Arkansas Razorbacks

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Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks athletic logo
University University of Arkansas
Conference Southeastern Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Frank Broyles (men's) and Bev Lewis (women's)
Location Fayetteville, AR
Varsity Teams 19
Stadium Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Arena Bud Walton Arena
Mascot Big Red, Sue E., and Tusk
Nickname Hogs
Fight Song
Colors Cardinal and White

             
Homepage hogwired.com

The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the all-male sports team at the university while women's teams at the University of Arkansas are generally referred to as "The Lady'Backs". The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the US with a porcine nickname.

The University of Arkansas currently fields 19 total varsity teams (8 men's and 11 women's) in 13 sports. The 7 men's varsity sports includes baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field; the 11 women's varsity sports includes basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, indoor track, swimming and diving, outdoor track, tennis, softball and volleyball. The Arkansas Razorbacks compete in the NCAA's Division I (I-A in football) and is currently a member of the Southeastern Conference (Western Division).

Contents

[edit] Current Sports

[edit] Football

The current helmet design for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team.
The current helmet design for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team.

The school's men's American football team is currently led by Coach Houston Nutt. The team plays its home games either at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, located on the University of Arkansas campus, or at War Memorial Stadium, located in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1964, the Razorbacks were the only team to go through the regular season and a bowl game undefeated, and they were awarded the Football Writers Association of America National Championship[1] (the University of Alabama was named champion by the two most recognized polls: the AP and UPI, since at the time those polls awarded their championships before bowl games were played). The 1969 team, led by legendary quarterback Bill Montgomery, challenged Texas for a national championship.

  • 2006-2007 Season:

The Arkansas Razorbacks started the 2006-2007 season with a loss against #6 USC Trojans. The Razorbacks rebounded from that loss and went on to win ten straight games, including two ranked teams (#2 Auburn Tigers and #13 Tennessee Volunteers), to clinch the Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship. The ten game winning streak would be snapped with a loss against the LSU Tigers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AR. The Razorbacks would then go on to lose the SEC Championship Game against the Florida Gators. The Razorbacks were then invited to the Capital One Bowl to play against the #5 Wisconsin Badgers in Orlando, FL on January 01, 2007. However, the Razorbacks would lose with a score of 14-17. The Arkansas Razorbacks would finish the season with an overall record of 10-4 and with a SEC record of 7-1.

Main article: 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

[edit] Basketball

The 2006-2007 season men's basketball team was coached by Stan Heath, who was fired on March 26, 2007. On April 2, 2007, Dana Altman was hired to be the men's basketball team coach but announced only a day later his decision to stay with the Creighton Bluejays in a hastily scheduled news conference held at the U of A. [2] The basketball team play their home games in Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus. The Hogs under the coaching leadership of Nolan Richardson won the NCAA tournament in 1994 defeating Duke University, and appeared in the championship game the following year, but were beaten by UCLA. The Razorbacks have been to NCAA Final Four in 1941, 1945, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 1995.

  • 2006-2007 Season:
Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result
11/10/2006 7:05 p.m. Southeast Missouri State Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR W 92-52
11/18/2006 7:05 p.m. Stephen F. Austin Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR W 70-59
11/23/2006 11:00 a.m. vs. Southern Illinois The Milk House • Orlando, FL (Old Spice Classic) ESPN2 W 61-53
11/24/2006 9:30 a.m. vs. Marist The Milk House • Orlando, FL (Old Spice Classic) ESPN2 W 73-64
11/26/2006 6:30 p.m. vs. West Virginia The Milk House • Orlando, FL (Old Spice Classic) ESPN2 W 71-64
11/30/2006 8:00 p.m. @ Missouri Tigers Mizzou Arena • Columbia, MO ESPN2 L 64-86
12/02/2006 12:05 p.m. Missouri–Kansas City Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR W 71-61
12/05/2006 7:05 p.m. Central Michigan Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ARSN W 75-59
12/14/2006 7:05 p.m. Oakland Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ARSN W 91-57
12/16/2006 1:05 p.m. Texas Tech Alltel Arena • North Little Rock, AR ESPN L 56-71
12/20/2006 8:00 p.m. @ Texas Frank Erwin Center • Austin, TX ESPN2 L 76-80
12/22/2006 7:05 p.m. Oral Roberts Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ARSN W 68-56
12/30/2006 1:35 p.m. Louisiana Tech Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ARSN W 80-50
01/02/2007 7:05 p.m. Tulsa Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ARSN W 68-59
01/06/2007* 1:05 p.m. Alabama #8 Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR Raycom/LF Sports W 88-61
01/09/2007* 6:05 p.m. @ Florida #2 Stephen C. O'Connell Center • Gainesville, FL ESPN L 72-79
01/13/2007* 4:00 p.m. @ Mississippi Tad Smith Coliseum • Oxford, MS FSN L 72-74
01/17/2007* 8:05 p.m. Georgia Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ESPNU L 64-67
01/20/2007* 2:45 p.m. LSU #19 Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR CBS W 72-52
01/24/2007* 6:30 p.m. @ South Carolina Colonial Center • Columbia, SC L 60-66
01/27/2007* 2:05 p.m. @ Alabama #12 Coleman Coliseum • Tuscaloosa, AL Raycom/LF Sports W 72-52
02/03/2007* 12:05 p.m. Kentucky #24 Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR Raycom/LF Sports L 74-82
02/07/2007* 7:05 p.m. Auburn Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR Raycom/LF Sports W 65-57
02/10/2007* 12:05 p.m. @ LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center • Baton Rouge, LA Raycom/LF Sports L 67-71
02/14/2007* 7:00 p.m. @ Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum • Starkville, MS L 60-84
02/17/2007* 4:05 p.m. Mississippi Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR FSN W 83-66
02/21/2007* 7:00 p.m. @ Auburn Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum • Auburn, AL L 59-67
02/24/2007* 12:05 p.m. Tennessee Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR Raycom/LF Sports L 72 - 83
02/28/2007* 7:05 p.m. Mississippi State Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR Raycom/LF Sports W 67-58
03/03/2007* 3:00 p.m. @ Vanderbilt #23 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN W 82-67
03/08/2007* 2:15 p.m. vs. South Carolina (E3) Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA (SEC Tournament) Raycom/LF Sports W 82-52
03/09/2007* 2:15 p.m. vs. Vanderbilt (E2) Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA (SEC Tournament) Raycom/LF Sports W 72-71
03/10/2007* 12:00 p.m. vs. Mississippi State (W1) Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA (SEC Tournament) Raycom/LF Sports W 81-72
03/11/2007* 12:00 p.m. vs. Florida (E1) #6 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA (SEC Tournament) CBS L 56-77
03/16/2007 8:45 p.m. vs. USC (5) #25 Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena • Spokane, WA (NCAA Tournament) CBS L 60-77
*Conference Game #Rankings from Coaches Poll released prior to game. Seed Rank is in parentheses after opponent's name. All times are in Central Standard Time (UTC-6) and subject to change.
Overall Record 21-14
SEC Record 7-9

[edit] Baseball

The baseball team, led by former Razorback Dave van Horn reached the 2004 College World Series, joining previous appearances in Omaha in 1979, 1985, 1987 and 1989. The team plays home games in Baum Stadium, which finished several major renovations in 2004.

[edit] Track and Field

The most successful program in NCAA history, the Arkansas track and field teams, led by head coach John McDonnell are the most decorated teams in the athletics department. The program has won 42 national titles in cross country and track & field as well as 80 conference titles, including 33 straight cross country titles in the Southwest and Southeastern Conferences. Former members of the team represent a number of countries internationally and have won several Olympic and World Championships medals. The team has a home indoor track at the Randal Tyson Track Center and outdoor field at John McDonnell Field.

[edit] Lady'Backs

Main article: Arkansas Ladybacks

The women's teams at the University of Arkansas are referred to as Lady'Backs. These include basketball, cross country, track, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and volleyball. The Lady'Back teams have won a combined 17 SEC championships.

[edit] Rivalries

The premier rivalry for the Arkansas Razorbacks is against the Longhorns of the University of Texas. Although today, the Longhorns have several other rivalries that they consider more important (notably Texas A&M and Oklahoma), during the 1960s, no rivalry, especially in football, was as big as the Razorbacks and Longhorns. Texas leads the series in football, while Arkansas holds the series lead in basketball. For Arkansas, the rivalry is an emotional experience and Arkansas fans and media go into a frenzy when the two teams play in any sport. The emotional intensity from the Arkansas side in these games overwhelms Texas fans at times, including the 2000 Cotton Bowl, where Arkansas fans outnumbered Texas fans by almost 2 to 1 in Dallas.

Since joining the Southeastern Conference the Razorbacks have developed a rivalry with Louisiana State University (LSU Tigers) in football. The game between these two teams usually takes place near the end of the season and has sometimes decided the SEC Western Division Championship. The winner of this game takes home the "Golden Boot" which is a gold trophy in the shape of the two states.

In basketball, the primary rival for the Razorbacks has been the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. This rivalry developed during the coaching tenures of Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Nolan Richardson at Arkansas when both teams were competing for a national championship on an annual basis.

Inside the state of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville maintains a policy[3] of not competing against other in-state, Division I, schools[4] (there are currently three). This is due in part to a fear of competition from in-state universities such as Arkansas State Unversity and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The policy was circumvented by the NIT committee in 1987 when the university at Fayetteville met the Arkansas State Indians on the basketball court. The game was dominated by Arkansas State throughout regulation but eventually won by the Razorbacks 67-64 in overtime after a series of questionable calls and aggresive play. Following this meeting, UAF athletic director Frank Broyles restated his view of the importance of the long standing policy thereby angering sports fans throughout the state. The WNIT created another matchup of the two teams in women's basketball in 2005. The game was again dominated by the Indians from the outset and eventually led to an easy victory for the rival. It is likely future games between University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and in-state schools will only happen during post season play. Nationally, this makes the state of Arkansas the only state with at least two Division I football programs which do not play each other.

[edit] History

In 1894, 23 years after classes were first held at the university, a contest was held on campus to select school colors. Cardinal (a shade of deep red) was selected over heliotrope, a shade of moderate purple. The first Arkansas football team was formed that same year and was known as the "Arkansas Cardinals". During the first year the team racked up two wins against Fort Smith High School but took a 54-0 drubbing at the hands of the Texas Longhorns.

In 1909 the football team finished a 7-0 season allowing only 18 points on defense and scoring 186 points on offense. College Football Hall of Fame coach Hugo Bezdek proclaimed his team played "like a wild band of razorback hogs". The name proved so popular that it was changed for the 1910 season. The famous yell, “Woo, Pig! Sooie” was added in the 1920s.

In 1936 the team won its first Southwest Conference championship in football and played their first Cotton Bowl in 1946.

In 1957 Frank Broyles was hired as head football coach and served in that position for 19 years. Broyles team claims to have won the 1964 National Championship. In 1969 Broyles team was ranked #2 and played the #1 Texas Longhorns, coached by Darrell Royal, at Fayetteville. The game, known as "The Big Shootout" is perhaps the most notable football game in Razorback history. President Richard Nixon was even in attendance. The Razorbacks led 14-0 until the 4th quarter. Texas scored 15 unanswered points and won the National Championship 15-14.

After Broyles left coaching and became Athletic Director he hired Lou Holtz to take his former position. Holtz served as head football coach from 1977 through the 1983 season. Under Holtz the Razorbacks lost a National Championship in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl ending their National Championship hopes.

The basketball team rose to prominence in the 1970s under the coaching of Eddie Sutton and with future NBA star Sidney Moncrief along with Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer, three similarly-sized Arkansas bred guards, known as "The Triplets." The team made a Final Four appearance under Sutton, finishing 3rd by defeating Notre Dame on a last second shot in the now defunct consolation game.

In the 1980s the football team was coached by Ken Hatfield and established itself as a powerful running team. The Razorbacks challenged for the SWC title each year and went to the Cotton Bowl twice. Hatfield's teams established excellent regular season records, but had difficulty winning bowl games.

In 1990 Broyles led the Razorbacks out of the Southwest Conference and into the Southeastern Conference, setting off a major realignment in college football. In 1995 Arkansas won its first SEC Western Division Title in football.

In 1994 Nolan Richardson's basketball Hogs won the NCAA Tournament. Richardson's basketball teams challenged for the SEC and National Championships regularly during the 1990s, making three trips to the Final Four and two trips to the championship game while compiling a record of 389-169 (.697) in his 17 years as the head coach.

On 10 December 1997, Houston Nutt was hired as head football coach for the Razorbacks (1998 season was his first full season) to replace his predecessor, Danny Ford who had been head coach since 1993. Highly sought after as a Little Rock Central quarterback, Nutt had been the last recruit to sign under Broyles, but transferred to Oklahoma State once he didn't fit Holtz's offensive plans. Since his arrival, Nutt's teams have won more games than any other team in the Western division of the SEC. Houston is considered by many the greatest coach in Arkansas history.

On 28 March 2002, Stan Heath was hired as the head coach of the men's basketball team, following the somewhat controversial firing of Nolan Richardson. His teams have improved each season he has coached.

The track and field team has been under the direction of John McDonnell for over 25 years (since the 1977-78 academic year). McDonnell's men's teams have won 42 NCAA championships since 1984, including 11 cross country, 19 indoor track and 12 outdoor track along with 37 Southwest Conference Championships, and 38 of 40 SEC titles. The Razorbacks, under his direction, won 5 National Triple Crowns, achieved by winning NCAA titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track in the same school year. Arkansas and the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) are the only teams to have ever won the National Triple Crown. The track and field Razorbacks men completely dominated the sport during the 1990s, winning 24 of the 30 available titles.

On 26 March 2007, Stan Heath was fired as the head coach of the men's basketball team. [5]

[edit] Mascots

There are a number of costumed mascots for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks that attend most major sporting events. Big Red (aka the "Fighting Razorback") is the traditional mascot for the University and represents the intimidating fighting spirit of the Razorbacks at all athletic events. Sue E., is the female hog and is famous for her costume changes and dancing ability. Pork Chop is the "kid" mascot. Boss Hog, a nine-foot inflatable mascot, joined the mascot family during the 1998-99 football season.

Tusk, the live mascot for the University of Arkansas.
Tusk, the live mascot for the University of Arkansas.

The live mascot for the University of Arkansas is named Tusk. He is a Russian boar that closely resembles a wild razorback hog and weighs in at approximately 400 pounds. Tusk attends all home Razorback football games, as well as various other events.

[edit] National Championships

[edit] Famous athletes

[edit] Football

The Razorbacks take the field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Razorbacks take the field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
2003 Arkansas game at Texas
2003 Arkansas game at Texas

[edit] Basketball

[edit] Baseball

[edit] Golf

  • Miller Barber - top PGA and Senior Tour player
  • John Daly
  • Brendan Pappas
  • Duane Pappas
  • Tag Ridings
  • RH Sikes - won 1963 NCAA individual title

[edit] Track & Field

[edit] External links


Southeastern Conference
Eastern Division: Florida • Georgia • Kentucky • South Carolina • Tennessee • Vanderbilt
Western Division: Alabama • Arkansas • Auburn • LSU • Mississippi • Mississippi State
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