Nolan Richardson Jr. has been named Sacred Heart’s 2017 Segundo Barrio Person of the Year. The Father Rahm Segundo Barrio Person of the Year Award recognizes an individual or organization committed to the betterment, works, and service to the cultural, historical, economic, educational, and social empowerment of the Segundo Barrio (Second Ward), and its inhabitants, values, and unique experience.
Nolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Born in El Paso on December 27, 1941, he attended Douglas Elementary School, Bowie High School, and graduated from Texas Western College (UTEP).
He started his coaching career in El Paso at Bowie High School and coached for over 40 years. Richardson also served as the head coach of the Panamanian national basketball team and was named head coach of the Mexican national team. He remains the only coach in history to have won a championship on every college level: the 1979 National Junior College Tournament, 1981 National Invitational Tournament (N.I.T.) and the 1994 N.C.A.A. Tournament.
Nolan and his wife Rose, live in Fayetteville, Arkansas on their horse ranch, where Mr. Richardson enjoys fishing in his private ponds, hitting golf balls into the wilderness on his expansive, personal campus, and taking care of his vast array of animals.
Today, Richardson helps Wal-Mart open new stores in Arkansas through Coca-Cola-sponsored meet-and-greets. He’s a motivational speaker and helps multiple charities, including the Yvonne Richardson Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit created to raise money for cancer research in honor of his daughter, who died of leukemia in 1987 when she was just 15 years old.
The special dinner to honor Mr. Richardson is set for Thursday May 11 at the Epic Railyard Center located at 2201 E. Mills Ave. Cocktails begin at 5:30pm and dinner is at 7:30pm. Tickets are $75 per person and $750 for a table of 10. You can purchase your tickets a the Sacred HeartParish Office. Sponsorships are available. 100% of the proceeds benefit Sacred Heart Church.
Join Sacred Heart and Nolan Richardson for a parade on Saturday, May 13 at 9:00am beginning at St. Ignatius Church and ending at the Sacred Heart Gym with food and fun. For more information: 915.532.5447.