You’re the Best!
Reflections on the Life of Houston Nutt
by
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1. Born in 1930 to a deaf family in Fordyce, Arkansas during the depths of the Great Depression, Houston Nutt, Sr. was to become one of the leading figures in expanding opportunities for young deaf students to participate in high school and college basketball. He attended the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock, Arkansas
2. Houston and his brothers, Fay, Clyde and Fred, were gifted with extraordinary athletic skills. While Houston and Fay played basketball and football at Fordyce High School, Fred and Clyde were outstanding ball players at the Arkansas School for the Deaf. Many said they were the “greatest basketball players Fordyce has produced.”
3. By the time Houston had graduated from high school, he had gained national recognition for his outstanding athletic abilities and, after considering several colleges, he accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky, where they only person he would know would be the famous Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who was from the same hometown. Houston played for Coach Adolph Rupp. Houston transferred back to Little Rock Junior College (now University of Arkansas at Little Rock). While playing in a tournament in Tyler, Texas, he was noticed by Coach Henry Iba and was encouraged to transfer to Oklahoma A & M in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
4. While a student at Oklahoma A & M, strolling through the library, he set his eyes on a beautiful young lady, Emogene Dickey. He sat down at her table thinking she would know of his athletic “stardom,” he said, “Do you know me? And she said, “No, I don’t know you.” She recalls, “He kinda stood out because he was a head taller than anyone else and he had a huge smile and big friendly wave.” Emogene learned that Houston was not like everyone else; he did not drink or smoke, never used bad language, and he was a Christian. Needless to say, they fell in love and spent the next 49 years together. Little did Emogene know that she would spend the rest of her life in a family that included five coaches, Houston, Sr. and their four boys, Houston Dale, Dickey, Danny and Dennis.
5. Before their marriage in 1956, Houston took Emogene to Fordyce to meet her future in-laws. Unbeknown to her, she was about to venture into the unknown and totally unfamiliar world of deaf culture where the Nutt family members were deaf. Houston had mentioned to Emogene that the family might “have a little hard time hearing you.” Emogene’s love for Houston overcame all the obstacles she encountered and led to their dedication to improving the lives of deaf people throughout Arkansas. She also was introduced to the place where she and Houston would spend 31 years coaching and teaching at the Arkansas School for the Deaf. This was a powerful obstacle for Emogene to overcome because she was thrust into the classroom of deaf students and she did not know sign language. Her only means of communication was writing it on a piece of paper or having Houston interpret for her. Her degree was in Home Economics and she never dreamed she would be teaching English to deaf students. Because of her fascination for this new world, she learned the language and became a student of the deaf culture. Houston, Sr. led his Arkansas School for the Deaf basketball team to national prominence. He is also recognized for bringing to national attention the athletic skills of a phenomenal player named Bennie Fuller.
6. He will always be remembered by his signature phrase, “You’re the Best!” which he used to encourage countless studentsHouston, Sr died in 2005, but his legacy is carried on by his four sons who all became coaches. Emogene continues to reside in Little Rock, Arkansas where she is active in their beloved church, Immanuel Baptist, and continues to interpret when called upon.
Emogene Nutt has succeeded in putting together a collection of stories about her family that are not only entertaining and informative but funny, sometimes heartbreaking but always inspiring.
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About the Book
As a child, Houston Nutt looked like a typical tow-headed boy, with blue eyes, a wide forehead, and a cowlick. Even so, there was something unusual about him; he was born into a deep deaf culture, and sign language was his first language. This would be the focus of his life.
In You’re the Best! author Emogene Nutt, Houston’s wife, pays tribute to this man, who was born during the depths of the Great Depression and eventually became one of the leading figures in expanding opportunities for young deaf students at the Arkansas School for the Deaf. In this memoir, she weaves together treasured family memories, insights, and observations from external sources that place the life of Houston and his family in historical perspective. Emogene reflects on Houston’s accomplishments including leading the ASD basketball team to national prominence and bringing to national attention the athletic skills of legendary player Bennie Fuller.
Inspiring, heartbreaking, informative, and humorous, this collection of stories honors the life of Houston Nutt who will always be remembered by his signature phrase, “You’re the best,” which he used to encourage countless students. He died in 2005.
About the Author
Emogene Nutt graduated from Oklahoma A&M, where she met Houston Nutt Sr. They married in 1956 and spent their coaching and teaching careers at Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock, Arkansas. She lives in Little Rock, has four grown sons, and is still active in the deaf community.