The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
in the sport of
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
. The Razorbacks compete in the
Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
(FBS) of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA) and the Western Division of the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC). The program has one national championship awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) in 1964, and one national championship awarded by the Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments (
Rothman (FACT)
David Rothman (August 9, 1935 – June 12, 2004) was an American statistician, public policy advisor, and the creator of a computerized college football ranking system.
Rothman was the founder and executive director of the Foundation for the An ...
) in 1977. The school does not claim the 1977 title. Arkansas has won 13 conference championships, includes 58
All-Americans
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
amongst its list of players, and holds an all-time record of 735–530–40. Home games are played at stadiums on or near the two largest campuses of the
University of Arkansas System
The University of Arkansas System is a state university system in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It comprises six campuses; a medical school; two law schools; a graduate school focused on public service; a historically black college, statewide rese ...
:
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in
Fayetteville, and
War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to:
* Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium''
* War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas
* War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...
in
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
.
History
Early history (1894–1957)
![Arkansas cardinals football 1909](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Arkansas_cardinals_football_1909.jpg)
The first
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
football team was formed in
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
and coached by
John Futrall, who was a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
professor at the university.
[Henry, Orville, and Jim Bailey. ''The Razorbacks: A Story of Arkansas Football''. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1996.] That team played three games: two against
Fort Smith High School
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
and one against
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Before the 1909 season, the teams were called the Arkansas Cardinals and a bird was the school's mascot. The name and mascot changed following the
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Januar ...
season when the football team, coached by
Hugo Bezdek
Hugo Francis Bezdek (April 1, 1884 – September 19, 1952) was a Czech American athlete who played American football and was a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He was the head football coach at the University of Oregon (1906, 1913– ...
, finished 7–0. The Cardinals became the Razorbacks after Arkansas defeated LSU 7–0, and coach Bezdek told a group of reporters after the game that his team played like a "wild band of Razorback hogs". The name stuck, and the student body voted to change the mascot. The "Wooo Pig Sooie" or "Calling The Hogs" became a tradition and the official school cheer in the 1920s when farmers rushing out to meet the bus returning from an away game called the hogs as a greeting. Arkansas prevailed over powerhouses
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
,
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
and
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in 1909, and was declared unofficial champions of the South and Southwest.
It was with the help of Steve Creekmore that this was accomplished. Creekmore became perhaps the first Razorback star, a quarterback from
Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...
who initially played only
intramurals
Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...
.
Bezdek used Creekmore to install a very early edition of the
hurry-up offense
The hurry-up offense is an American football offensive style, which has two different but related forms in which the offensive team avoids delays between plays. The hurry-up, no-huddle offense (HUNH) refers to avoiding or shortening the huddle to l ...
, as the team never huddled and chased the ball after every play.
Creekmore was also known for "fast and slippery running, blocking, and passing" and could also return punts and tackle well.
There are differing stories about the origins of the 'Razorbacks' mascot, however. The Texarkana Arkansas High School mascot and athletic emblem is the Razorback with red and white serving as the school colors. The Razorback mascot was selected in 1910 to replace the Cardinal as the University of Arkansas mascot. In exchange for its use, the university provided used athletic gear to Texarkana Arkansas High; this practice is no longer used. With the new name and mascot, the Hogs defeated LSU 51–0 and gave
Texas A&M their only loss in
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
, but fell short of another perfect season, losing 5–0 to
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
. In
1913
Events January
* January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...
, Arkansas quarterback J. L. Carter and the Razorbacks lost to
Ole Miss, and took a fateful train to
Arkadelphia
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderso ...
to play
Ouachita Baptist. While Carter was eating, he was invited to a meeting of Ouachita boosters. He transferred (which took place immediately, this being permissible at the time) and
defeated Arkansas 15–9 in 1914.
The Hogs would be contacted by
L. Theo Bellmont
L. Theo Bellmont ( – ) was an Athletic Director, Professor and Director of Physical Training, and men's basketball head coach at University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Austin.
Bellmont was born in Rochester, New York. He att ...
in 1913 in his attempt to create an intercollegiate conference to regulate use of
ringers. Hugo Bezdek, since replaced by
E. T. Pickering
Earle Thomas Pickering (January 6, 1888 – June 14, 1961) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Vermont in 1912, at the University of Arkansas from 1913 to 1914, and at the College ...
, had recommended that the Hogs join a conference before he left to coach at
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
The Razorbacks joined the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
(SWC) as charter members in
1915
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction".
*January 1 ...
. The conference also included teams from Texas (
Baylor,
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
,
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
) and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
(
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
,
Oklahoma A&M).
Southwestern (TX) would also join, but leave the following year. The 1916, 1917, and 1919 teams were led at quarterback by "Arkansas' greatest athlete"
Gene Davidson
Gene "Sodie" Davidson (February 19, 1896 – September 12, 1960) was an American football and baseball player for the Arkansas Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1968. Davidson was n ...
. The Razorbacks didn't have a winning conference record until
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
, and didn't win the conference championship until
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
. Arkansas had the best record during the
1933 season, but had to forfeit the SWC Championship because Ulysses "Heine" Schleuter, who had no eligibility remaining, played on the team.
Schleuter had told coach
Fred Thomsen
Fred Charles Thomsen (April 25, 1897 – January 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach. From 1929 to 1941, he was the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, compiling a record of 56–61–10. In 1949, he became the head f ...
that he was eligible, but he was recognized by an SMU player during the game as a former
Cornhusker.
The Hogs did accept an invitation to the
1934 Dixie Classic, a precursor to today's
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
. Arkansas became
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
with
Ole Miss due to proximity. Although not SWC members, Ole Miss played Arkansas intermittently until a yearly series began from
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
–
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
. During the 1938 season, the Razorbacks replaced their 300-seat stadium known as The Hill with
Bailey Stadium, named after Arkansas governor
Carl Bailey. It was known as University Stadium for one game before being changed to honor the governor.
This stadium still exists today, although heavily renovated, as
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the current home of the Razorbacks.
Arkansas won the conference championship in
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
, earning a bid in the
1947 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic was a post-season college football bowl game played on January 1, 1947 in the Cotton Bowl stadium at Dallas, Texas, between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the LSU Tigers. Due to adverse winter weather, neither team scored, ...
with
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
.
The game would become known as the
Ice Bowl, as a winter storm hit Dallas before the game.
The two rivals battled to a scoreless tie, with Razorback great
Clyde Scott
Clyde Luther Scott (August 29, 1924 – January 30, 2018) was an American athlete who competed professionally in the National Football League and earned an Olympic medal in the 110 meter hurdles. He was born in Dixie, Louisiana.
Biography
...
tackling an LSU Tiger at the one yard-line to preserve the tie on the second-to-last play of the game.
LSU would fail to complete the field goal attempt on the next play.
The Razorbacks defeated
William & Mary the next year in the
1948 Dixie Bowl
The 1948 Dixie Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the William & Mary Indians. In the inaugural Dixie Bowl, Arkansas defeated William & Mary, who was ranked fourteenth by the AP Poll, 21–19."200 ...
. In
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
, the
Ole Miss rivalry would catch fire. The Hogs played the Rebels in
War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to:
* Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium''
* War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas
* War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...
on October 23, 1954. The Rebels were ranked No. 5 by the AP Poll entering the game, and Arkansas was picked to finish last in the SWC.
[Georgia Tech, 14, Arkansas 6. Retrieved on January 15, 2009.] The contest would be decided by a 66-yard
halfback pass The halfback option play is an unorthodox play in American and Canadian football. It resembles a normal running play, but the running back has the option to throw a pass to another eligible receiver before crossing the line of scrimmage.
The key to ...
from tailback Buddy Bob Benson to blocking back
Preston Carpenter
Verba Preston Carpenter (January 24, 1934 – June 30, 2011)Neiswanger, R"Football: Arkansas Great Carpenter Dies at 77", ''Arkansas News''. June 30, 2011. was an American football player. He played professionally as an end, halfback, tight end ...
, the only score of the game. This is referred to as the Powder River Play, and "perhaps the most important in Arkansas football history to that time" by Orville Henry, a member of the 1954 team. The Hogs would get back to the Cotton Bowl Classic in 1954, only to be defeated by
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
. Future Arkansas head coach
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
was an assistant under Yellowjackets head coach
Bobby Dodd
Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compil ...
in the game. The 1954 season was all the more impressive when it is considered that the team only had twenty-five players on the squad. That team, dubbed the "25 Little Pigs" and coached by
Bowden Wyatt
Clarence Bowden Wyatt (October 4, 1917 – January 21, 1969) was an American football player and coach. Wyatt played college football at the University of Tennessee and was later the head football coach at three schools, the University of Wyomin ...
, finished 8-3 and won the Southwest Conference championship. During this period, Arkansas developed rivalries with
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
because of their intense conference match-ups.
Frank Broyles era (1958–1976)
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
head coach
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
was hired as the Razorbacks head football coach in
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
and served in that position for 19 years. Arkansas would grow into a national power with Broyles at the helm, including several conference championships and a national title. Arkansas would
earn a share of the 1959 SWC Championship, splitting with Texas. Arkansas lost only to No. 3 Texas and No. 6 Ole Miss during the season. The Hogs went to
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
and defeated
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
in the
1960 Gator Bowl 14–7, avenging an
earlier Cotton Bowl Classic defeat.
Barry Switzer
Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...
was a co-captain on the team. Some, including
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
Chancellor and student during 1958, John White,
[ Forde, Pat. "Legendary Arkansas icon's run nears finish line." May 31, 200]
ESPN.
Retrieved on February 4, 2009. view the Razorback football team during this period as a revival of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, which was recovering from the
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering ...
and
racial segregation
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
problems.
The 1960s was the best decade in Arkansas football history.
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
brought another SWC crown, and a Cotton Bowl Classic invitation for the Hogs, who were ranked as high as 7th during the season. The Razorbacks lost to No. 2 Ole Miss and
No. 20 Baylor, but defeated No. 11 Texas in
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, bringing the championship to
Fayetteville. The Hogs
lost to Duke, 7–6, because of a blocked extra point. The
following season brought another shared SWC championship with Texas. The Hogs were defeated by the Longhorns 33–7,
as well as the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels, warranting an invitation to
, for the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
.
No. 1 Alabama defeated the Razorbacks 10–3. The Crimson Tide had been declared National Champions before the game, which was the procedure at the time. The Hogs would fight this system in 1964, when the same Alabama team would claim the 1964 AP crown before losing the Orange Bowl to the Texas Longhorns, a team Arkansas defeated in Austin, Texas, during the regular season. Arkansas won the Cotton Bowl Classic over Nebraska, 10–7.
Broyles' team was awarded the
1964 National Championship
The NCAA was without a playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Division I-A, during the 20th century. The NCAA recognizes Division I-A national champions ba ...
by the
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
and the
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...
.
The FWAA and HAF awarded their National Championships to Arkansas, who was the only team to go undefeated through the bowl games that year. At the time, the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
(AP) and
UPI
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
awarded their national titles before the bowl games, and gave their trophies to the
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
team that would lose in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
game a few days later.
The next season,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
, the Razorbacks were 10–0 in the regular season, and were once again the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
Champions. That sent the Razorbacks back to the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
on New Year's Day, this time to play against
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
. Because of the controversy in determining the national champions in 1964, the AP poll would wait until after the bowl games to announce its champion. With top-ranked
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
losing in the
Rose Bowl, the No. 2 Razorbacks had a chance to become national champions, but were defeated 14–7 by the Tigers.
Arkansas would return to the field in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
ranked fifth, but losses against unranked Baylor and Texas Tech would prevent the 8–2 Hogs from playing in a bowl game.
Loyd Phillips
Loyd Phillips (May 2, 1945 — December 27, 2020) was an American professional football player and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the winner of the 1966 Outland Trophy as the country's most outstanding interior lineman whil ...
was a consensus All-American
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
on the team. Phillips also took home the
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
. After struggling to a 4–5–1 record in
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
, the Hogs went 10–1 and returned to the postseason in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
. No. 9 Arkansas defeated
No. 2 Georgia in the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, 16–2. Sophomore receiver
Chuck Dicus
Charles Wayne Dicus (born October 2, 1948) is a former American football wide receiver and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dicus played college football at the University of Arkansas and professionally two seasons in the National F ...
scored the only touchdown of the game for the Razorbacks. In
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, the Razorbacks had another chance to claim the national title, when No. 2 Arkansas played the No. 1
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
, coached by
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957 ...
, at
Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was formerly known as Razorb ...
in
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...
.
The game, known as "
The Big Shootout" or the Game of the Century, is perhaps the most notable football game in Razorbacks history. Arkansas led 14–0 at after three quarters, but Texas stormed back and took a 15–14 lead on a two-point conversion, after a questionable passing play was called late in the game by then coach Frank Broyles, which was intercepted by Texas. President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
was in attendance, and proclaimed Texas the national champions, even though they had a bowl game to play, and Penn State was also undefeated.
Arkansas lost to Ole Miss in the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, 27–22, and Texas beat
Notre Dame in the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
for the national title.
The 1970s brought more success for Broyles, led by Razorback standouts
Chuck Dicus
Charles Wayne Dicus (born October 2, 1948) is a former American football wide receiver and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dicus played college football at the University of Arkansas and professionally two seasons in the National F ...
and
Ben Cowins
Ben Cowins (born April 7, 1956) is a former college football running back who played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks from 1975-1978.
College career
Cowins played alongside Ron Calcagni, Chicago Bears great Dan Hampton and record-set ...
. The
1970 Razorbacks would go 9–2, with the nine consecutive wins bookended by losses in the opener to No. 10
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
and the finale to No. 1 Texas. The
1971 Razorbacks went 8–3–1, including upset wins over
No. 7 Cal and No. 10 Texas. They were invited to the
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...
, but lost to No. 9 Tennessee 14–13. The 1972–1974 seasons would be mediocre, as Arkansas struggled to defeat the Texas teams. The Hogs went 11–8–2 against schools in Texas, but failed to beat the University of Texas during the span. The highlight of the period was an upset of
No. 5 USC in War Memorial Stadium in 1974. Broyles would win his seventh and final Southwest Conference championship in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. The contest with Texas A&M was moved until the end of the year, as it was expected to decide the Southwest Conference championship. The Razorbacks did not disappoint, as Arkansas defeated No. 2 Texas A&M, 31–6, in War Memorial Stadium. The win forced the Aggies to share the conference championship with Texas and Arkansas. However, the tie-breaker went to Arkansas, thus Arkansas received the invitation to the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
. The Cotton Bowl Classic berth would also be Broyles' last appearance. Arkansas would fall behind Georgia early on in that game, but came roaring back to beat the Bulldogs easily, 31–10. Arkansas finished with a 10–2 record and finished ranked No. 7 in the AP and No. 6 in the UPI that season. Broyles coached the Razorbacks in 1976, but with limited success, compiling a 5–5–1 record. Broyles retired as Arkansas head coach following the 1976 season, but served as the university's athletics director until December 31, 2007. He is now arguably one of the best college football coaches to coach Arkansas.
Lou Holtz era (1977–1983)
![Lou Holtz cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Lou_Holtz_cropped.jpg)
After Broyles left coaching and became athletic director at Arkansas, he hired
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
head coach
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
to take his former position. Holtz served as head football coach from
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
through the
1983 season.
![Dan Hampton, 2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Dan_Hampton%2C_2002.jpg)
Holtz led the Razorbacks through a 10–1 regular season in 1977, losing only to No. 2 Texas. The No. 6 Hogs were invited to play in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
against
No. 2 Oklahoma. The Sooners had a chance to become national champions with a win over the shorthanded Razorbacks, who had suffered a season-long rash of injuries and player suspensions. Prior to Christmas, the university announced that star running back
Ben Cowins
Ben Cowins (born April 7, 1956) is a former college football running back who played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks from 1975-1978.
College career
Cowins played alongside Ron Calcagni, Chicago Bears great Dan Hampton and record-set ...
, leading receiver Donny Bobo, and back-up running back Michael Forrest would all be sent back to Fayetteville.
[Looney, Douglas S. "At Last, Lou Holtz Has The Last Laugh." January 9, 1978. '']Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'
SI Archives.
Retrieved on January 3, 2010. Following the suspensions, numerous African-American players on the team threatened to
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
the game. The always-quotable Holtz said two days before the game, "I'm one step short of suicide".
The Razorbacks found an unlikely hero in
Roland Sales
Roland Sales (born 1958) is a former running back for the University of Arkansas and a former professional football player. His career is significant because in the 1977 season's 1978 Orange Bowl, Sales set an Orange Bowl rushing record of 205 yar ...
, who rushed for 205 yards on 23 carries and two scores. Sales also led the Hogs in receiving in the contest. In addition, Holtz used third-string running back Randy Richey, who added 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on only 5 carries. The Hogs ended the Sooners' hope with a 31–6 victory.
This game is notable as one of the biggest upsets in Razorback football history. Ironically, University of Arkansas alumnus
Barry Switzer
Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...
coached the Sooners in the contest, and late in the game, future Arkansas head coach
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is a former American football player and coach. He currently works for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University ( ...
played quarterback for Holtz.
[Helsley, John. "Houston Nutt still wears Cowboy roots." '']The Oklahoman
''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...
''. December 24, 2009
Article.
Retrieved January 3, 2010. Arkansas finished the season 11-1 and was selected as a co-national champion for the 1977 season by the Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments (
Rothman (FACT)
David Rothman (August 9, 1935 – June 12, 2004) was an American statistician, public policy advisor, and the creator of a computerized college football ranking system.
Rothman was the founder and executive director of the Foundation for the An ...
), along with
Notre Dame and Texas, but the university does not claim this title.
In 1978, the Razorbacks went 9–2 during the regular season, losing back-to-back games at No. 8 Texas and
No. 11 Houston. A 49–7 win over
No. 16 Texas A&M did give the Hogs a
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...
berth, but the Razorbacks and
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
would battle to a
10–10 tie, as the Razorbacks finished 9-2-1. In
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, Holtz's Razorbacks won a share of the Southwest Conference (sharing with Houston). The 10–2 Hogs defeated nemesis No. 2 Texas in Little Rock, but lost an outright conference title to No. 6 Houston in Fayetteville. Earning a bid to the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, the No. 6 Hogs were set to play
No. 2 Alabama with a chance at the national championship. Instead, Alabama
defeated the Razorbacks 24–9, winning their sixth claimed national title.
The Razorbacks would continue to succeed under Holtz, winning the
1980 Hall of Fame Classic
The 1980 Hall of Fame Classic was a college football postseason bowl game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tulane Green Wave.
Background
The Razorbacks finished 6th in the Southwestern Conference in their second bowl game in the calendar y ...
following
the 1980 regular season and defeating No. 1 Texas by a score of 42–11 in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
. Despite winning the
1982 Bluebonnet Bowl
The 1982 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was held on December 31, 1982 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The #14 Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University ...
over the Florida Gators and finishing 9–2–1 in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, a 6–5 season in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
would be the end of the Holtz era.
At the time, athletic director Frank Broyles stated that Holtz had resigned and was not fired, but two decades later Broyles acknowledged that Holtz was indeed fired because his actions were negatively affecting the fan base. Holtz would subsequently be hired by
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. Reports also cited his political involvement as a major reason for his firing: controversy arose over his having taped two television advertisements from his coach's office endorsing the re-election of
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...
as Senator from North Carolina at a time when Helms was leading the effort
to block Martin Luther King Day from becoming a national holiday.
[Ethan Trex]
5 Things You Didn't Know About Lou Holtz
''Mental Floss'', July 17, 2009, accessed July 31, 2013. Holtz left the program with a mark of 60–21–2. His teams reached six consecutive bowls (1977–1982), but only won one split conference championship. Holtz used a very conservative option offense.
Ken Hatfield era (1984–1989)
Ken Hatfield
Kenneth Wahl Hatfield (born June 6, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy (1979–1983), the University of Arkansas (1984–1989), Clemson University (1 ...
replaced Holtz in 1984. Hatfield played
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
for Broyles on the
1964 national championship team, and was an All-American punt returner. It was Hatfield's punt return for a touchdown that beat No. 1 Texas in Austin in 1964 that propelled that team to finish undefeated.
Hatfield finished his six-year tenure at Arkansas with a record of 55–17–1 and won back-to-back
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
titles in 1988 and 1989, Hatfield's last two years, and to date the Razorbacks' most recent conference championships. Hatfield would win seventy-six percent of his games at Arkansas, which is still a record today. He coached three teams to ten-win seasons in 1985, 1988, and 1989, and his 1986 and 1987 teams won nine games. But Hatfield was not successful in bowl games, only winning one (
1985 Holiday Bowl
The 1985 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 22, 1985, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils, and the 14th ranked Arkansas ...
) out of six. Hatfield was also criticized for being too conservative in the play-calling of his flexbone offense, with many fans noting that the team only threw three passes the entire game in a 16–14 loss to Texas in 1987, when the Longhorns scored a touchdown on the last play of the game to upset Arkansas. The Hatfield-led Razorbacks also lost to Texas in 1985 by a score of 15–13, when the Texas placekicker successfully made all five of his field goal attempts, but the Arkansas kicker missed two of four attempts. Hatfield would switch to the option-I formation prior to the 1989 season. Hatfield was also criticized for finishing with a losing record against Texas, going 2–4, with both victories on the road in Austin, Texas.
Despite this success, Hatfield had a somewhat frosty relationship with Broyles, and lost out on several key recruits when other coaches spread rumors that he was in Broyles' doghouse. When Broyles signed a new five-year contract as athletic director, Hatfield abruptly resigned less than two weeks after losing the
1990 Cotton Bowl Classic with a ten-win team to accept the head coaching post at
Clemson without ever visiting the Clemson campus before taking the job.
[Murphy, Austin]
Not exactly Hog Heaven
''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', September 21, 1992. Hatfield would go on to coach Clemson for four years, winning two bowl games and an ACC championship in 1991, before leaving to coach the Rice Owls for twelve seasons and winning a share of the SWC championship in 1994.
During this period, Broyles engineered Arkansas' move from the Southwest Conference to the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC), effective with the 1992 season.
Jack Crowe era (1990–1992)
When Hatfield announced he was leaving for Clemson, Broyles was in a difficult situation. Not only was there nowhere near enough time to find a big-name coach, but
National Signing Day
National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...
was only three weeks away. Broyles persuaded
Jack Crowe
Jack Crowe (born May 2, 1947) is a former American football coach. He played quarterback at West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was most recently the head coach at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, a position he held from 2000 ...
, who had just come to Fayetteville as offensive coordinator, to drop his initial plans to follow Hatfield to Clemson and take over as head coach of the Razorbacks. The decision came as something of a surprise, since Crowe had only won five games in two seasons at
Livingston University
The University of West Alabama (UWA) is a public university in Livingston, Alabama. Founded in 1835, the school began as a church-supported school for young women called Livingston Female Academy. The original Board of Trustees of Livingston Fe ...
in the late 1970s. By the start of the season, the Razorbacks had seen
Barry Foster give up his senior season to enter the
1990 NFL Draft
The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Marq ...
and had lost numerous other players to disciplinary and academic problems. Under the circumstances, the Razorbacks struggled to a 3–8 record–their first losing season since 1967, and only their fifth sub-.500 record since the 1950s. They barely qualified for a bowl in 1991.
The Razorbacks opened the 1992 season—their first in the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
—with an upset loss to a
Division I-AA
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
team,
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
. The next day, Broyles announced that Crowe had resigned and that defensive coordinator
Joe Kines
Joe Kines (born July 13, 1944) is a former American football player and coach. He spent most of his coaching career as an assistant in college football ranks, and twice serving as an interim head coach: in 1992 at the University of Arkansas after ...
would coach the Razorbacks for the rest of the season.
However, Crowe's lawyer subsequently told ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' that Crowe had been fired, and Broyles admitted that he'd fired Crowe due to concern that the fans no longer had confidence in him.
He finished 9–15 in two seasons and one game in Fayetteville.
Danny Ford era (1993–1997)
Joe Kines brought
Danny Ford
Danny Lee Ford (born April 2, 1948) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Alabama from 1967 to 1969. He served as the head football coach at Clemson University from 1978 to 1989 and at th ...
to Arkansas in 1992 to help with the clean-up following
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
' firing of
Jack Crowe
Jack Crowe (born May 2, 1947) is a former American football coach. He played quarterback at West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was most recently the head coach at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, a position he held from 2000 ...
(Ford's former offensive coordinator at Clemson) after a loss to
the Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
. This immediately led to speculation that Ford would be named head coach on a permanent basis. The speculation bore fruit after the season, when Ford was named head coach. He led Arkansas to an SEC West championship in 1995 on the legs of
Madre Hill
Madre Hill (born January 2, 1976) is a former American football running back, playing last for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Considered one of the greatest running backs to come out of the University of Arkansas, Hil ...
and the defensive genius of
Joe Lee Dunn
Joseph Levi "Joe Lee" Dunn, Sr (July 14, 1946 – October 26, 2021) was an American college football coach and player. As a defensive coordinator, he was known for coaching from the sidelines, seldom using a headset or carrying playsheets, and hi ...
, after emerging from two years under Crowe. However, this was one of only two winning seasons the Razorbacks notched in Ford's tenure. Broyles fired Ford following back-to-back 4–7 campaigns. Ford finished 26–30–1 in five seasons with the Razorbacks.
It was ironic that Ford ended up at Arkansas, since his replacement at Clemson was former Razorback head coach
Ken Hatfield
Kenneth Wahl Hatfield (born June 6, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy (1979–1983), the University of Arkansas (1984–1989), Clemson University (1 ...
, who had had his own falling out with Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles. Hatfield took the Clemson job in January 1990, less than a week after Ford resigned, without even visiting the campus.
Ford proved to be a solid recruiter, as his replacement at Arkansas,
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is a former American football player and coach. He currently works for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University ( ...
, went on to win 17 games in the 1998 (9-3) and 1999 (8-4) seasons combined, to include a 1998 SEC West co-championship and a Cotton Bowl championship on January 1, 2000, with a victory over Texas. Both of those squads included players Ford had recruited to Arkansas.
Houston Nutt era (1998–2007)
![HoustonNutt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/HoustonNutt.png)
On December 10, 1997,
Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
head coach
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is a former American football player and coach. He currently works for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University ( ...
was hired by the University of Arkansas to succeed
Danny Ford
Danny Lee Ford (born April 2, 1948) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Alabama from 1967 to 1969. He served as the head football coach at Clemson University from 1978 to 1989 and at th ...
. Upon his arrival at Arkansas, Nutt invigorated the Hog fan base with his enthusiasm and high energy. Under Nutt, the Razorbacks were one of three SEC schools to play in three New Year's Day bowls within five years. Nutt's teams were noted for a series of overtime games, including the two longest overtime games in NCAA history. Off the field, some of Nutt's players were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 145 times and he has established a reputation as a responsible coach academically. Nutt received some criticism for a
SEC win–loss record that was just barely over .500 and because he calls his own offensive plays during a game instead of relying on an
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
.
In his first six seasons, Nutt led the team to a bowl game each year and averaged eight wins per season.
Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to finish last in the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
Western Division in 1998 but ended up with a 9–3 record and a share of the division title. The Razorbacks lost to the eventual national champion
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...
on Tennessee's home field after quarterback
Clint Stoerner
Clinton Jacob Stoerner (born December 29, 1977) is a former American football quarterback, who played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. He also played in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. He p ...
fumbled while trying to run out the clock. For their efforts, the Razorbacks received their first-ever invitation to the
Citrus Bowl
The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic.
The gam ...
and ended the season ranked No. 16 after losing to
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. Nutt was selected as the Football News' National Coach of the Year. In 1999, Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to win the SEC Western Division, but suffered a series of setbacks during the season. They recovered to defeat nationally ranked
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
to earn a
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
bid versus arch-rival
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. The Razorbacks defeated Texas 27–6, becoming the first team to ever hold Texas to negative rushing yards in a game. The Cotton Bowl victory propelled Arkansas into the top 20 to end the season.
The 2000 season saw the Razorbacks lose the core of their team and suffer a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries to all of the starting running backs. The Razorbacks struggled throughout the season until the final two games when they defeated ranked Mississippi State and
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
teams to pull out another winning record and a
Las Vegas Bowl
The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the ...
appearance. In the 2001 season, the Razorbacks started off with three straight losses in SEC play. They then came back to win six of the last seven including victories over ranked
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
teams. Based on this performance, the Razorbacks were selected to return to the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
to face the defending national champion
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
. Arkansas lost, gaining only 50 yards of total offense and just six first downs. Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches.
In 2002, Nutt's Razorbacks stumbled midway through the season but pulled together five straight wins, including a last second touchdown pass against LSU, often referred to as the "Miracle on Markham" to pull out a share of a Western Division title. Arkansas was defeated by the
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
in the
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regula ...
and ended the season with a loss to
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
in the
Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998. Since 2020, it has been sponsored by TransPerfect and is officially known as the ''TransPerf ...
. In 2003, Nutt's team started off with a 4–0 record including a win against No. 5
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
on their home field. The early season success raised fan expectations sky-high and put Nutt under intense pressure when the Razorbacks lost their next three games, putting them out of contention for the national championship or even the SEC Western Division crown. The Razorbacks won four of their final five games and defeated
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
in the
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl ...
. After the 2003 season,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
was rumored to be courting Nutt to be their head coach, after the firing of
Frank Solich
Frank Thomas Solich (born September 8, 1944) is a former American football coach and former player. He is the former head coach at Ohio University, a position he held from 2005 until 2021. From 1998 to 2003, Solich served as the head coach at th ...
. The 2004 and 2005 campaigns were widely expected to be rebuilding years due to young teams. The 2004 season ended with a 5–6 record and without a bowl invitation for the first time under Nutt.
The 2005 season was also a rebuilding year as expected. Tough losses to
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
(70–17) as well as to
Vanderbilt and
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
showed that the season had been predicted accurately. The team was ineligible for a bowl for the second season in a row (and the second season overall under coach Nutt). This led to Razorback fans calling for coaching changes. After meeting with
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
(athletic director) at the conclusion of the season, coaching changes were made by Nutt in the offseason at the risk of being fired, the most notable of which was the forced addition of
Gus Malzahn
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF Knights football, UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 t ...
, previously the head coach at Springdale High School in
Springdale, Arkansas
Springdale is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, fourth-largest city in Arkansas, United States. It is located in both Washington County, Arkansas, Washington and Benton County, Arkansas, Benton counties in Northwest Arkansas. Located on th ...
, as
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
. The hiring of Malzahn allowed Nutt to sign several highly recruited Springdale players, including Springdale High School
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Mitch Mustain
Mitchell Stewart Mustain (born February 27, 1988) is a former professional football player. He played high school football and baseball at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas. Mustain played his first year of college football at the U ...
and
wide receiver Damian Williams who eventually transferred to USC.
![Darren McFadden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Darren_McFadden.jpg)
The 2006 season began with a new offensive coordinator in
Malzahn. The Razorbacks started the season losing 50–14, at a home game in Fayetteville, to
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
. Following the loss to the Trojans, Nutt announced that Mustain would replace Robert Johnson as the Hogs' starting quarterback. Mustain led Arkansas to eight straight wins, including wins against No. 22
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
at home and No. 2
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
at Auburn, before losing the starting job to Casey Dick. Dick had been slotted to start at the beginning of the season but was unable to do so due to a back injury suffered in the spring. Dick led the Razorbacks to two victories out of four for a total of 10 wins, including a win over No. 13 Tennessee. The Razorbacks moved to No. 7 in the BCS standings. However, the Hogs lost their last regular season game to the No. 8
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
, 31–26. Despite the loss, the Hogs were still Western Division Champions of the SEC, and played the 11–1, fourth-ranked
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
for the SEC Championship. Florida won, 38–28. The Razorbacks then lost to the No. 5
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
on New Year's Day, 2007 in the
Capital One Bowl
The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic.
The gam ...
. A highlight of the season was the second-place finish of sophomore tailback
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
in the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
voting. Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches for the second time. The Razorbacks finished the season at 10–4.
The 2007 season began with the Razorbacks ranked No. 21 by the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
. The Hogs opened at home with a victory over
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
. However, early losses to
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
knocked Arkansas out of the rankings and made the remaining SEC schedule an uphill struggle, even with
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
,
Felix Jones
Felix Jones Jr. (born May 8, 1987) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Arkansas and was drafted by the ...
, and
Peyton Hillis
Peyton Derek Hillis (born January 21, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). Hillis attended Conway High School in Conway, Arkansas and was a highly touted recruit. Hillis attended the ...
in the Razorback backfield. Fan frustration boiled over to some fans wearing all black T-shirts with anti-Nutt statements and buying an entire page in a local Little Rock newspaper calling for Nutt to be fired. A non-official flyover was made hours before the Auburn home game with a small airplane holding a banner, which read: "Fire Houston Nutt. Players and fans deserve better." On November 23, 2007, in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
, Nutt's Razorbacks beat the top-ranked football team in the nation on the road. In a game that lasted three overtimes, Arkansas defeated eventual national champion
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
, 50–48, returning the
Golden Boot back to Arkansas. Arkansas finished the season with an 8–5 record. Three days later, Nutt resigned as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks amid several controversies and rumors, which had come prior to and throughout the
2007 season. He left the school with a 75–48 record, which is second on the school's all-time win list, behind only Frank Broyles.
Bobby Petrino era (2008–2011)
![BobbyPetrinoUA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/BobbyPetrinoUA.jpg)
On December 11, 2007, former
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
head coach
Bobby Petrino
Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head coa ...
came to Arkansas from the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
's
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
to become the Razorbacks' 31st head coach. Petrino was regarded as an up-and-coming college coach who, despite his failed 11-month stint with the Falcons, had led Louisville to 41 wins in 50 games and was regarded as one of the nation's brilliant offensive minds, employing a spread hybrid offense. Hired by newly hired athletics director
Jeff Long, Petrino signed a five-year contract worth $2.85 million per year with the university administration. The 2008 season was expected to be a transition year for the team and Petrino. Though eliminated from bowl contention, Petrino led the Razorbacks to a last-second victory over rival and defending national champions
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
(nicknamed the Miracle on Markham II) to finish the season 5–7 and a conference mark of 2–6.
Petrino's
2009 Razorbacks made dramatic improvement. Led by Michigan transfer
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...
at quarterback, the Razorbacks nearly defeated the
Tim Tebow-led
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
, who were ranked No. 1 in the country at that time, in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
. The Hogs went on to win the
2010 Liberty Bowl against
East Carolina
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina.
Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...
and finish with a record of 8–5. The
2010 Arkansas Razorbacks improved on their 2009 record and won 6 in a row to end the year after earlier losses to Alabama and Auburn. Arkansas finished the season 10–2 overall and earned a BCS bowl berth, the first in Arkansas history. The Razorbacks lost the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
in New Orleans against the sixth ranked
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
by a score of 31–26. Though the result was later vacated by the NCAA as a result of sanctions against Ohio State, the game was the first game ever played between the two teams. Under Petrino's tutelage, quarterback
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...
broke numerous school passing records in 2010 as well. On December 11, 2010, Petrino received a seven-year contract extension from the University of Arkansas administration.
In
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, the reins were handed to
Tyler Wilson after Mallett went to the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. Wilson picked up where Mallett left off, and Arkansas spent more than half the season ranked in the top ten. After beating
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
in the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
by a score of 29–16, the Razorbacks finished with an 11–2 record and a No. 5 final ranking in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since 1977. The eleven wins also tied a school record. The only two teams to beat the Hogs that year were
Bama
Bama or BAMA may refer to:
Places
* Bama, shortened form of Alabama, a state of the United States of America
** The University of Alabama, the public university serving the state, often known as simply ''Bama''
* Bama, one of the colloquial Burm ...
and
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
, the two teams that played each other for the national championship.
![Tyler Wilson and the Arkansas Razorbacks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Tyler_Wilson_and_the_Arkansas_Razorbacks.jpg)
On April 1, 2012, Petrino was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in rural
Madison County, near
Crosses
Crosses may refer to:
* Cross, the symbol
Geography
* Crosses, Cher, a French municipality
* Crosses, Arkansas, a small community located in the Ozarks of north west Arkansas
Language
* Crosses, a truce term used in East Anglia and Lincolnshire ...
. After initially stating publicly that he was alone, both in a written press release and during a press conference, it was discovered in the police report of the accident that Petrino had been riding with a passenger, former Arkansas All-SEC volleyball player Jessica Dorrell. In his acknowledgement of the report, Petrino admitted to having engaged in a "previous inappropriate relationship" with Dorrell. As a result of this information, athletics director
Jeff Long placed Petrino on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation. On April 10, 2012, after his investigation, Long announced that he had fired Petrino with cause, saying that Petrino "engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior designed to deceive me and members of the athletic staff, both before and after the motorcycle accident." He also revealed that in addition to his previously undisclosed personal relationship, Petrino had secretly paid Dorrell $20,000 and had used his influence to ensure that she was selected from an applicant pool of 159 people for a position on the football coaching staff.
Long believed the payment could expose Arkansas to a sexual harassment suit if Petrino were retained. Petrino left Arkansas with a 34–17 record.
John L. Smith era (2012)
On April 23, 2012, Petrino's coaching mentor,
John L. Smith, was announced as Arkansas' 32nd head football coach. Smith signed a 10-month contract worth $850,000.
While the length of the contract made it appear that Smith was merely an interim hire, Arkansas' official announcement described Smith as "head coach," without any qualifier. School officials did announce that the 10-month contract would give them a chance to "identify a head coach for the future of the program." Smith's hiring was ironic, as Petrino had succeeded Smith as head coach at
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. Just four months earlier, Smith had accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater
Weber State
Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
History
Weber State University was founded ...
after serving under Petrino as special teams coordinator for the Razorbacks.
Smith's hiring was met both with approval and some controversy. A significant number of current players expressed their strong approval for the Smith hire.
However, some critics, such as argued that he had abandoned his previous post at
Weber State
Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
History
Weber State University was founded ...
after only months. For instance,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's Gene Wojciechowski claimed Smith was merely "leasing himself to the Razorbacks for a year."
The Razorbacks struggled to a 4–8 record in 2012 despite starting the season with high expectations and being ranked in the Top 10 nationally. Smith was not retained after the season.
Bret Bielema era (2013–2017)
![USMC-110218-M-8136F-001 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/USMC-110218-M-8136F-001_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On December 4, 2012, it was announced that
Bret Bielema
Bret Arnold Bielema (; born January 13, 1970) is currently the head American football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bielema served as the head football coach at of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2006 to 2012 ...
would leave the
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
to become the 33rd head coach in Arkansas history.
Bielema's first season at Arkansas resulted in an overall record of 3–9, 0–8 in the
SEC. It was the Razorbacks' worst SEC mark since entering the league in 1992 and their first winless in-conference season since 1942, when they were a member of the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
. His second season saw him improve on his first, as Arkansas finished 7–6. Bielema won his first two SEC games in dominating fashion in November, beating No. 17
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
17–0 and No. 8
Ole Miss 30–0 to achieve bowl eligibility. Though Arkansas lost its remaining conference game against Missouri, they still achieved a
Texas Bowl
The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced ...
victory in the postseason, defeating
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
31–7.
In Bielema's third season, the Razorbacks got off to a slow start, losing to
Toledo and
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
and starting 2–4. The Hogs then caught fire in the second half of the season, going 5–1 over the final six games, with the only loss coming to
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
on a blocked field goal. Arkansas ended the year by beating
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
45–23 in the
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...
, to finish the season with a record of 8–5.
Bielema's fourth season was a topsy-turvy 7–6 campaign that ended with two embarrassing defeats at the hands of
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
in the regular season finale and
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
in the
Belk Bowl
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2002. The game currently features a matchup between a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) ...
. The former saw his team blow a 17–point halftime lead and the latter was a 24–point blown halftime lead, the largest for Arkansas since at least 1952. Following the season, Bielema hired
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan corre ...
head coach
Dan Enos
Daniel Patrick Enos (born July 1, 1968) is an American football coach and former player who currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Maryland. He was previously the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks c ...
as the team's offensive coordinator. The Hogs went downhill from there, however, as the 2017 season finished with Arkansas going 4–8, and Bielema was fired minutes after concluding his fifth season with a 45–48 loss to
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
.
Chad Morris era (2018–2019)
After Bielema's firing, Arkansas initially pursued
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
head coach and former Razorbacks offensive coordinator
Gus Malzahn
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF Knights football, UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 t ...
with a lucrative contract offer to become the Razorbacks head coach, but Malzahn opted to remain at Auburn and signed an extension with the Tigers. On December 6, 2017,
SMU head coach
Chad Morris
Chad Allen Morris (born December 4, 1968) is an American football coach. He is currently an offensive analyst at South Florida. Morris served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2015 to 2017 and the University ...
was formally introduced as the 34th head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Prior to turning around a dismal SMU program in his three years as head coach, Morris solidified himself as one of the nation's best offensive minds during his stint as offensive coordinator at
Clemson under
Dabo Swinney
William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney (; born November 20, 1969) is an American football coach, currently serving as the head coach at Clemson University. Swinney took over midway through the 2008 season, following the resignation of Tommy Bowden. S ...
, instituting a fast-paced
spread offense
:''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.''
The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizontall ...
that set school records. The University of Arkansas administration signed Morris to a six-year contract worth $3.5 million annually. Morris was fired on November 10, 2019, concluding his tenure with a 4–18 (0–14 in the SEC) record.
Sam Pittman era (2020–present)
On December 8, 2019, Georgia's offensive line and associate head coach
Sam Pittman
Sam Pittman (born November 28, 1961) is an American football coach who is the head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Prior to being hired at Arkansas, he was the associate head coach and offensive line coach at the University of Georg ...
was announced as the new head coach for the University of Arkansas. It was his first head coaching job. On October 3, 2020, he led the Razorbacks to their first SEC win since they beat Ole Miss in 2017. The Razorbacks finished the season with a 3–7 record in an all SEC schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Arkansas was invited to play in the Mercari Texas Bowl against Texas Christian University. However, due to COVID-19 issues on TCU, the game was canceled. In Pittman's second season (2021), he coached the Razorbacks to a 9–4 record and a 24–10 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the
2022 Outback Bowl
The 2022 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2022, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST and televised on ESPN2. It was the 36th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 20 ...
in Tampa, Florida on New Year's Day. The season included victories over the Texas Longhorns (Arkansas' first win over Texas in Fayetteville since 1981), the Texas A&M Aggies (which ended a 9-game losing streak to A&M), the LSU Tigers and the Missouri Tigers (ending 5-game losing streaks to both schools). The wins over Texas A&M, LSU, and Missouri also meant Arkansas was in possession of all three rivalry trophies (Southwest Classic Trophy, Golden Boot Trophy, Battle Line Rivalry Trophy) in the same season. Pittman was named the 2021 AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year. His team started off strong in 2022 and eventually reached #10 in the polls before losing a close contest to Texas A&M when the ball doinked out of the goal after a field goal attempt. They would then get blown out in consecutive weeks by #2 Alabama 49-26 and #23 Mississippi State 40-17. They rebounded by defeating BYU and Auburn on the road, but suffered close home losses to Liberty and arch-rival #7 LSU. In the Liberty game, they did not get the potential game-tying two-point conversion due to KJ Jefferson's knee being down before he reached the endzone. They blew out #14 Ole Miss 42-27 the following week and achieved bowl eligibility heading into their rivalry game with Missouri.
Conference affiliations
Arkansas has been affiliated with the following conferences.
* Independent (1894–1914)
*
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
(1915–1991)
*
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(1992–present)
Championships
National championships
Arkansas has been named
national champion twice by NCAA-designated major selectors.
Arkansas claims the 1964 championship but does not claim the co-national championship the program was awarded in 1977 by the
Rothman (FACT)
David Rothman (August 9, 1935 – June 12, 2004) was an American statistician, public policy advisor, and the creator of a computerized college football ranking system.
Rothman was the founder and executive director of the Foundation for the An ...
poll after the Razorbacks finished the season with an 11–1 record and defeated #2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, 31–6.
In
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
, the Razorbacks finished the season as the only major team with an undefeated and untied record (11–0) after No. 1
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
lost to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
(and after Arkansas previously defeated Texas in Austin, TX that season). However, the
AP and
Coaches Poll
The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officially ...
s became final before the bowl games were played, leaving one-loss Alabama as the AP and UPI national champion. The
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
(FWAA) and
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...
(Helms) conducted their final polling after the bowl games and selected
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
as the national champion.
Conference championships
Arkansas has won 13 conference championships, all during their tenure in the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
.
† Co-champions
Division championships
Arkansas has won four division championships, all within the SEC Western Division.
Arkansas has made three appearances in the
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regula ...
as winner of the SEC Western Division but are 0–3 in those appearances.
Arkansas was also the SEC Western Division co-champions in 1998 with Mississippi State but lost to the Bulldogs during the regular season, resulting in Mississippi State representing the West in the SEC Championship Game. In 2002, Alabama had the best conference record in the West with a 6–2 mark, but was on probation by the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
and was barred from post season play. Arkansas played in the SEC Championship Game due to winning the tiebreaker for a three-way tie with Auburn and LSU, both of whom Arkansas defeated during the regular season.
† - Co-champions
Head coaches
There have been 36 head coaches of Arkansas.
Barry Lunney Jr.
Barry Lunney Jr. (born September 11, 1974) is an American football coach. He is the offensive coordinator at the University of Illinois. Lunney served as the interim head football coach at the University of Arkansas for the final two games of the ...
became the interim head coach on November 11, 2019, after the firing of
Chad Morris
Chad Allen Morris (born December 4, 1968) is an American football coach. He is currently an offensive analyst at South Florida. Morris served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2015 to 2017 and the University ...
.
† Interim head coach
Bowl games
The Razorbacks have appeared in 43 bowl games with an overall record of 16–24–3.
The bowl game Arkansas has gone to the most is the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, with twelve appearances and a 4-7-1 record in the game.
Rivalries
Ole Miss
The Razorbacks first played the Rebels in 1908. In addition to several occasional years of playing each other, the two teams played each other from 1940 to 1947 and 1952–62 on an annual basis. The Razorbacks and Rebels also met twice in the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, played in
, in 1963 and 1970 (both won by Ole Miss). Since 1981, the two teams have played each other annually in football. In 2001, Arkansas and Ole Miss played an NCAA record seven-overtime game in Oxford, Mississippi; the amount of overtimes has since been tied, but has not yet been beaten (Arkansas won by a final score of 58–56). When Houston Nutt resigned in 2007 after ten years as Arkansas' head coach to take the same job at Ole Miss, it only added to and heightened the long-standing rivalry between the schools. Nutt was at Ole Miss for four years and went 2-2 versus Arkansas. Arkansas had played Ole Miss more total times than any other SEC opponent until Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. Arkansas leads the series, 37-29-1, per its records, but only leads 36-30-1 per Ole Miss.
LSU
Since joining the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
in 1992, the Razorbacks have developed a rivalry with the
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
. The game was played annually the day after
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
and was televised on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
until 2014 when LSU played Texas A&M on Thanksgiving and Arkansas played Missouri that week. The winner of the game has taken home the "
Golden Boot", which is a 24-karat gold trophy in the shape of the two states, since its creation in 1996.
In 2002, the rivalry gained some momentum as the game winner would represent the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game. The game (called "Miracle on Markham") was won by Arkansas on a last second touchdown pass by
Matt Jones.
In
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, the
Tigers
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
snapped the SEC West champion
Razorbacks' 10-game winning streak when they beat Arkansas in
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
, 31–26.
In 2007,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
stunned top-ranked LSU in triple overtime, 50–48, giving them their first win in Baton Rouge since 1993, and their first victory over a top-ranked team since beating Texas in 1981, winning back the
Golden Boot trophy (after 4 consecutive seasons in the hands of LSU) in the process.
In 2008, the Razorbacks defended the trophy, winning 31–30 on a last minute touchdown drive. As of 2021, after Arkansas beat LSU 16–13 in overtime, LSU leads the series 42–23–2.
Texas
![Arkansasvstexas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Arkansasvstexas.jpg)
The Arkansas-Texas game has not been regularly played since Arkansas's departure from the Southwest Conference in 1991, and this has dulled the intensity of the rivalry. There were many classic games, including the result of the 1969
Game of the Century (also known as "The Big Shootout"), which eventually led to the Longhorns' 1969 national championship. One of Arkansas' biggest victories over Texas came in 1981, when the Razorbacks defeated the No. 1 ranked Longhorns in Fayetteville, 42–11. Arkansas and Texas have played only six times since 1991, with the Razorbacks winning the 2000 Cotton Bowl, a 2003 game in Austin, and the 2014 Texas Bowl. The Longhorns won the 2004 meeting in Fayetteville and a game in Austin in 2008. However, these games have not served to reignite the once intense rivalry between the two schools. The teams played again in Fayetteville (a return game for the 2008 contest in Austin) in 2021. This game ended with the Arkansas Razorbacks winning by a score of 40–21, which put them in the AP Poll for the first time in 5 years.
As of the end of the 2021 season, Texas leads the series 56–23.
Texas A&M
The Razorbacks first played the
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...
in 1903. From 1934 to 1991, the two had played annually as
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
members. However, the series ceased in 1991 when Arkansas left the SWC to join the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
. Two of the biggest victories for Arkansas over A&M came in 1975 and 1986. Arkansas manhandled undefeated #2 Texas A&M 31-6 in Little Rock in 1975 to win a share of that year's SWC championship and earn the right to play in the
1976 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1976 Cotton Bowl Classic was a post-season college football bowl game between the co-Southwest Conference champion Arkansas Razorbacks"Major Conference Champions.1975 SWC Champions.Infoplease.com. Retrieved on April 11, 2010. and the Georgia B ...
. In 1986, Arkansas again beat Texas A&M in Little Rock, this time 14-10, handing the #7 Aggies their only conference loss of the season.
The series resumed in 2009 played at
AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...
in Arlington, TX, a neutral field, with
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
winning 47–19. The initial agreement between the two schools allowed the game to be played for at least 10 years, followed by 5 consecutive, 4-year rollover options, allowing the game to be played for a total of 30 consecutive seasons.
Following A&M's move to the SEC, the 2012 game was played at Kyle Field, and the 2013 game was played at Arkansas, and thereafter resumed at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Beginning in the 2025 season, the series will move back to each team's home-field stadiums.
Arkansas' 20–10 victory during the 2021 season broke a 9-game A&M win streak against Arkansas, but the Aggies won the 2022 matchup 23-21. As of the end of the 2022 season, the Razorbacks lead the all-time series 42–34–3.
Missouri
Arkansas and Missouri first met in 1906 in
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
, and played each other a total of five times prior to Missouri joining the SEC in 2012, and then becoming Arkansas' permanent cross-division rival in 2014. The annual meeting was dubbed the
Battle Line Rivalry
The Battle Line Rivalry is the name given to the Arkansas–Missouri football rivalry due to the state line between the two states dividing the North and South during the Civil War. It is an American college football rivalry game between the Ark ...
by the SEC. On November 23, 2015, a new rivalry trophy was unveiled for the annual game. Missouri leads the series 10-4 as of the conclusion of the 2022 season.
All-time records vs. SEC teams
Records as of October 1, 2022
Awards and honors
Player awards
*
Burlsworth Trophy
The Burlsworth Trophy is an award given annually to the most outstanding FBS college football player who began his career as a walk-on. It was first awarded for the 2010 season and is a program of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation. Burlsworth wa ...
:Grant Morgan - 2021
*
Jet Award
The Jet Award, named in honor of 1972 Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers, is awarded to the top return specialist in college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams ...
: Joe Adams - 2011
*
John Mackey Award
The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ac ...
:D.J. Williams – 2010
:Hunter Henry – 2015
*
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football League ...
:
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
– 2006, 2007
*
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
:
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
– 2007
*
Dave Rimington Trophy
The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982.
A member of the National College F ...
:
Jonathan Luigs
Jonathan Luigs (born August 11, 1986) is an American former college and professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). Luigs played college football for the University of Arkansas, earned consensus All-Ame ...
– 2007
*
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
:
William "Bud" Brooks – 1954
:
Loyd Phillips
Loyd Phillips (May 2, 1945 — December 27, 2020) was an American professional football player and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the winner of the 1966 Outland Trophy as the country's most outstanding interior lineman whil ...
– 1966
Coaching awards
*
AFCA Coach of the Year Award
The AFCA Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football head coach, coach by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The award has had several different sponsors over the years, including Eastman Kodak Corporation, and ...
:
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
- 1964
*
Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year
The ''Sporting News'' College Football Coach of the Year Award is an award that is given annually to NCAA college football's national coach of the year. ''The Sporting News'' (now known as ''Sporting News'') established the award beginning in 196 ...
:
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
- 1964
*
Southwest Conference Coach of the Year
:
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
- 1964
:
Ken Hatfield
Kenneth Wahl Hatfield (born June 6, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy (1979–1983), the University of Arkansas (1984–1989), Clemson University (1 ...
- 1988
*
Walter Camp Coach of the Year
The Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football head coach adjudged by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches and sports inf ...
:
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
– 1977
*
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America. The award honors Eddie Robinson, former coach at Grambling State University
Grambling State Universit ...
:
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
– 1977
* Football News Division I-A National Coach of the Year
:
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is a former American football player and coach. He currently works for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University ( ...
– 1998
*
SEC Coach of the Year
:
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is a former American football player and coach. He currently works for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University ( ...
– 2001,
2006
All-Americans
![Jonathan Luigs Uark](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Jonathan_Luigs_Uark.JPG)
Every year, players are selected by several publications to be placed on their All-American team for that season. The NCAA officially recognizes five All-American lists which include
AP (Associated Press),
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...
(AFCA),
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
(FWAA), ''
Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' (''TSN''), and the
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...
(WCFF). A consensus All-American is determined using a point system; three points if the player was selected for the first team, two points for the second team, and one point for the third team. Arkansas has had 58 All-Americans (21 consensus) in its history.
† Consensus All-American
Facilities
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (formerly Razorback Stadium) is the on-campus and primary home stadium for the Razorbacks located in
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...
. The Razorbacks began playing football at Razorback Stadium in 1938, where they beat
Oklahoma A&M 27–7.
The stadium was dedicated to
Donald W. Reynolds for the $20 million donation from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to help finance the major expansion in 2001, which raised the seating capacity from 51,000 to 76,000. The playing field was dedicated to former head coach and athletic director
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...
in 2007 and is now called the
Frank Broyles Field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Arkansas Razorbacks, Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was form ...
.
War Memorial Stadium
War Memorial Stadium is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks. War Memorial Stadium is located in
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
, with a seating capacity of 53,727. War Memorial Stadium used to host either two or three Razorback football games per season. Beginning in 2014, Arkansas will only play one home game per season in Little Rock.
Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion
The Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion was built in 1998 and is the indoor practice facility for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
![Ala@Ark2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Ala%40Ark2006.jpg)
Arkansas has 15 inductees to the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
with ties to the school.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
![Jerry Jones (24176024648) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Jerry_Jones_%2824176024648%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Arkansas has five inductees to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
as of 2020.
Future opponents
Non-division opponents
Arkansas plays Missouri as a permanent non-division opponent annually and rotates around the East division among the other six schools.
Non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of August 10, 2021.
*''No games have been scheduled in the 2030-2031 seasons as of August 10, 2021.''
References
External links
*
{{Southeastern Conference football navbox
American football teams established in 1894
1894 establishments in Arkansas