Sept. 28, 2004
Forgive Dennis Nutt if his definition of a miracle differs from yours. As an example, you may consider the fact that he and his three older siblings are all coaches at the NCAA Division I level, two in football and two in basketball. You may even consider it a miracle that three of the four brothers are currently head coaches - Dennis (men's basketball here at Texas State), Dickey (men's basketball at Arkansas State), and Houston (football at Arkansas).
You might define a miracle as having a father and mother who selflessly dedicated themselves for 33 years as a coach/athletic director and teacher at the Arkansas School for the Deaf, three blocks from where the family was raised. Maybe it is a miracle to you that all four brothers were named all-state high school football and basketball players, and all four earned college scholarships in one of the two sports.
The term miracle, however, takes on a different meaning when dropped around the Nutt family. Dennis' brother, Danny, age 42, is the running backs coach at the University of Arkansas, working under the oldest of the brothers, Houston (46). On December 30, 1998, Danny underwent major surgery to stop bleeding in the stem of his brain. By March of 1999, after battling blindness, deafness, and learning to walk again, he resumed his duties on the gridiron for spring practice. Even his doctors called that one a miracle.
To truly appreciate the path Dennis Nutt has taken to San Marcos, let's start in Fordyce, Ark., a town about 200 miles southeast of Fayetteville. It was there that the Nutt brothers, known then as the Nutt Pee Wees, would take the floor. They often played kids on the court older than them with a show time style that rarely suffered a defeat.
"We were around sports all the time," explains Dennis. "We would ride the yellow bus with dad and the team and hand out sandwiches, play with the guys, whatever needed to be done. All four of us were totally involved in athletics from the start."
Each brother had their own niche on the court and was pushed by Houston, Sr., their father who represented America in the 1957 Deaf Olympics in Milan and won a gold medal on the hardwood. Off the court, Emogene Nutt, the 1998 Arkansas Mother of the Year, instilled one core value in her boys.
"Treat people the way you want to be treated, no matter what their color or handicap," Dennis proclaims. "We grew up in Little Rock, a city that was nationally known for racial unrest during that time period. But, we also grew up in the deaf community. It does not know black, white, or Hispanic. You are deaf, or you are not - it doesn't matter either way. Race was never an issue."
Growing up in Little Rock, there was plenty of pressure to pull the Nutt boys out of Little Rock Central and place them in Catholic school, but it did not happen. That was where they lived, and integration was part of their life from the beginning. Dennis, the youngest of the four, stood out the most. Not only did he end his career at Texas Christian as the Southwest Conference's all-time leading free throw shooter, but he also spent two seasons with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. This caused brother Dickey a response in mock dismay - "I don't understand that. We were better than he was."
Perhaps his success on the court is the catalyst for Dennis' tremendous attitude about life and competition. Hearing impairment to him is not a handicap. Even though Dickey and Danny both have significant hearing loss in the left ear that has worsened with age, it is not going to keep them down.
"Thank goodness cell phones can vibrate now!" proclaims Dennis. Sign language was learned by all of the boys before they were speaking fluently. There is really only one significant time that being deaf proved to be a hindrance for the brothers.
At Dickey's first game as head coach at Arkansas State with Dennis as an assistant on the staff, they looked up and saw their dad signing to them. Initially, it was a heartfelt moment that a father and his two sons could share that. Shortly thereafter, they realized what he was saying.
"Why isn't number 32 in the game?" the father inquired.
"Why don't you go get a Coke?" was Dickey's signed reply.
FIFTH YEAR IN SAN MARCOS
As Dennis begins his fifth season as the Bobcats' boss, he is as invigorated as the day he took the post. In fact, probably more excited.
"This is our fifth season - our program, our players, really a tremendous feeling," Dennis explains. "The name change could not have come at a more perfect time for us. We received tremendous feedback during summer recruiting and it paid big dividends for us."
For the second straight season, Nutt embraces a reduced conference schedule that allowed more flexibility in the non-conference slate. The Southland Conference again will employ a 16-game regular season schedule, down from 20 games in recent years. It brought the SLC more in line with other conferences around the country. Eight will advance to this year's post-season classic.
The 2002 upgrade of the basketball/volleyball office suite was a much-needed and welcomed addition to the men's basketball program. This year's facility enhancements included a facelift and paint job for the floor and Strahan Coliseum wall. Both jobs have been a first-class upgrade.
"We have certainly taken a step forward by continuing to modernize the amenities," explained Dennis. "We have a much improved facility that is one of the best in the conference. We want this to be a pit for other teams to come in and play. Our students can really be a huge factor in that.
"However, I can not stress how important it is for us to continue to engage and involve our alumni and community. Without them, we can not continue to progress forward."
There are challenges ahead for the Bobcats as they charge forward through the Southland Conference schedule. Winning the conference championship would undoubtedly be a tremendous feat. It would certainly not be "a miracle".
