Jim Robkin--How many remember him from the Sutton era?

[gwddog]

I wonder if we could get Bubba Hog to start this tradition again this year?

Well how about it Bubba?

[oldfart]

they had to quit that when one of the refs got accidentally bopped by a tuba.....

This picture is of Jim Robken now

go to this link if you want to see what Jim Robken used to do at Hog Games!  I was only 11 years old when this happened in Dallas at the SWC championship (Barnhill South!) against Texas, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  My birthday is March 7th, and all I wanted every year when I was growing up was for my parents to take me to Dallas for the SWC championship!  They always did and we always had my b-day during the tournament.  Some of the best memories of Hog Sports I've ever had.  When you watch this clip, it will give you chills!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BfWjFs9n4

The thing that video doesn't show is that the band would hold that last note on the WTO until robken got back to conduct it.  Sometimes he'd be way up in the rafters on the other side of the arena, and the thing would just go on and on with the crowd going even more nuts.

I wish that was on there!  I remember all the opponents fans would all be like "What the Hell is going on?!"  Every team knew that they were about to get stomped before the ball was even tipped!  This guy was full of energy and redbull hadn't even been invented yet.  Sometimes during the games you could go to the concession stand during timeouts and Robken would be sprinting through the concourses on his way from the upper deck back to the floor.  IT WAS INSANE!  He probably could've run for state senate and might have won!

One of my favorite things he used to do was during a timeout, all the refs used to gather in the middle of the court to talk.  Robken and 4 or 5 tuba players used to run in circles around them while playing the fight song.  Everyone used to laugh their a$$es off at just about anything he did.  A true innovater of some of the things band leaders do today.

[oldfart]

i think the problem with impropriety with a student occured after he left here.. at La Tech I think it was... he was really wild...  hasnt been the same since he left....   

He was one of the greatest parts of Razorback sporting events.... a Hog legend in my book.

Didn't he leave under a cloud of impropriety?  Something about student relations...

[PowderedToastMan]

I remeber seeing him when my family would go to Dallas every year for SWC tournament.  I was in elementary school and seeing him and talking with him was just as impressive to me as getting Oliver Miller's or Todd Day's autographs. 
Robken was unbelievably awesome at the U of A.

[ur]

They need him back or someone like him. What is going on now is actually reversing what he put in. Don't they finish william tell with something like "who's #1, w'ere #1". Great chant to slow clap to, but kills the noise that william tell is supposed to generate.

[Smokehouse]

They need him back or someone like him. What is going on now is actually reversing what he put in. Don't they finish william tell with something like "who's #1, w'ere #1". Great chant to slow clap to, but kills the noise that william tell is supposed to generate.

We do that cheer at the end of Zarathustra (when the cheerleaders put up the state flag) at the beginning games. And we (I'm in the band) have done the hold out the last note of WT a few times this year, Mr. Gunter ran around the arena this year when we played Texas Tech. We didn't do it all that much, though.

[ur]

They need him back or someone like him. What is going on now is actually reversing what he put in. Don't they finish william tell with something like "who's #1, w'ere #1". Great chant to slow clap to, but kills the noise that william tell is supposed to generate.

We do that cheer at the end of Zarathustra (when the cheerleaders put up the state flag) at the beginning games. And we (I'm in the band) have done the hold out the last note of WT a few times this year, Mr. Gunter ran around the arena this year when we played Texas Tech. We didn't do it all that much, though.

Thanks for the correction. It still kills the noise at the end of the cheer.
I'm an 80's guy. I hear there is a band version of "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Any chance they will add some new music?

[Uncle Jed]

Yes, we definitely need to bring him back - at least for a guest/encore performance.   I really miss him.  Must have seen him make that trip around Barnhill at least 100 times.   I say let him run around Bud Walton - complete with the usual collision with someone coming back from the concession area sending their popcorn flying.   The band and the crowd would hold that note until he helped the person up and made it back to the band.  Bringing the Spirit of Barnhill to Bud Walton is not complete until Jim has led the Hog Wild Band in Bud Walton!     It's what Bud Walton has been missing.   

[superjw]

My favorite was the lap while the band held that last note (previously mentioned on this thread) it was awesome!!!  You've got to love it - truly a Razorback memory for the ages!!!

[ahogintexas]

The best thing about that video clip ( at the end of clip ) was the score late in the game ARK 113...TX 75...NOW those were the days

[superjw]

I wonder if we could get Bubba Hog to start this tradition again this year?

Well how about it Bubba?

THAT WOULD ROCK!!! DO IT BUBBA - PLEASE DO IT AT THE FIRST B-BALL GAME NEXT YEAR!!!

[pignatious]

I'm telling you one of the smartest moves Pelphrey could make right now is get Jim Robken back here, or if not, someone with a high level of energy as a band director. That guy was incredible. I went to so many games where he personally made so much of a difference getting the crowd motivated. Sutton used to say something like playing in Barnhill was like getting a 6 point boost because of the crowd. I guarantee you Robken was responsible for a lot of that. I remember the noise meter and how it went all the way to the top and was so loud you couldn't think. The band would play the WTO at exactly the right time just about every time and the Hog calls scared the crap out of the opponents. It was so awesome to see him running all over the Barn getting the fans on their feet, even the blue hairs. We need to rid ourselves of the current excuse for a band director we have now and get someone who can play the right song at the right time and get the crowd in the game. 

[Porkranger]

The best at getting the crowd bumped up before a game. I was lucky enough to go to the Last Dance In Dallas.  The pep rally outside of the hotel and then everyone walked over to the arena together.  On the last day the Razorbacks played Texas in the finals, huge rally outside the hotel,at the end Robkin turns and the band starts to follow him, they walked thru the fountain, water about knee high to some of them, they never missed a beat and the crowd went wild.

Later I got him to sign the back of my ticket. Still have it to this day.

[Smokehouse]

They need him back or someone like him. What is going on now is actually reversing what he put in. Don't they finish william tell with something like "who's #1, w'ere #1". Great chant to slow clap to, but kills the noise that william tell is supposed to generate.

We do that cheer at the end of Zarathustra (when the cheerleaders put up the state flag) at the beginning games. And we (I'm in the band) have done the hold out the last note of WT a few times this year, Mr. Gunter ran around the arena this year when we played Texas Tech. We didn't do it all that much, though.

Thanks for the correction. It still kills the noise at the end of the cheer.
I'm an 80's guy. I hear there is a band version of "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Any chance they will add some new music?

I'd love to play "The Final Countdown," I can talk to Mr. Gunter about it. During the SEC tourney on TV I noticed that (I think it was) Kentucky's band played "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, which I'd also love to play. We try new music a lot in rehearsal, but some of the arrangements just aren't good so we scrap them. We did add some news ones this year (like Seven Nation Army.)

[HogMavFan]

Brings back many great memories!!  Remember the scene before the UNLV game?  one of the best!

I remember UNLV. What an atmosphere. I wish the game result had been better. Robkin was amazing. It would be worth a lot of money to bring him back. We have a little left over from what we were going to pay Dana. Let's give it to Jim. The current band leader is a joke. No originality. No spontaniety. And why do we call the hogs every single timeout. It loses its impact. Maybe only 3 or 4 times/game and it would be more intense.

[ur]

They need him back or someone like him. What is going on now is actually reversing what he put in. Don't they finish william tell with something like "who's #1, w'ere #1". Great chant to slow clap to, but kills the noise that william tell is supposed to generate.

We do that cheer at the end of Zarathustra (when the cheerleaders put up the state flag) at the beginning games. And we (I'm in the band) have done the hold out the last note of WT a few times this year, Mr. Gunter ran around the arena this year when we played Texas Tech. We didn't do it all that much, though.

Thanks for the correction. It still kills the noise at the end of the cheer.
I'm an 80's guy. I hear there is a band version of "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Any chance they will add some new music?

I'd love to play "The Final Countdown," I can talk to Mr. Gunter about it. During the SEC tourney on TV I noticed that (I think it was) Kentucky's band played "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, which I'd also love to play. We try new music a lot in rehearsal, but some of the arrangements just aren't good so we scrap them. We did add some news ones this year (like Seven Nation Army.)

I know there is band music to "The final Countdown" somewhere. I had a patient who played in the UA band and he said they played it in high school. Now you need to come up with a Razorback cheer to go with it!

[sassylassy]

I loved the way he kept the spirit alive even during the non-conference games. I think he had a lot to do with keeping the seats full every game which kept the momentum going.

[pneaville]

I was there for the UNLV game when he had the big stuffed shark on the pole....awesome.  and as a kid i used to WANT to be in the band because of how cool they were at Barnhill.  The other thing that was so great was that at halftime they would teach the crowd new cheers, like the "we're gonna beat the hell out of you" song (sorry i don't know its real name).  I remember the night they taught that to us at Barnhill, i couldn't believe they were getting away with it, but they literally went through a class with the fans.  And the William Tell Overture has a different meaning for me, and all of us, because of Jim Robken. 

I wish we could bring him back.  He would change Bud Walton for the better.  When he transferred the "Sprit of Barnhill" into Bud Walton, part of that spirit was his.  HE was part of the reason Barnhell was Barnhell, HE was part of the reason Dallas was Barnhell South...I miss him. 

[pneaville]

remember when he started "hey baby" and the band would always sing to Rose Richardson?  Man...I love that guy.  He made the band, well, THE BAND.   :razorback:

[Oklahawg]

Any chance they will add some new music?

Not likely. The team adds new assistant coaches more often than the band adds new spirit music.

[TushCrush]

I loved it when the noise meter would max out - great memories.

[cityhog]

I remember at a pep rally in front of the Hyatt one year at the SWC Tourney, he had the crowd whipped into a frenzy.  He started talking about how all these Texas schools had their hand signals.  UT had the "hook 'em", A&M had the "gig 'em", Baylor had the "Bear Claw", and Tech had the "shooting pistols".  He then said "i think it's time Arkansas had a hand signal, and I think it should be this.  He then holds up his arm high in the air with the single "we're #1" finger.  The crowd went ape crazy.  Greatest moment at a Razorback pep rally ever.  Those rallys were insane, but that one took the cake.

[oldbooniehog]

I had the great honor of playing in the Hogwild Band for the last three years Jim Robken was there.

Some of my best memories.

oldbooniehog

[the donger]

i think the problem with impropriety with a student occured after he left here.. at La Tech I think it was... he was really wild...  hasnt been the same since he left....  

He was one of the greatest parts of Razorback sporting events.... a Hog legend in my book.

Didn't he leave under a cloud of impropriety?  Something about student relations...

wrong. It was here.

[n100]

The atmosphere at basketball games has never been the same since Jim Robken left.  Hopefully we can regain some of this next year with the new coach. 

[the donger]

Play one game a year in Barnhill(cupcake or exhibition game) and bring in Jim. Hell, their only getting 9,000 in attendance for the exhibition games anyway.
That would be a hard ticket and some of the younger fans can see an arena rocking, unlike the atmosphere at BW(i know having bad teams has something to do with BW atmosphere). 

[PigglyWiggly]

This picture is of Jim Robken now

go to this link if you want to see what Jim Robken used to do at Hog Games!  I was only 11 years old when this happened in Dallas at the SWC championship (Barnhill South!) against Texas, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  My birthday is March 7th, and all I wanted every year when I was growing up was for my parents to take me to Dallas for the SWC championship!  They always did and we always had my b-day during the tournament.  Some of the best memories of Hog Sports I've ever had.  When you watch this clip, it will give you chills!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BfWjFs9n4

The thing that video doesn't show is that the band would hold that last note on the WTO until robken got back to conduct it.  Sometimes he'd be way up in the rafters on the other side of the arena, and the thing would just go on and on with the crowd going even more nuts.

I wish that was on there!  I remember all the opponents fans would all be like "What the Hell is going on?!"  Every team knew that they were about to get stomped before the ball was even tipped!  This guy was full of energy and redbull hadn't even been invented yet.  Sometimes during the games you could go to the concession stand during timeouts and Robken would be sprinting through the concourses on his way from the upper deck back to the floor.  IT WAS INSANE!  He probably could've run for state senate and might have won!

One of my favorite things he used to do was during a timeout, all the refs used to gather in the middle of the court to talk.  Robken and 4 or 5 tuba players used to run in circles around them while playing the fight song.  Everyone used to laugh their a$$es off at just about anything he did.  A true innovater of some of the things band leaders do today.

That tuba bit was a fan favorite, but the ncaa or sec passed a rule that it couldn't be done (I think bc a tuba hit a ref on accident one time).  I was a tuba player and they always told us to stay the hell away from the refs.

[hogninja]

How do we get the message to the new coach?  He could really benefit from that type of hype.  I remember how it got the Barn and then the Bud rockin.  I really don't know why it hasn't been repeated, over and over and over again.
FIRE the Director, since we want to fire everyone else. :razorback:

[Lando Calrissian]

he was my band director this year at high school all-region.....he said I was one of the most promising high school trumpet players he had ever seen....highlight of my life.

And the next night Frank Broyles gave you a half eaten piece of catfish.

Sorry, I can't let the catfish story go.

[bkjacks]

He could max out the sound meter on the wall at the barn.

[justonefan]

This was a great thread!  What memories.

I was not a huge college basketball fan before I moved to Arkansas 30 years ago.  But, I was fortunate enough to have a friend with front row tickets at Barnhill.  It wasn't Eddie Sutton's style of play that got me excited.  After all, that was before the shot clock was instituted and the whole idea was time of possession.  But the crowd...WOW!  And Jim Robken was the torch that started the funeral pyre for many opponents. One of the smartest things ES ever did was to go to him and ask him what he could do to help get the crowd involved.

After Sutton, and after Robken and after Barnhill, Nolan's style of play was what kept the fans excited.  We have taken a lot of criticism as a fan base for not being more supportive of Heath.  It's not that we don't think he's a good person or even a good coach.  But he did not "fit" our legacy.  It was like going the the movies to see an action-packed thriller and ending up with a romantic comedy.

It would be great to have Robken back, but it would never be the same as it was.  My hope is...we won't need him.  Go Hogs :razorback:

[doctord]

I was a student at U of A in 1988.  Several of my friends & myself were at the Red - White game before the season started. Barnhill was not quite full.  About midway though the 1st half, the place was unusually quiet.  On a dare, I went up to Jim(the band was there) and introduced myself as President of the Jim Robkin Fan Club & said something had to be done about the crowd.  He said he would take care of it during the next time out. 
Time out,the band went into the William Tell Overture, Jim took off around the arena, Barnhill went nuts, Noise Meter topped out.  All this during a Red-White Razorback Dress Scrimmage game.  After Jim got back & the last note played, he pointed right at us,& gave us a fist pump.
Jim Robkin would be awesome if we could bring him back.

[spankinbacon]

I liked Robkin as much as the next guy, but is this really what we have come to? A three page thread about a former band director? wow

[DrSwineESQ]

One of the great things about Robken is how he had the crowd's complete attention....and he would not be ignored.   If the crowd wasn't loud enough, he'd cut the band off and he'd stare everyone down for a few seconds before starting the song up again, and he was willing to do it over and over again until the crowd gave him what he wanted.   

[DrSwineESQ]

I liked Robkin as much as the next guy, but is this really what we have come to? A three page thread about a former band director? wow

You certainly didn't have to post on it, did you?

[JAMAHog]

One of the great things about Robken is how he had the crowd's complete attention....and he would not be ignored.   If the crowd wasn't loud enough, he'd cut the band off and he'd stare everyone down for a few seconds before starting the song up again, and he was willing to do it over and over again until the crowd gave him what he wanted.   

He even got old people up and yelling!  Those were good times. 

[DeltaBoy]

Set the stage for ya...Cotton Bowl 1990...Robkin struts across the field in a trench coat...
(Announcer):  "Sir.  Sir.  You cannot be on the field at this time."
(Robkin, after whipping the trench coat and reveals his Razorback sweatshirt): "I'm with Arkansas and I can go wherever I want whenever I want."  (starts walking off the field)
(Announcer):  "Sir, you can't leave your coat on the middle of the field."
(Robkin): "My servant will get it." (walks off the field and snaps his fingers.  The Razorback mascot runs on the field, grabs the trench coat and follows Robkin off.)

I remember that was the year we played Tinner and lost to them. It was the last Hog game I saw in person.

[hogs25]

Man, he was the greatest.  What would it take to get him back?  He's the only band director I'd ever known up there.

[jwdento3]

I remember him from the early Nolan years in Barnhill.  What an experience!  That guy made you want to be a Razorback.  If he said let's all go streaking, I think 50% of the people in the place would have followed him outside.  Rare is the man that brings that type of energy to a game.

Great thread!

[cynben]

I was in the Razorback band in the early 80's and I LOVED Jim Robken.  From what I remember, he ended up leaving and marrying a U of A majorette.

[parrishw]

I remember Robken conducting a ceremony with a crystal goblet or cup of some kind when they opened BWR. Said the cup contained the spirit of Barnhill and the ceremony was transferring the spirit to BWR.
I will never forget that guy

[Tusks]

Eddie used to call it the magic moment....or something like that.....that was when Jim would have the fans so whipped up into to a frenzy and so loud that the opposing players couldn't hear the basketball hit the court when they would dribble.  Players use the sound of the ball hitting the court when they dribble as an extra sense for timing.  It's physics or biology I don't know which.  Anyway when the players couldn't hear the ball hit the court when they dribble the look on their face was priceless....they would just freeze.....and then promptly turn the ball over.

He also had a hard had with a red light on it he'd wear while he ran around the barn.

That's when I was up their and it was as much a circus with a basketball game than anything else.

Fantastic memories.

[JAMAHog]

Barnhill was built for that kind of thing.  He could run around the upper deck and still be in view almost the whole time.  BWA isn't built so he could run.  The crowd wouldn't see him on the concourse.  We need something LIKE that, but trying to recreate the exact thing would only be a bummer because it wouldn't be the same. 

Some memories are best left alone in their original glory. 

[RMBsax01]

Tim Gunter is a lot like Stan Heath.  He is a heck of a nice guy but not a motivator.  The HogWild band and the Marching Band have been very boring since he has taken over.  The marching shows are pathetic, and in Bud Walton he rotates 3 songs, Fight song, Swing March and Rock n'Roll.  It is boring for the band and for the crowd.  I like the man, but AR really needs someone that can get the crowd going again like Robkin did. 

[retired-rambler]

Never missed a ball game in those days, started when Sidney was a freshman.  Those were the 'good old days!!!!!

[H-O-double g]

Robkin was the man! I love watching those YouTube clips from Dallas!

Why do I keep picturing in my mind Houston Nutt running around Bud Walton arena acting like Robkin?   

[theman22]

Robkin running around Branhill and would stop at a section until those people would stand up. That was awesome. Wish we could find that kind of sprint again. I got a feeling next year would be a great start.

[hawgtime]

He was there during the first couple of years with Nolan also.

I played for him in 85-86.  He was awesome and we rocked every place we went.

That was a fun trip to the Holiday Bowl and especially Tijuana Mexico.

Man I miss him getting the crowd rocking with the sound meter that was up in the corner.  They should bring that back to the Bud.

Maybe we could get that installed this year?

[Bogghawg]

Yes, this is what we have come to.  If you weren't there you don't understand the difference between Barnhill and Robkin and the magic that we had and that 19,000 seat masoleum we have now.  We can get it back.  This is nostalgia, but it is also acknowledging something that is very missing and very needed here in the 21st century!

I liked Robkin as much as the next guy, but is this really what we have come to? A three page thread about a former band director? wow

[Bogghawg]

I was on the hill from 84-88 and again in 90-91 and this thread is an awesome plast from the past, but it also shows how far we have fallen.  Our new coach could do a LOT worse than trying to pull some strings and bring back the greatest pep band director in history.
I was at many SWC tourney's in Dallas and didn't miss a game my 4 years in the Barn... Robkin had the whole state trained to react instantly.  Nowhere was the crowd as important a part of the actual game than at Fayetteville.
Something that hadn't been mentioned...when we were making the switch in conferences, Robkin and the band came up with "All my ex's life in Texas" and passed out lyrics to the student section.  It went something like this...hmmm, hmmm, 
"All our ex's life in Texas.  Texas is a place we realy HATE TO BE.
All our ex's life in Texas.  That's we were moving, that's why were leaving,
that's right, we're going to the S-E-C !!!"

It brought the house down.  We sang it all season.  I especially remember one night we were playing Kansas State and their mascot loved it so much he stood at center court and bowed down to our band and student section when we finished.