LITTLE ROCK -- Frank Broyles' concerns with Nolan Richardson's job performance began as early as 1987 -- the coach's second season as Arkansas basketball coach, according to a document recently released by the university.

As Richardson's Razorbacks wrapped up his second season in Fayetteville, Broyles wrote that he was concerned that Richardson wasn't meeting the program's objectives.

Before Richardson's hiring, Broyles wrote in the March 9, 1987, memo, "we both agreed that the Razorback program had the fan support and other resources to be a perennial `Top 20' basketball program" and to be a dominant force in the Southwest Conference.

"We both learned the hard way that you had not inherited sufficient talent to achieve any of these objectives" in Richardson's first season, Broyles said.

Arkansas fired Richardson on March 1 and the university system president upheld the dismissal Thursday. The next day, it released 2,000-or-so documents from Richardson's personnel file to reporters under Freedom of Information requests. Copies were also sent to the ex-coach's lawyer.

Richardson joined the Razorback program in 1985, after Eddie Sutton left for Kentucky following a 22-13 season at Arkansas. Richardson's first team was 12-16. In his second year -- which also saw Richardson lose his 16-year-old daughter, Yvonne, to leukemia -- the team went 19-14, losing in the first round of the Southwest Conference tournament to Texas Tech.

Broyles cited Richardson's own expectations for his second season, when "as you public(ly) stated several times last fall, ... the Razorbacks should be a contender for the conference and put on a very good team at tournament time."

"Virtually none of this materialized," Broyles wrote. "For the second straight year, we were out of the conference race before it barely began and we were out of the tournament as soon as it began.

"Some of the victories this season and most of the losses involved inexplicable inconsistencies," he continued. "It is obvious that we have fallen far short of our objectives, both long-term and short-term."

Broyles devoted two lengthy paragraphs to reassuring Richardson that the basketball coach had Broyles' "highest regard ... both professionally and personally" and citing Richardson's "strong character and leadership qualities." Such support was also shared by the great majority of Arkansas fans, Broyles said.

Broyles also said that Richardson was a proven winner in recruiting.

But the athletic director then went on to criticize Richardson's team management. "I am convinced that there are critical areas which will prevent you from achieving your goals unless there is substantial reorganization," Broyles said.

"You take upon yourself too much of the responsibility for the preparation, teaching and game-management phases of coaching," Broyles wrote. "The degree to which you alone can perform these responsibilities may be satisfactory at other levels of competition, but it is clear that it won't work at the level we are trying to achieve."

Broyles said a characteristic of Top 20 programs was a strong staff, well-informed and as capable as the head coach of performing basketball-teaching duties. "It is essential that you have access to staff members who possess these characteristics and that you permit them to contribute from their expertise to the organization of and teaching at practice," the memo continued.

The following season, Richardson's team was 21-9, 11-5 in the SWC -- tied for second in regular-season play.

At the time Richardson was fired, he was one year into a seven-year, $1.03 million-a-year pact. He said Feb. 23 and again Feb. 25 that, if the administration so desired, he would leave under the contract's buyout clause, worth $500,000 a year for six years.

During his Feb. 25 news conference, the former coach also criticized fans and reporters and said he was treated differently because he is black. He later apologized and said Feb. 28 that he wanted to stay at Arkansas. By then, steps already had been taken to replace him.

Fayetteville campus chancellor John White announced he would buy out the contract March 1, after consulting with Broyles. Richardson appealed the action to Sugg.