Oklahoma Adult Education & Literacy Conference: Game Changers

Introducing Your Keynote Speaker: Houston Nutt

Houston Nutt is a man whose name is woven into the fabric of college football history — a coach, a competitor, a champion, and a Hall of Famer.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Houston comes from a family where achievement and service were simply a way of life. His parents devoted 35 years to teaching at the Arkansas School for the Deaf, where his father also served as athletic director and head basketball coach. Educators to their core, they instilled in Houston a deep respect for learning and for those who dedicate their lives to helping others grow. His mother, an Oklahoma native, met his father at Oklahoma A&M — now Oklahoma State — and that Cowboy connection would prove formative for the entire family.

After leading Little Rock Central High School to a perfect 12-0 state championship, Nutt transferred to Oklahoma State, where he played football and basketball and graduated with a degree in Physical Education. His wife Diana also graduated from Oklahoma State. As an assistant coach at OSU, he worked under Jimmy Johnson alongside future Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas.

At Arkansas, Nutt led the Razorbacks to seven bowl games and three SEC Western Division titles, earning National Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and SEC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2006. Raised by educators, he made the classroom a priority — proudly sending players to the SEC Academic Honor Roll on 83 occasions. He then guided Ole Miss to back-to-back Cotton Bowl victories, becoming one of only three coaches to win that bowl with two different programs and earning SEC Coach of the Year a third time — joining Bear Bryant, Steve Spurrier, and Nick Saban in that exclusive company.

Since retiring, Nutt has served as a CBS Sports college football analyst and a sought-after keynote speaker on leadership and resilience.

From the sidelines of Oklahoma State to the stadiums of the SEC, Houston Nutt's life is proof that determination, not circumstance, writes the final score — and that championships are built one relationship, one recruit, and one fourth-quarter comeback at a time.