting was a huge success and two new board members were voted in unanimously, plus a returning veteran is coming back after two years off.
Bill Ingram, the co-athletic director at Arkansas Baptist College (along with Charles Ripley), has accepted one of the positions. Ingram is also founder of the Real Deal in the Rock, a national basketball tournament, and chairman of the Arkansas Hawks. He is a graduate of Little Rock Parkview High School and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville where he walked on to play football.
Scott Varady, executive director of the Razorback Foundation and former legal counsel for the UA, also joins the board. Varady graduated from the UA, got his masters and law degree at Georgetown. Before joining the UA, he worked as an attorney and also for the late Sen. Dale Bumpers.
Nancy Williams rejoins the board after taking time off to take care of her late mom. Williams continued to serve as secretary to the executive committee. A world-class trapshooter, Williams also is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Sports on 05/11/2017