After taking the year off in 2020 because of COVID-19, the Little Rock Touchdown Club presented its 2021 lineup of guest speakers Tuesday at the Simmons Bank River Market building in downtown Little Rock.
Among the notable names set to speak this fall are Razorback legend Darren McFadden, NFL hall-of-fame quarterback and Fox Sports broadcaster Terry Bradshaw, Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, Heisman Trophy winner Vince Young and CBS Sports broadcaster Verne Lundquist.
As is tradition, the opening luncheon will feature the head football coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sam Pittman will make his first appearance before the club on Aug. 24.
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The club began in 2004 as a group gathered to discuss football at what was then the Little Rock Hilton. Now, the group has more than 500 members. Over the years, LRTDC has welcomed speakers such as Archie Griffin, Urban Meyer and Bobby Petrino. Weekly meetings are held at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Little Rock.
Club founder David Bazzel, a former Razorback and member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, expects extra excitement this fall with optimism floating around the Razorback football team, especially with the addition to the LRTDC lineup of Young, the former Texas QB who led the Longhorns to a BCS national championship.
The Hogs and Horns are scheduled to renew their old rivalry on Sept. 11 in Fayetteville, and the move of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC is expected to happen as soon as 2022. Such a move likely would once again make Texas an annual addition to the Hogs’ schedule.
The club lineup also includes former Hogs Ken Hatfield (player and coach), Matt Jones, Quinn Grovey and Austin Allen; Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek; Arkansas State head football coach Butch Jones; UCA head football coach Nathan Brown; Dallas Cowboys hall-of-famers Drew Pearson and Des Arc native Cliff Harris (the latter of whom played college ball at Ouachita Baptist); Heisman winner, former University of Houston star and ESPN broadcaster Andre Ware; and Little Rock native, longtime NFL referee and Arkansas Sports HOF member Walt Coleman.
The full lineup of 2021 speakers:
- Tuesday, Aug. 24: Sam Pittman;
- Monday, Aug. 30: Verne Lundquist;
- Tuesday, Sept. 7: Vince Young;
- Tuesday, Sept. 14: Terry Bradshaw;
- Monday, Sept. 20: Hunter Yurachek;
- Monday, Sept. 27: Darren McFadden;
- Monday, Oct. 4: Eli Manning and Matt Jones;
- Monday, Oct. 11: Butch Jones;
- Monday, Oct. 18: Austin Allen;
- Monday, Oct. 25: Cliff Harris and Drew Pearson;
- Monday, Nov. 1: Nathan Brown;
- Monday, Nov. 8: Walt Coleman;
- Monday, Nov. 15: Andre Ware and Quinn Grovey
- Tuesday, Nov. 22: Ken Hatfield.
For more information, visit LRTouchdownClub.com.
