Arkansas razorbacks football history
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The University of Arkansas Cardinals morphed into the mighty Arkansas Razorbacks football team in 1909 after a 16-0 victory over rival Louisiana State University. They played &ldquo-like a pack of wild razorback hogs,&rdquo- then coach Hugo Bezdek declared. During the 7-0 season, the fans, press and opposing teams started calling Arkansas the &ldquo-hogs.&rdquo- Razorbacks became the official name in 1910, but the team kept the cardinal red uniforms.
Razorback Domain
Arkansas played its first three-game season in 1894, and its first coach, a Latin professor, received an estimated yearly salary of less than $1,200. The 2010 coach, Bobby Petrino, receives $2.9 million annually in salary, 10th among college coaches in the Football Bowl Championship schools. The Razorbacks play at the Reynolds Razorback Stadium, which holds 76,000 fans, a far cry from the 300 people that could be seated in the first stadium. Its best-known figure is former coach Frank Broyles, who became head football coach at Arkansas in 1957, and athletic director in 1974, retiring in 2007 after 50 years at the university.
Early Rivalry
The storied rivalry between Arkansas and the University of Texas began in 1894. Texas won 54-0. Over the next 100 years, the contest grew fiercer and louder. What Arkansas calls the &ldquo-big shoot-out&rdquo- with Texas was played Dec. 6, 1969 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with President Richard Nixon in attendance. Texas was ranked Number 1 and Arkansas Number 2 in the country in most football polls. Texas emerged the victor that day, 15-14, and Nixon declared Texas the national champion, even though the season was not yet over.
Political Football
When James William Fulbright was president of the University of Arkansas (1939-1941), he caused a furor throughout the state and a major crisis for the football program by lobbying to eliminate major intercollegiate athletics and focus entirely on academics. Unable to bring the board of regents to his position, he moved on to politics and, as Sen. Fulbright, he sponsored legislation creating the educational scholarships that bear his name.
The National Championship
A quiet moment before a big game
The Razorbacks have enjoyed football excellence, winning the mythical national championship in 1964 by virtue of an 11-0 season, a 10-7 win over the University of Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and a defeat of Texas, 14-13, during the season. With no official championship game at the time, polls determined the national championship and both the AP and UPI chose Alabama (10-0) before the postseason bowls. Polls that put Arkansas first were vindicated when Texas defeated Alabama in the Orange Bowl.
Razorback Excellence
The Razorbacks won 11 conference championships in other years and 12 players and coaches have been elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame. All-America selections include 45 Arkansas football players. Matching the example set by football has been a goal for all Razorback athletic programs. In addition to a national NCAA basketball championship, other Razorback sports teams have won 43 national championships and numerous conference championships as of 2010.
Razorback Notables
Coach Broyles, the quintessential Razorback, was quarterback at Georgia Tech from 1941 to 1944 and his Orange Bowl passing record of 304 yards stood until 2000. A number of his former Razorback players and assistant coaches have known success. They include Jerry Jones, captain of the 1964 National Championship team, now owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and head football coaches Jimmy Johnson (Miami/ Dallas Cowboys),Barry Switzer (Oklahoma/Dallas Cowboys) Ken Hatfield (Air Force, Arkansas, Clemson and Rice), Hayden Fry (Iowa), Johnny Majors (Pittsburgh/Tennessee), Houston Nutt (Arkansas/ Mississippi) and Joe Gibbs (Washington Redskins).
Source: www.ehow.com
Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Arkansas razorbacks, coaches have, conference championships, football history, head football, National Championship
