Bielema tells the heartbreaking story of informing Frank Ragnow of his father's passing
The Razorback family is hurting this week as starting center Frank Ragnow lost his father Saturday night to a heart attack after Arkansas’ big win over Alcorn State.
Monday, it was revealed that head coach Bret Bielema and his wife Jen flew with Ragnow to Minnesota so that the offensive lineman could be with his family during this difficult time. During his availability with the media, Bielema discussed the heartbreaking story of learning of Jon Ragnow’s passing and of tracking down Frank to inform him of the news.
Bielema said he was relaxing with his wife when his phone rang. After ignoring the initial call, the phone rang right back, which clued Bielema in on the seriousness of the situation. Upon learning of Jon’s death, Bielema was tasked with tracking down Frank.
“She wanted me to be with him when she told him.”
After learning that Frank Ragnow was with fellow lineman Dan Skipper, Bielema got his center on the phone and asked him to come to his office.
“Told him I needed to talk to him about something on film,” Bielema said. “Got him to laugh a little bit. He showed up at the complex on a scooter and I think once he saw me, he knew something was up. I said, ‘Hey, I love you. Here’s the phone and here’s your mom.’ So it was a tough couple of hours.”
Bielema nearly broke down before expressing his gratitude for the ability to get Frank home immediately that night.
This marks the second week in a row Bielema has gotten emotional during his weekly media availability following last week’s funeral of Kyler Williams. While he may still have some naysayers, the one thing you hear time and time again about Bielema is how genuine he by everyone he interacts with. Bielema showed it yet again by traveling with Ragnow late Saturday night.
While Ragnow is expected to miss some game prep for Alabama, at this point he is expected to return in time for Saturday’s showdown against the Tide.
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