Newman Receives First Spirit Award

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Photo courtesy of Media Services

Bob Newman

   The longtime owner of Newman’s Café on East Gaines Street in Monticello was a logical choice to be the first recipient of the Boll Weevil Spirit Award, honoring individuals who have made significant off-the-field contributions to the athletics program at what is now the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Newman will receive the award during the UAM Sports Hall of Fame banquet on Oct. 26.   

   In 1951, Newman and his wife Carlene opened Newman’s Cafe, and for 19 years, the Newmans would be fixtures in the lives of countless student-athletes.   

   “Those were the greatest years of my life,” said Newman. “I loved being able to help the students and the athletes.”

   Newman also developed tight-knit friendships with the coaches and their families.   

   “Bob Newman is a very close personal friend,” said former Boll Weevil head football coach Jim “Red” Parker. “He always has been and he always will be.   He and his wife were extraordinary people, and they always showed an unwavering support for our athletic programs.”            

   Newman always made an effort to attend football games and rarely, if ever, missed a practice.

   “I would bring out two 44-gallon kegs of homemade lemonade to practices,” Newman said, “And we’d cook steak dinners after home ballgames. We kept the fire close to the team’s day room, and I always had to laugh after the games, the guys would come straight to the grill, pick up their steaks, and run back to the locker room.”   

   When the Newmans first opened their restaurant, they were warned about college students.  

   “We were told to watch out for hot checks,” Newman said. “After we opened up, the first time a student came through with a check, all I could think to do was cash it. If they didn’t have the money to pay, we’d help them out. It was simple. If the kids had money, we fed them. If they didn’t have money, we fed them.”

   None of this was out of character for Newman, according to Parker.

   “They had an unwavering support for the team and always embraced individuals in need,” Parker said. “Bob and Carlene Newman always answered the bell.”

   As much as Newman and his wife helped the players, he was quick to recall an instance when the players helped him greatly.

   “We moved our restaurant across the street,” he said, “and coach Parker brought all the players and coaches out to help move all the equipment across the street and help us hook it up while our meter man blocked traffic so we could get it all moved.”

   After the move, Newman thanked the players, coaches, and their families in style. “We cooked up 150 steaks after the move,” he said.

   Newman remembered one particular instance where he was recognized for his contributions.

    “I was watching a basketball game on campus,” Newman said, “where they were honoring different people. Then, they called me down, and presented me with a lettermen’s jacket with all of the school’s athletic insignia on it. Those kids always meant so much to me. Those were truly great years for me.”

   Whenever time would allow, Newman made an effort to travel with the team to away games, noting “they always had a spot on the bench for me and adopted me as part of the team.”

   One trip in particular brought a broad smile to Newman’s face.

   “I was going to have to miss a road game because I had two banquets to cover,” Newman said. “The bus pulled up out front, and two players came into the restaurant and physically picked me up and carried me onto the bus and we took off. I told them I had to get back, but I had no idea that they had made arrangements for the coaches’ wives to cover the banquets for me.”

   Even today, Newman still hears from several of the former players who passed through Newman’s restaurant all those years ago; and was pleasantly surprised when a group of players showed up at his 50th wedding anniversary ceremony.

   “People like us don’t even think about things like this happening to us,” said Newman. “It was truly great for me and my wife.” “It seems like I run into some of the players everywhere I go. It’s always so good to see them.”

   From the impression that Newman made on players and coaches, it isn’t difficult to see why.

   “He was like a father figure, especially to the kids that were a long way from home,” Parker said. “He helped us out for two reasons; number one, he wanted to, and number two, he has always been a genuinely good man. If you are looking for the spirit and embodiment of someone who wanted to help, Bob would epitomize everything you were looking for.”

   Newman was amazed when he heard he would receive the Boll Weevil Spirit Award at this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

   “This is remarkable for me,” Newman said. “I never dreamed anything like this would ever happen to me.”
  
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