Dickey Nutt now walks proudly through the state of Arkansas.

The head coach of Arkansas State men’s basketball is the brother of Arkansas football head coach Houston Nutt and also looks nearly identical to his older sibling.

After a 50-14 season-opening loss to Southern California, Dickey Nutt had to remind the rabid Razorback fans in the state that he was not Houston.

“They were calling for his head,” Dickey Nutt said.

After 10 straight Arkansas wins and a berth in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, Dickey Nutt doesn’t mind the incorrect identification.

“I get free food all the time now,” he said. “It’s great.”

Dickey Nutt will reach a milestone this season when his Indians host Florida Atlantic on Jan. 31. The 25th game of the 2006-07 season will be Nutt’s 342nd as ASU’s head coach, which will be more than any other coach in school history.

Nutt will take his Arkansas State squad into Lantz Arena Saturday to take on Eastern at 7:35 p.m.

There are four Nutt brothers in the Division I coaching business including Houston (Arkansas football head coach), Danny (Arkansas football running backs coach), Dickey (Arkansas State head coach) and Dennis (Coastal Carolina men’s basketball assistant coach).

“We were just fortunate to have an athletic family,” Dickey Nutt said. “We were all really good high school players, realized we were average in college but had a passion for it.”

The experience is truly a family affair. If one of the four has a problem, they can simply pick up the phone and call a brother in the same situation.

“Every one in the family relates to what we’re going through,” Dickey said. “I talk to Houston three times a day, along with Danny and Dennis about two times a week from everything to disciplining a player, recruiting or how to handle something.”

Attempts to reach Houston, Danny and Dennis Nutt over the phone were unsuccessful.

The foundation of all their coaching backgrounds is a deep-rooted character mentality developed from their parents, Houston Sr. and Emogene.

“It all goes back to mom and dad who taught us speak from the heart, be truthful and treat everyone as well as you’d want to be treated,” Dickey said. “It sounds simple, but it reflects who you are.”

Out of nine children, Houston Sr. was the only child in his family who was not born deaf. He later taught at the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock, Ark., for 35 years. He also served as athletic director/head basketball coach for the school and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

“My dad touched so many people’s life, and all he kept reinforcing was character, character, character,” Dickey Nutt said. “When you work with deaf people and communicate with them, facial expressions and eye contact are critical. He taught us that.”

Houston Nutt has been successful as a head football coach at Murray State, Boise State and Arkansas with his nationally recognized ability to recruit and rebuild programs.

“I think his love for people sets him apart from others,” Eastern acting head coach Mark Hutson said. “They all have a presence to make people feel comfortable around them. It’s a gift.”

Hutson served on Houston Nutt’s staff for seven years at all three of his coaching stops.

“It was a unique and incredible experience to work with him and Danny on the same staff,” Hutson said. “I would laugh during disagreements between the two because not only would Houston remind us all that he’s the boss, but remind Danny in particular that he’s the older brother.”

When asked what Houston Nutt was destined to do with his life, Hutson didn’t have to think long for the answer.

“That’s easy. Be a football coach or a minister,” he said.

During Dickey Nutt’s first few seasons at Arkansas State his brother Dennis was on his staff during the Indians’ run to the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

Dennis eventually became the head coach at Texas State in 2000 after current Eastern coach Mike Miller left.

Dennis Nutt, who spent one season with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, served for six seasons where he amassed a 72-96 record with Texas State.

“Dennis is the only one of us who got a shot in the pros which none of us can understand because we were all better than him,” Dickey Nutt said jokingly. “He was the first person I offered an opening to this offseason.”

The sibling rivalry has never stopped the four brothers from putting a family member on their staff when given the opportunity.

“I believe that has to do with all six of us being around each other all the time especially for breakfast and dinner every day,” Dickey Nutt said. “You don’t see that anymore and I can’t do that with my family. My mother and father always gave us that one special thing – time.”