Clyde Scott

Arkansas sports legend Clyde Scott passed away January 30, 2018 after a long battle with dementia. He was ninety-three years old. Clyde was born August 29, 1924 in Dixie, Louisiana, the third of ten children to Luther and Callie Scott. With the discovery of oil in Arkansas, his dad, an oil field worker, moved the family to Smackover where Clyde attended school. Along with his brothers, Tracy and Benny, Clyde first gained notoriety on the football field as a Smackover Buckaroo. As a Buckaroo he also ran track where he set high school state records in the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles, the 110 high hurdles and the javelin. Like his father and many men in the small towns of Arkansas, summers he played baseball which Clyde always considered his best sport. His baseball prowess caught the attention of the scouts and The St. Louis Cardinals offered him a contract his senior year in high school. As much as Clyde loved baseball, he also wanted to go to college. With the help of Congressman Oren Harris and some businessmen in Smackover, he received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of ‘46. Clyde played football for the Midshipmen in 1944 and 1945 and was named a second team All-American in 1945. (Navy at the time was ranked number two in the country.) Many touchdowns and a famous race to the end zone against the Army great, Glenn Davis, added to the growing legend that led to the name, Clyde Smackover Scott. He ran track at the Naval Academy where he set academy records in the 100-yard dash, 220 low hurdles, 110 high hurdles and the javelin. In 1944 and 1945, he was the academy's undefeated light heavyweight boxing champion. After Naval Academy football practice one day in 1945, he had the good fortune to meet Leslie Hampton from Lake Village, Arkansas. She was the reigning Miss Arkansas there for a tour of the academy on her way to competing in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. The upperclassman scheduled to be her escort was called away on a cruise and Clyde was asked to fill in that fateful day. They met, fell in love and decided by the end of the school year they wanted to get married. With the war having ended, Clyde made the decision to resign from the Academy in order to marry his Arkansas beauty. That summer, after being visited by coaches from around the country, including Bear Bryant at Kentucky and Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss, he was recruited to come to the University of Arkansas by Coach John Barnhill. The fact that his bride-to-be was attending the U. of A. and a soon to be mother-in-law who only wanted her daughter married to a Razorback may have influenced that decision. At the University of Arkansas, Clyde was named All Southwest Conference 1946, 1947 and 1948, Second Team All American in 1946 and First Team All American in 1948. His jersey number "12" was retired by the University of Arkansas shortly after his graduation. Clyde still wanted to play baseball but Coach Barnhill would not allow it because it interfered with spring practice. He did, however, permit his star to run track where Clyde set school and SWC records in the 100-yard dash, the 220 low hurdles, the 110 high hurdles, the 440-yard relay and the javelin. The two times he ran the 100-yard dash in college, he tied the world record held by the great Jesse Owens. In the 1948 NCAA Finals he again tied a world record competing and winning in the 110 high hurdles with a time of 13.7. That summer he made the U.S. Olympic team in the 110 high hurdles and went to the 1948 London Olympics where he won the silver medal in a very close finish. Clyde always wanted to try out for the 1952 Olympics in the decathlon but his status as a professional football player made him ineligible. As a tribute to his athletic greatness and overall respect for the man, then President Bill Clinton took Clyde and Leslie to the Atlanta Olympics where Clyde finally made his Olympic return. Clyde was selected in the first round of the 1949 NFL draft as the first pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played three seasons with the Eagles and one season with the Detroit Lions. As a professional football player Clyde was on two world championship teams - one with the Eagles in 1949 and one with the Lions in 1952. Clyde battled injuries throughout his pro career and was forced to retire after the 1952 season. He received many awards when his playing days ended. While his selection to the National Football Hall of Fame was an outstanding honor, Clyde treasured the recognition he received from his beloved State of Arkansas – a few notables being the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and the National Football Hall of Fame. In a statewide poll conducted by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in 2000, he was selected as a member of the University of Arkansas All-Century Team and was voted the Arkansas Athlete of the Century. Clyde spent his business career in Little Rock working in the insurance industry as an executive most notably for Jack Stephens at Union Life. He retired in 1995 and spent much of the rest of his life doing what he loved best - hunting ducks, catching crappie and playing golf and cards with his buddies at Pleasant Valley Country Club. Throughout his life, Clyde dealt with his fame with grace and a humble spirit. He was special. While many are remembered for their achievements, Clyde is remembered for being a good and great man who excelled both on and off the field and was much loved and respected by his family, his friends and his many fans. Clyde is survived by his wife of 72 years, Leslie, his two children, Marsha Scott of Fayetteville and Steve Scott (Shirley) of Maumelle; his three grandchildren, Robert, Lily and Caroline Scott and his two step grandchildren Caleb LeFevre and Chris LeFevre (Gabby), both of Little Rock. He is also survived by his brother, Ben Scott of Independence, Missouri, and sisters, Marci Porter of Ft. Smith and Carol Maxwell (Don) of Utopia, Texas. Clyde and Leslie were active members of Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. The family would like to thank all of his wonderful caregivers, especially Tim Vinyard, Curtis Harris and Sam Bones who were with him throughout his long illness. Also special thanks to Tina Wright as well as Arkansas Hospice. We will be forever grateful to his doctor, Lee Archer who provided outstanding medical care and became a close friend to Clyde and the family. We would also like to thank all of his loyal fans throughout the state, especially his number one fan and friend, Bud Whetstone. There will be a visitation, Friday, February 2 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock, 5–7 p.m. Funeral services will be held the next day at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, at 1 p.m. with a reception to follow at the church. Memorials may be made to Second Presbyterian Church, Pay it Forward Scott Family Scholarship in Bentonville, Ark., and doctorswithoutborders.org. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501) 224-2200. Clyde's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.