One of the most successful coaches in the history of Auburn athletics received his due from his home state last week.

Head football coach Gus Malzahn was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in Little Rock on Friday.

“Growing up in the state of Arkansas, and now being able to be a part of the sports hall of fame in your home state is pretty surreal,” Malzahn said in a release from the Auburn athletic department.

Set to enter his eighth season as Auburn’s head man, Malzahn sits among the elite in his profession.

He has led the Tigers to an SEC championship, two division titles and a national championship game with a No. 2 final ranking. He has led Auburn to seven consecutive bowl games. Five of those bowl games have been of the New Year’s Day variety.

Malzahn is also the only current SEC coach to have beaten Nick Saban three times.

His hall of fame resume has been built while playing what could be regarded as the most difficult schedule of any program in the country during his seven seasons on the Plains.

His teams have faced 35 ranked opponents. He has looked across the field and seen a top 10 team 24 times. Six times he has seen the No. 1 team in the country on the other sideline. Eleven times he has seen a top 3 team. In 2016, the Tigers were the only team to face the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. In 2017, Auburn matched up against three of the four college football playoff teams, a total of four times, while earning two wins.

In all, he has had seven wins against top 10 teams.

One of the earliest innovators of the up-tempo, spread offense now prevalent across college football, Malzahn has had an enduring impact on the Auburn program as both head coach and as an offensive coordinator under Gene Chizik.

“I’ve been so blessed to be at Auburn,” he said. “This will be my 11th year at Auburn. It’s a real honor and a really special thing for me and Kristi to be a part of the Auburn family, doing what we’re doing.”

Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia