Jones Lindsey in Business Hall of Fame

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Two former Razorback student-athletes who helped Arkansas win the 1964 national championship in football have been elected to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. Former Razorback stars Jerry Jones and Jim Lindsey are part of the class of 2010.

Founded in 1999, 46 individuals have been honored for their accomplishments and lasting impact on the state of Arkansas. The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame board announced this year’s class, which also includes longtime Razorback supporters Bill Clark and Tommy May.

The selection process was chaired by Walton College alumnus Larry Wilson, chairman and chief executive officer of First Arkansas Bank & Trust in Jacksonville. A nominating committee of 25 business leaders asked people throughout the state and beyond to make nominations, and a selection committee of 12 business and community leaders reviewed the nominations and chose the inductees. Criteria for selection included: the significance of the impact made as a business leader, the concern demonstrated for improving the community and the display of ethics in all business dealings. In addition, the inductee must be over the age of 60.

Jerry Jones received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1965 from the Walton College and a Master of Arts in 1965 from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. He was a starter at guard on the football team and a co-captain of the 1964 national championship squad. In 1971, the North Little Rock native founded Jerry Jones Oil & Gas Co. and continues to serve as its president and CEO. He purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, and within four short won his first Super Bowl. Under his leadership, Dallas became the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in four seasons while tying the NFL record for the most Super Bowl victories with five. Jones opened his new $1.2 billion stadium this fall in Arlington, Texas, and is recognized as one of the premier businessmen in the NFL for his innovations. He uses the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game to kick off the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Drive. The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities are known for their generosity to many other family- and community-related causes. The Walton College gave Jones its Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Jim Lindsey received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the College of Education and Health Professions in 1968. A sophomore wingback on the 1964 national championship team, he went on to a seven-year professional career with the Minnesota Vikings. He returned to Arkansas and used his professional earnings to buy the land where the Northwest Arkansas Mall is located. He founded Lindsey & Associates in 1973, which grew into one of the largest real estate companies in Arkansas and helped define the Northwest Arkansas region. He also established Lindsey Co. in 1978 and Paradise Valley Athletic Club in 1981. Lindsey founded Lindsey Management Co. in 1986, which became the largest property management firm of multi-family housing in Arkansas, with a growing presence in Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee. He was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame in recognition of his development of golf courses as part of his apartment complexes. A native of the Arkansas Delta region, Lindsey continues to be involved in the family farming business. He was a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees. He led the effort to establish the need-based Brandon Burlsworth Memorial Scholarships.

The contributions of both Jones and Lindsey are immediately evident as fans enter the Jerry Jones and Jim Lindsey Hall of Champions museum housed in the Broyles Center.

Clark is the chairman and chief executive officer of CDI Contractors in Little Rock, and May is the chairman and chief executive officer of Simmons First National Bank and Simmons First National Corp. in Pine Bluff.

The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is permanently housed in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College in Fayetteville.