GRAVETTE — A girl who was an outstanding basketball player with the Gravette Lady Lions and who later was a star at the post position for the Lady Razorbacks was honored recently by the Southeast Conference.

Blair Savage Lansden was named an “SEC Legend” in a ceremony held during half-time at a game at the SEC women’s basketball tournament held recently in Duluth, Ga.

Blair played for the Lady Lions for three years and took all-district and allregion honors two years, capping her career as a three-year all-state player who played in the 1989 All Star Game, where she was named most valuable player.

According to her mother, Pat Savage, who taught at Gravette High several years, Blair averaged 16 points per game during her senior year. She is a niece of Bob Ford, the “Voice of the Lions” at GHS, and Don Ford, who coached the Lion football team several years.

Norman Mitchell, GHS athletic director, said there are no record books available to tell of her accomplishments at GHS. Apparently when her high school coach left, all those record books were destroyed.

At Arkansas she played two years in the Southwest Conference before the University moved to the Southeast Conference. An Arkansas press release notes: “Savage was a standout on the hardwood for the University of Arkansas.”

Blair Savage began her collegiate basketball career as a standout post player at Arkansas. She capped her career in Fayetteville as the Razorbacks’ 10th all-time leading scorer, with 1,072 points, and currently ranks among the top 25 all-time in scoring for Arkansas. Playing under Coach John Sutherland, Savage set two game records for the Razorbacks, grabbing 14 rebounds in a half and 12 offensive rebounds in a game, both against Arkansas rival Oklahoma during her freshman season. Savage ranks 10th all-time in rebounds (675) and in the top 20 in assists (233). In 2000-01 she was named to Arkansas’ Razorback Silver Anniversary Team after averaging 9.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in her four years in Fayetteville.

A 6-1 post player, she shot over 50 percent from the field in all four seasons at Arkansas. Also a standout in the classroom, Savage was an Academic All-America nominee in both 1990-91 and 1991-92, the first-ever time that Arkansas had two women’s basketball teammates nominated for the award. In 1993 Savage was selected as the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Arkansas and also received the NCAA/ Entergy Winning for Life postgraduate scholarship. She earned her degree in secondary mathematics education from Arkansas in 1994 while serving as a student assistant coach with the Razorbacks.

Savage joined the University of Memphis as an assistant coach in 1994-95, working as a restricted earnings coach for two years. She earned her master’s degree in sports administration in 1996. She moved to a full-time assistant position in 1996-97, a position she held until 2002-03.

Savage followed her family to Middle Tennessee State, working as an assistant coach with the post players in the A-Sun before returning to Memphis as the head coach, a position she held for three years. She and her husband, Bill Lansden, who is associate athletic director for development at Memphis, are parents of twin daughters Delaney and Madeleine.