Sometimes, even tough guys can get their feelings hurt.
That certainly looks to be the case with the arch-Bad Boy of all Arkansas athletics, PGA legend John Daly. Daly’s gotten into a fight in the middle of a tournament, melted down at the Australian Open and devotes space in his autobiography to an ex-wife who was indicted on federal drug and gambling charges, while also making sure folks know she was accused of selling cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines as well as laundering the proceeds through local banks.
And that’s only scratching the surface, of course:
Daly’s made plenty of enemies in a combined 37 years on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, but he’s also endeared himself to millions for wearing his heart on his sleeve and seemingly always speaking his mind.
So, when asked about the man who steered the athletic department of his beloved Arkansas Razorbacks, the former Arkansas golfer couldn’t help but tee off.
PGA Legend John Daly’s Axe to Grind
He’s not a fan of Jeff Long, the former Razorbacks athletic director.
Part of Daly’s axe to grind stems from how he says Long treated two of his most prized possessions during Long’s time in charge on the Hill from 2008 through 2017. The story, as Daly recounted today on the Buzz 103.7 FM, begins with Daly’s donation of his trophies from the PGA Championship and the British Open to the athletic department.
They wound up on display at the Blessings Golf Club, the UA’s home golf course in Johnson, Ark. owned by John Tyson, the Arkansas Razorbacks booster who helped broker John Calipari’s arrival as Arkansas’ basketball coach.
Apparently, however, Long put the kibosh on continuing to showcase the symbols of the two biggest tournaments ever won by a male Razorback golfer. Daly learned this when he requested they be sent to him for an upcoming interview.
Both trophies were found tossed in a closet, apparently at Long’s request, as Daly recalled on the “Morning Mayhem” show.
The top of the PGA Championship trophy was broken (Daly got it fixed) while the British Open trophy, which had been taken out of its case, got dented. “You feel that disrespect [at] what Jeff Long did,” Daly told co-hosts David Bazzel and Roger Scott. “He had no clue what those trophies meant to me.”
That’s just one reason why the 58-year-old Daly absolutely went off on Jeff Long on the radio show, calling him a “jerk” and, in what might be a case of Chad Morris-related amnesia, claiming he’s the “worst thing that ever happened to University of Arkansas”:
As Daly sees it, Long didn’t have enough of a heart for UA alumni and was too cold. That’s in contrast to the legendary Frank Broyles, the long-time Arkansas Razorbacks athletic director Long replaced.
Daly mentioned walking into Broyles’ office in the UA athletic departments as a young man and commenting on a Razorback rug that the former Arkansas football coach owned. “Coach, this is the most beautiful rug in the world,” Daly recalls saying. “He says, ‘We’re going to send it to you.’ And he sent it to me.”
To this day, that particular piece of porcine beauty adorns the floor of Daly’s home office.
Don’t Get Daly Started on Jeff Long and Pepsi
John Daly was also offended that Long would have dared allowed Pepsi be made the official soft drink of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
“Who in the hell drinks Pepsi in Arkansas?,” he asked. He then lamented the poor Arkansas football fans who would have been forced to smuggle Pepsi’s competitor into Razorback football games. “Now you’re going to make a kid take a Diet Coke and a Coca-Cola out of his boot, or her purse, or his jeans or whatever? Oh my God, it’s like a crime.”
When it comes to the whole say-it-like-it-is bad-boy thing, Daly certainly has Jeff Long beat in that department. Long did often come across as somewhat stiff, although what that had to do with how good of a person he is remains unclear.
Failing to foster relationships with alumni is a legit complaint. Nurturing those ties is something Broyles and current AD Hunter Yurachek do exceptionally well.
The Pepsi pooh-poohing is different, though. Switching from Coca-Cola was purely a business move spearheaded by then UA chancellor David Gearhart, and chastising Long for wanting to maximize the profit on so many potential revenue streams is mighty rich for someone whose numerous branded products include “grip it and rip it” flasks and THC gummies:
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Hear the entire interview with John Daly:
