Former Hog baseball coach DeBriyn to enter SWC Hall of Fame
by August 12, 2015 1:52 pm 167 views
Former Arkansas baseball coach Norm DeBriyn will be inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of the fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame announced Wednesday (Aug. 12).
DeBriyn will join eight others inductees to make up the class of 2015. The induction will take place at a luncheon in Dallas Oct. 5. The Southwest Conference Hall of Fame is located within the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and located in Waco, Texas.
In a head coaching career that spanned four decades, DeBriyn took over as head coach of Razorback baseball in 1970 at the age of 28 and led Arkansas to 1,161 wins and a .640 winning percentage. He guided the Razorbacks to two Southwest Conference titles, one Southeastern Conference title, one SEC Western Division title, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA College World Series appearances.
The Razorbacks had their best national finish is school history under DeBriyn in 1979 as they finished runner-up in the College World Series.
In 33 years with Razorback baseball, DeBriyn coached 19 All-America selections, six Freshman All-Americans, 58 All-Conference selections and 48 All-Conference Tournament selections. He was named the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1990.
DeBriyn was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Razorback Hall of Honor in 1991, the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2003 and is also a member of the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Hall of Fame.
Since his retirement from coaching following the 2002 season, DeBriyn has served as a part-time scout for the Colorado Rockies and associate director of the Razorback Foundation. He has been instrumental in fundraising for multiple expansions of Baum Stadium.
DeBriyn joins other Razorbacks previously inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame, including Coach Frank Broyles, Coach Nolan Richardson, Coach John McDonnell, Lance Alworth, Bill Montgomery, Loyd Phillips, Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.