Wooooooo! Pig sooey! Pucci to Hall of Fame

California University athletic director Tom Pucci, pictured, will be inducted Friday into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Pucci is the second-winningest tennis coach in Razorbacks history with an amazing overall record of 218-60 in eight seasons, from 1976-84. Pucci coached the Arkansas men to Southwest Conference championships in 1980 and ‘81. In the 1980 season, the Razorbacks finished 31-4 and ranked No. 7 in the country. The next year, Arkansas was ranked No. 6.

He guided the Hogs to three appearances in both the NCAA Sweet 16 and NCAA quarterfinals, with each of the teams finishing ranked in the top 10 nationally.

“This is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received,” Pucci said. “I was very fortunate to have a great group of young men who achieved great heights and bought into the belief of building the Arkansas tennis program into one of the best in the nation.”

Among those joining Pucci in the induction class are Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Shawn Andrews; Ron Calcagni, the winningest quarterback in school history; and Veronica Campbell-Brown, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Former Arkansas basketball coach Eddie Sutton, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, NBA great Sidney Moncrief and former athletic director Frank Broyles are expected to attend the banquet.