DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles couldn’t believe the news.

As far as he knew, longtime Arkansas administrator Bill Gray intended to remain in his post as senior associate athletic director for at least another year.

So when Gray visited Broyles this week and said he was retiring, his former coach and boss was stunned.

“I was just broken-hearted because he’s important, he’s important, he’s important,” Broyles said. “I tried to talk him out of it. I just couldn’t do it.”

The university announced that Gray will retire on July 31, wrapping up 29 years of service. His departure also serves as another piece of the changing landscape at the school, which began when Broyles stepped down from his post last December.

“There comes a time when even the good things in life have to come to an end,” Gray said in a statement released by the athletic department Friday. “That is the reason that I have made the decision to move on now. I know in my heart this is the time for me to end this wonderful experience.”

Gray’s affiliation with Arkansas began in the 1960s when he lettered in football and baseball.

He was captain of the 1964 national championship team and led Arkansas in interceptions that season. He also holds the school record for the longest touchdown pass in a bowl, tossing a 68-yard score to Jerry Lamb in the 1963 Sugar Bowl. On the diamond, Gray led Arkansas in batting (.322) in 1965.

Gray returned in 1984 when he was hired by football coach Ken Hatfield as Arkansas’ recruiting coordinator, a role he held for four years. He moved into an administrative role after that and held numerous job responsibilities during his tenure.

Gray supervised event management, football and basketball scheduling, postseason football and basketball, academics and compliance. He also was pivotal in the renovation and expansion of Reynolds Razorback Stadium and played a role in the creation of the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.

“He has done just about everything for me,” Broyles said Friday. “He had experience and he was a good leader. He had great influence on the people he worked with and he got the job done perfectly.

“He did it because of his love for the Razorbacks.”

Gray’s joins Broyles and Arkansas track and field coach John McDonnell, who will step down after the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships today, as longtime athletic department personnel to retire. In addition, former football coach Houston Nutt and volleyball coach Chris Poole have left in the past several months.

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long called Gray an “unsung hero of the Razorback program” in the athletic department’s press release. He also said Gray will remain a trusted advisor even though he won’t be directly affiliated with the program after July.

“While his contributions were most often made behind the scenes, his influence helped chart the direction of this program under Coach Broyles’ leadership,” Long said. “Bill’s commitment and dedication have helped pave the way for thousands of student-athletes to pursue their dreams academically and athletically. He has continued to be an invaluable resource to me in the transition and combining the men’s and women’s athletic programs.”