Hall of Fame
The late Sonny Gordon was a high school coaching legend at Holly Grove, but before he became a coach, he was one of the most decorated football players in UAM history. Gordon became just the second Boll Weevil player to earn all-conference honors when he was named to the All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference team as a freshman. It was the first of four consecutive all-conference honors for Gordon, who played for three different head coaches in four years. Gordon played his freshman and sophomore years for Foy Hammons, the first coach in school history to post a winning record. He played the 1934 season under Stewart Ferguson, who five years later would gain notoriety as the creator of the "Wandering Weevils." Gordon completed his playing career in 1935 under Eugene "Bo" Sherman.
A Holly Grove native, Gordon led his hometown to a dozen district championships in both football and basketball. His 1976 boys basketball team won the Class AA state championship before reaching the finals of the overall championship tournament. Over a two-year stretch in the 1960s, Holly Grove won 21 straight football games. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and to the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996.
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