b. 1 January 1888
d. 13 November 1944
Arkansas
1 Lieut. Corps of Engrs.
Guy "Big Dan" Estes enrolled at the University of Arkansas in 1909 where he decided to play
football for the first time in his life.
Coach Hugo Bezdek saw promise in Estes and his six-foot three-inches,
240 pound frame. He lettered with the
Razorbacks four times and eventually graduated in 1914. Shortly before World War I, Estes came to
Arkansas Normal School (today’s UCA) as a math professor and coach of track,
basketball, baseball, and football. He
soon joined the Army and served at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and on the Mexican
border. After the war, he returned to the
Normal School where he was known for interesting pre-season football camps
including having his team hike 30 miles to Thornburg in Perry County where they
would train and camp for 2 weeks. Estes
retired from his coaching duties in 1933, but continued to teach math and
served as the Dean of Men. During World
War II, he performed pioneering work in civil aeronautics on the UCA campus as
the coordinator for the first pilot training unit which helped prepare and
train pilots to fly during the war. As an
avid wildlife enthusiast, Estes helped stock Lake Conway along with most lakes
and rivers in Faulkner County for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. In 1964, Estes was named to the Arkansas
Sports Hall of Fame; in 2001, he was inducted into the UCA Hall of Fame. The football stadium at UCA has been named
Estes Field in his honor.
[1]
Bryant, Jimmy. "Guy "Big Dan" Estes: A Man for
All Seasons." Unknown. University of Central Arkansas Archives. 22
February 2007 <http://archives.uca.edu/uca_History/Dan%20Estes.htm>.
