FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Razorback football greats Glen Ray Hines and Jimmy Walker and Arkansas baseball legend Jeff King were announced Sunday as part of the 2023 class of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, longtime Arkansas television sportscaster Steve Sullivan will join the three former Razorbacks and five additional honorees at a ceremony on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the organization’s 64th annual induction banquet at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Hines will be inducted posthumously.
The 2023 Hall of Fame Class consists of nine inductees, including five from the modern era category and four inductees from the senior category. Additional 2023 inductees into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame include Jeff Glasbrenner (adaptive sports), Shekinna Stricklen (women’s basketball), Fred Allen (men’s basketball), Larry Walton (tennis) and Freddie Lee Scott (football). The Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1959.
Glen Ray Hines – Football
A mainstay in the middle of the Razorbacks’ offensive front, Hines became the first offensive tackle in school history to earn All-America honors in 1965. Hines was a three-year UA football letterman and helped lead the Hogs to a 25-7 record in his tenure, including an 11-0 record in 1964 on the way to a national championship. He was also a part of a school-record 22-game winning streak. Hines was named All-SWC in both 1965 and 1966. The Houston Post named Hines the SWC Most Outstanding Player for the 1965 season. He was selected to the SWC All-Time team in 1996. Hines was also named to the Coaches All-American Game, College All-Star Game and the Hula Bowl. A member of the UA All-Century team, Hines was also named to the Razorbacks’ 1960s All-Decade squad. Hines went on to a professional football career with Houston (1966-70), New Orleans (1971-72) and Pittsburgh (1973). Throughout his time in the NFL he played in 115 consecutive games, including three playoff games, showing his durability as a player. Hines was an AFL All-Star game selection in both 1968 and 1969 before retiring in 1973. He was named a member of the Express News-San Antonio, All-Time SWC Football Team 75 years of SWC First-Team Offense in July 1989. In the December 2005 issue, Hines was named to the Football Digest All-Time Oilers team. Hines was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2001, the Union County Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2018.
Jeff King – Baseball
A former Razorback baseball All-American and MLB first overall draft pick, Jeff King hails from Marion, Indiana. King is a member of the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and spent his Razorback career over the 1984, ’85 and ’86 seasons that helped catapult Arkansas Baseball back to the national stage and including a trip to the College World Series in 1985. King was an All-America selection all three seasons in a Hog uniform and still holds the third-highest batting average over an Arkansas career, hitting .372. King was an All-Southwest Conference (SWC) selection in 1985 and ’86, as well as making the SWC All-Tournament Team as a freshman and sophomore. He was a key part of Arkansas’ run to the 1985 CWS where he had 93 hits, 26 doubles, 17 home runs and 82 RBIs. The RBI total still stands as the single-season record in school history. King went on to be named to the 1985 CWS All-Tournament Team where Arkansas reached the semifinals for the second time in program history after wins over South Carolina and Stanford. After his junior year, King entered the MLB Draft and was taken as the No. 1 overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time, he was the second first-round draft pick in school history, following Kevin McReynolds, who was taken sixth overall by the San Diego Padres in 1981. However, King remains as the only first-overall pick in Arkansas history and one of eight first-round draft picks. King played 11 years at the pro level from 1989-1999, spending eight years in Pittsburgh and three years in Kansas City. He reached the playoffs with the Pirates in 1990 and 1992, playing in the National League Championship Series both times and played 100 or more games in a season seven times. King finished his career with a .256 average, 1,091 hits and 154 home runs. His best seasons came in his final year in Pittsburgh (1996) where he hit .271 with 30 home runs and 111 RBIs. That led to his signing with Kansas City in 1997, where he batted .238, but drove in 112 RBIs and hit 28 home runs.
Jimmy Walker – Football
Jimmy Walker is from Little Rock and played linebacker at Central High in the early 70’s. He led the team in tackles as a senior. At the summer All-Star game, where he moved to tackle and was named MVP, Arkansas took notice and offered a scholarship. Walker played defensive tackle for the Razorbacks 1975-78 and was selected to the 1970’s All-Decade Team. He led the team in tackles for loss during his final two seasons, compiling 15 in 1977 and 19 in 1978. He ranks tied for fourth on the Razorbacks single season tackles for loss with 19 in 1978 and tied for fourth all-time career tackles for loss with 37. In 1978, Walker earned first-team All-America honors and was selected the outstanding defensive player in the Fiesta Bowl, where the Hogs ended in a 10-10 tie with UCLA. He was also a two-time All-SWC honoree. Walker was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2011. Walker was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2018.
