UA Fort Smith Athletics

Whenever Arkansas basketball is a topic of discussion, you can rest assured that the name Gayle Kaundart will come up at some point in time. Whether as a player, a high school coach or a collegiate coach, Kaundart’s name is synonymous with success.

The Alma, Ark., native was an All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference player at the College of the Ozarks and led the school to its first AIC championship before beginning a highly-decorated coaching career that spanned four decades. Kaundart’s illustrious coaching career began at Green Forest (Ark.) High School and included coaching stints at Conway (Ark.) High School (1953-55) and Fort Smith Northside High School (1955-74), where he turned the Grizzlies into a state powerhouse.

During his 19 seasons at Northside, Kaundart led the Grizzlies to five state championships – the last coming in 1974. In that epic contest, the Grizzlies capped their 30-0 season with a 37-32 win against the Conway Wampus Cats. Kaundart’s success in the high school ranks made him an obvious choice to succeed Harold Callahan as coach of the Lions in the fall of 1974.

Under Kaundart’s guidance, Westark became one of the top junior college men’s basketball programs in the nation. The Lions made nine appearances in the NJCAA national tournament, including a run of six consecutive appearances (1977-1982), and won the school’s first national championship in any sport in 1981, beating Lincoln (Ill.) College 67-50. Kaundart was named NJCAA National Coach of the Year in 1981.

He compiled a 379-87 record during his 13 seasons at Westark, which became a popular recruiting stop for many major NCAA Division I coaches. Kaundart’s program produced the likes of Ron Brewer and Darrell Walker, both of whom went on to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks and several NBA teams, and Greg Skulman, who went on to play for the Razorbacks.