Wonder-ful No. 1
Story date: Feb. 28, 2010
Community looks on
as Arkansas Tech’s
Wonder Boys, Golden Suns celebrate
a season of almost exclusive triumph
BY KEVIN HILL
sports@couriernews.comMany things happen when a sports team has success. Money starts flowing into the program. Fans flock to watch the wins accumulate.
And communities begin to back their teams with a renewed vigor.
In the case of Arkansas Tech University, the success of the athletic program has created a notable change in the way the community interacts with its coaches’ men — and women.
Last season, the Wonder Boys basketball team won its first Gulf South Conference tournament title and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Regional, its first ever appearance at the NCAA tournament.
Tech finished their regular season Saturday with a 68-54 win over Christian Brothers to end their regular season with a 26-1 record.
With the success the Wonder Boys have achieved during the past two seasons, the culture of the program has changed, along with the attitudes of the fans.
“Over the past 25-35 years, a lot of the attention was paid to the womens program,” Kelly Davis, Arkansas Tech’s director of corporate and athletic relations, said. “That’s mainly because, year in and year out, they have been successful. Now the calls we get, the comments we get from the community are about how they like the way these teams play. They like that we’re getting back to how things were in the 1950s — the good old days. I’ve heard people that were excited because they had to stand in line to get their tickets.
“The Wonder Boys enjoy the big crowds they have been getting. I remember, not too long ago, how the Golden Suns would have a pretty good turnout for their games, but when they finished the fans left the stands as the Suns left the floor. Now, not only are those fans staying to watch the Wonder Boys, there are people showing up after the Suns who are just Wonder Boys fans.”
Jim Murphy, a four-year letterman who started as offensive guard for Tech’s football team from 1967-71, said success by the athletic program reverberates throughout the institution as well as the community.
“I think that anytime you have a winning season it brings attention to the college, and not just athletically,” Murphy said. “People start seeing what the college really means to the community. Arkansas Tech is one of the largest industries in the area.
“Excitement in athletics spills over into the school’s academics — what the school really stands for.”
Davis said he has been receiving calls from fans, supporters, retail outlets and even the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission asking how they can be a part of the action.
“We get a lot of calls from people asking how they can help,” Davis said. “Arkansas Tech has a chance to bid on a regional tournament (the NCAA South Regional) and people are calling to ask what they can do to help bring a regional to Russellville.”
“The response around town has been tremendous,” Murphy said. “Everybody is flying their flags and wearing their colors. I helped sell the Tech flags earlier this season and I didn’t have a single person refuse to buy one from me. You have to look at it like this: Either you are a community with a college or a college community. I think we’re a college community.”
One of the most important benefits of the school’s athletic success has been the steady increase in fans filling the seats at the school’s venues. And not just because of the revenue the ticket sales generate.
Davis said there is a renewed interest in athletics by the student body at Arkansas Tech and added there have been more students lining up to watch their classmates win.
“With this being what I like to call a suitcase school — a school where most of the students live close enough to drive home on the weekends — a lot of students like to go home for the weekends,” Davis added. “I hear kids around the campus all the time saying they think they’re going to stay on campus to watch the games. That part is really nice for me. The success of the program is getting the student body interested and into the seats (at Tucker Coliseum).”
