Three Critical Eras in Razorback Football

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Now that the season is over and so many topics are about years past and years to come, it got me thinking about all the reasons why we are not perceived as a blueblood program on the national scale.  We would all love to believe that we are, but realistically we just aren't.  Not at the moment anyway.  I think there have been three times in the modern era of Razorback football that we could have become one, but for various reasons we failed to capitalize.

Early 1970s.  Anyone in the country would have to admit that we were one of the top 10 programs in the nation, arguable a top 5 program, from 1963-1970.  A national championship, the Big Shootout, the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia; we were starting to emerge from Texas' shadow in the SWC and we had stability within our coaching staff.  Had we continued through the early '70s with this pattern, we very easily could have sustained our position for many years.  Unfortunately, the Ferguson era did not play out as we all hoped it would, and the '72-'74 years really set us back.  It didn't help that Texas continued its excellence during those years, putting more distance between them and us.  Those three bad seasons led to Coach Broyles starting to think about retirement, which meant a coaching change, which always means there is a chance you will take some steps back as a program.

Early 1980s.   But we didn't take steps back.  Lou Holtz injected enthusiasm and a pro style offense, and utilizing some great talent that Coach Broyles had left him, he gave the program a buzz that resonated across the nation.  The Orange Bowl team, followed by a Fiesta Bowl team and a Sugar Bowl team, put us back at the precipice where we had another chance to become a consistently elite program.  What happened?  Lou got a big ego, decided he didn't care for Fayetteville, and set his sights on something bigger and better (Notre Dame, as we would all learn soon enough).  He alienated our state's high school coaches and basically stopped recruiting.  By the time his last couple of teams suited up, the talent level was down and it became obvious he didn't want to be here.  Another missed opportunity, and the next one wouldn't come around until...

The Petrino era.   Say what you will about what a dirtbag he is, or how he only cared about offense, or how his recruiting wasn't up to snuff.  The truth is that Petrino took a program that was in the toilet from HDN and in three years had us in a major bowl.  The next year he had us in the final regular season game ranked #3 in the BCS and with a legitimate chance to possibly play for a national title.  In other words, we were nationally relevant for consecutive years and we all thought we had enough playmakers coming back the following year to make a legitimate national championship run.  We all know what happened next.  Petrino self-imploded and in doing so, took the program down with him.  As it turned out, we probably wouldn't have been as great as we had hoped even if Petrino did coach that next team, considering how bad the defense was, Tyler Wilson's concussion, etc.  But again, we got within shouting distance of elite and we let it slip away.

Will Bret get us there again?  History has shown us that these opportunities don't come around often so you have to seize them when they do.  I like what he is doing in building the program, and if we are fortunate enough to have a conference winning team in the next few years, the challenge will be to keep him and maintain recruiting consistency.  As a long suffering Hog fan, I'm hoping that happens during my lifetime.

[Vantage 8 dude]

IMO a pretty good analysis of past stretches of success within the football program. Yep, seems like we're often our own worst enemy when it comes to our being able to handle the "highs" of great accomplishments. At times it almost seems as if we wake up one day and say "Oh no, we're really on a roll; let's see what we can do to mess things up before things really get out of hand".

You would hope that we will finally realize that while our locale, relatively small state population, and other challenges are something we'll continue facing, at the same time we also have some wonderful things to offer kids. It will take continued dedication by a top grade  staff and STABILITY at the top to continue moving ahead. Personally I think CBB IS the type HC that can give us that edge. And despite a ton of detractors I believe Long is a type flight CEO at AD.

[KennyForAD]

Good stuff.  I would disagree a little with your definition of 'modern era.'  Personally I would put it starting around 1970, with the end of segregation.  I also think any discussion about our periods of greatness, and how they ended, must include an analysis of Broyles as AD.  At the end of the Nutt decade, it became obvious to me, listening to Frank speak at a Dallas booster event, that he was definitely (though maybe  subconsciously) holding us back.  Broyles always called us "little ol Arkansas" and at the same time defended Nutt by claiming he was all we could "afford," and bragged about how we had built the no. 1 ranked facilities in the SEC.  Those three claims were wildly inconsistent - The inability to hire a top coach was plainly false.  We had the money and means to build the best facilities, yet we're just 'Little ol Arkansas' who can't hire a good coach?   That's just one anecdote, one I saw personally. 

That makes me wonder about all the rumors of his meddling, and of trying to maintain his status as our greatest coach, to the detriment of subsequent coaches.  Hatfield is said to have gotten sick of Broyes.  Nolan too.  Holtz is also said to have gotten sick of it.  By the way, Holtz did not leave us for Notre Dame, as you seem to imply.  He left for ... Minnesota, then went to Notre Dame.   Also, it is very interesting that as soon as Broyles was gone, we have hired nothing but big time coaches, and paid them accordingly.   I'm not trying to bash Broyles.  He did unbelievably great things for Arkansas.  His achievements FAR outweigh any failures. But I think, for whatever reason, he played a major part in our setbacks too.

Also:  The Nutt disaster.  Danny Ford had built a GREAT team.  The 98 team that Nutt inherited was fantastic.  If Ford stayed we probably would have recovered from Hatfield's departure.  Did White or Broyles fire Ford?  I can't remember.  But I DO remeber a nitwit committee overruled Broyles and hired Nutt.  That could not have been more foolish.  1) They hired an imbecile with a bizzare ego problem- (Broyles wanted to hire Tuberville).  2) After Broyles was overruled and forced to hire Nutt, I think he decided to NEVER fire Nutt, if only to rub their noses in it.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

By the way, Holtz did not leave us for Notre Dame, as you seem to imply.  He left for ... Minnesota, then went to Notre Dame.

I didn't mean to imply that, but I can see now how one might have understood it that way.  As I recall, Holtz had it in his contract with the University that the one job he could take without any ramifications (I guess a precursor to today's buy-out clauses) was the Notre Dame job.  It was not a secret that that was his dream job; he was pretty open about it.  But, his last couple of years at UA were less than stellar and despite how they worded it he was "fired", for all intents and purposes.  The Notre Dame job wasn't open then and it's doubtful they would have considered him considering the ending of his tenure here.  So he took the Minnesota job, by all accounts did a great job there (I think they went to a bowl for the first time in a long time, and he developed a really good QB there named Ricky Fogge).  Thus, he rehabilitated his coaching image and was a prime candidate when the ND job did come open the next year.

My bad on that.

[KennyForAD]

I didn't mean to imply that, but I can see now how one might have understood it that way.  As I recall, Holtz had it in his contract with the University that the one job he could take without any ramifications (I guess a precursor to today's buy-out clauses) was the Notre Dame job.  It was not a secret that that was his dream job; he was pretty open about it.  But, his last couple of years at UA were less than stellar and despite how they worded it he was "fired", for all intents and purposes.  The Notre Dame job wasn't open then and it's doubtful they would have considered him considering the ending of his tenure here.  So he took the Minnesota job, by all accounts did a great job there (I think they went to a bowl for the first time in a long time, and he developed a really good QB there named Ricky Fogge).  Thus, he rehabilitated his coaching image and was a prime candidate when the ND job did come open the next year.

My bad on that.

No.  I wasn't meaning to be critical.  At all.  Enjoyed your post very much.  And your point is accurate.  Holtz dream was always ND.

fwiw, I was hesitant to write that phrase for fear of it sounding critical.  I thought about trying to word it better, but just went with "seemed to imply."  Haha.  Should have put more thought there.  fwiw.   We don't have nearly enough posts like yours.  Keep up the good work.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

No.  I wasn't meaning to be critical.  At all.  Enjoyed your post very much.  And your point is accurate.  Holtz dream was always ND.

fwiw, I was hesitant to write that phrase for fear of it sounding critical.  I thought about trying to word it better, but just went with "seemed to imply."  Haha.  Should have put more thought there.  fwiw.   We don't have nearly enough posts like yours.  Keep up the good work.

By the way, the guy in your avatar came close, and I still have gobs of respect for him, but he was the ultimate poster boy for "just can't win the big one."  He won all the games he was supposed to win, but he couldn't win any of the games on the big stage.

[KennyForAD]

By the way, the guy in your avatar came close, and I still have gobs of respect for him, but he was the ultimate poster boy for "just can't win the big one."  He won all the games he was supposed to win, but he couldn't win any of the games on the big stage.

I know.  I think he came along at the end of the era of the 'bone.'  The better teams (Miami) got to where they had the speed, athletes, on defense to stop it.  He took a lot of heat for 'not passing enough' from the less sophisticated portion of our fanbase, which I thought was crazy.

I'm definitely in the minority among college fans, but I would always take a coach like Hatfield (even if he never won the big one), and keep him forever.  His teams were competitive and successful, more importantly, he's just the kind of man you want as your coach.   Baylor, in contrast, is happy with a man like Art Briles, who is highly successful, but has recruited at least two known rapists, chased their victims from Baylor, and tried, TWICE, to shield them from prosecution.   How anyone at Baylor can support that man is beyond my comprehension.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/article/silence-at-baylor/

[Atlhogfan1]

End of segregation

Hiring of Hatfield

Tony Jones' catch fallout and impact

Joining the SEC

The Nutt hiring process

[LZH]

Frank Broyles handling of coaching hires from 1990 until his retirement. And that doesn't just include football, in my opinion.

[Atlhogfan1]

Frank Broyles handling of coaching hires from 1990 until his retirement. And that doesn't just include football, in my opinion.

Have to include White and his committees from Fall '97 on. 

[LZH]

Have to include White and his committees from Fall '97 on. 

I don't disagree, but if Broyles was the Alpha and the Omega then he should have put up a hellacious fight to keep White's ass out of it in the first place.

All I can figure, is that Broyles may have tested the water and realized that he didn't have the support that he used to. Maybe that's why he capitulated and let "his boss" play athletic director, too.

[KennyForAD]

Have to include White and his committees from Fall '97 on.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I don't disagree, but if Broyles was the Alpha and the Omega then he should have put up a hellacious fight to keep White's ass out of it in the first place.

All I can figure, is that Broyles may have tested the water and realized that he didn't have the support that he used to. Maybe that's why he capitulated and let "his boss" play athletic director, too.

With all due respect, we weren't coming off of a period of excellence when Nutt was hired.  Not that anyone would say we were, but that was what my original post was about.  The Ford years to me are kinda like that party you went to in college where all the girls turned out to be homely, the beer was watered down, and you were actually thankful the next morning that you didn't remember much about what happened.

[Atlhogfan1]

With all due respect, we weren't coming off of a period of excellence when Nutt was hired.  Not that anyone would say we were, but that was what my original post was about.  The Ford years to me are kinda like that party you went to in college where all the girls turned out to be homely, the beer was watered down, and you were actually thankful the next morning that you didn't remember much about what happened.

Ford deserves more credit than he receives for the rebuild he did and the conditions and position from which he had to do it. 

[KennyForAD]

I don't disagree, but if Broyles was the Alpha and the Omega then he should have put up a hellacious fight to keep White's ass out of it in the first place.

All I can figure, is that Broyles may have tested the water and realized that he didn't have the support that he used to. Maybe that's why he capitulated and let "his boss" play athletic director, too.

That is strange, isn't it?  Broyles was, "More powerful than the governor," then all of a sudden a 'committee' is hiring coaches?   wth?

[KennyForAD]

With all due respect, we weren't coming off of a period of excellence when Nutt was hired.  Not that anyone would say we were, but that was what my original post was about.  The Ford years to me are kinda like that party you went to in college where all the girls turned out to be homely, the beer was watered down, and you were actually thankful the next morning that you didn't remember much about what happened.

Agreed.  But, although no one saw it coming, Ford had built an excellent team for 98, which Nutt inherited.  Maybe Nutt's enthusiasm was part of it, but I kinda doubt it.  I figure if Ford had stayed, that team would have done better. 

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Agreed.  But, although no one saw it coming, Ford had built an excellent team for 98, which Nutt inherited.  Maybe Nutt's enthusiasm was part of it, but I kinda doubt it.  I figure if Ford had stayed, that team would have done better.

I always figured Ford had a great eye for talent and earlier in his career was a very good coach, but by the time he got here he just didn't have that coaching fire anymore.  Yes, he did leave an abundance of talent for HDN but at the time Ford was let go I don't think any of us were aware of that talent because of the general "ho hum" that pervaded the program.  I do give HDN credit for the enthusiasm, which helped what that first team did immeasurably.  Unfortunately, as is usually the case with a "rah rah" guy who offers little else, the "rah rah" wears off pretty quickly and then just becomes a tiresome act.  But for that '98 team, I think Nutt did more with them than Ford would have.

[Atlhogfan1]

Ford bonded so well with Wilson Matthews because they were similar.  Ford was a tough old school coach.  He could tear players down to build them up.  Some didn't deal with it well mentally.  Some were more suited for Hatfield or Nutt.  The 98 group probably needed a change and the positive cheerleading personality worked in that sense. 

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Ford bonded so well with Wilson Matthews because they were similar.  Ford was a tough old school coach.  He could tear players down to build them up.  Some didn't deal with it well mentally.  Some were more suited for Hatfield or Nutt.  The 98 group probably needed a change and the positive cheerleading personality worked in that sense.

Listen to any of those old Razorbacks from the '60s or early '70s talk, and you'll see that Matthews is the coach they (1) didn't want to cross; and, (2) would have run through a brick wall for.  I've often wondered what would have happened with the Razorback football program had Matthews become head coach at some point.

[LZH]

I always figured Ford had a great eye for talent and earlier in his career was a very good coach, but by the time he got here he just didn't have that coaching fire anymore.  Yes, he did leave an abundance of talent for HDN but at the time Ford was let go I don't think any of us were aware of that talent because of the general "ho hum" that pervaded the program.  I do give HDN credit for the enthusiasm, which helped what that first team did immeasurably.  Unfortunately, as is usually the case with a "rah rah" guy who offers little else, the "rah rah" wears off pretty quickly and then just becomes a tiresome act.  But for that '98 team, I think Nutt did more with them than Ford would have.

In the several times that I met him at fish fries and whatnot, Ford seemed as happy to be here as someone who had to stay in the drunk tank overnight. It was strange.....he was engaging and you wanted to like him, but he just had this aura about him that rubbed me a little odd.

I can't find anyone else to blame for the misery we endured in the early 1990s - Broyles was at the wheel, he caused most of it and it was his mess to clean up. My daddy swore up and down for years that Broyles wanted Arkansas to win no matter what, as long as his coaching legacy wasn't at risk of being surpassed. That always sounded ridiculous to me, but looking back maybe he had a point. Because there were a lot of people a generation or two ahead of me, including many of his friends, that thought the exact same thing.

[Vantage 8 dude]

With all due respect, we weren't coming off of a period of excellence when Nutt was hired.  Not that anyone would say we were, but that was what my original post was about.  The Ford years to me are kinda like that party you went to in college where all the girls turned out to be homely, the beer was watered down, and you were actually thankful the next morning that you didn't remember much about what happened.

JR, just keep in mind that homely girls need lovin' too. In fact, cause they may not get as many chances maybe they might still turn it into a "WOW" night...with or without the watered down beer. 

[KennyForAD]

In the several times that I met him at fish fries and whatnot, Ford seemed as happy to be here as someone who had to stay in the drunk tank overnight. It was strange.....he was engaging and you wanted to like him, but he just had this aura about him that rubbed me a little odd.

I can't find anyone else to blame for the misery we endured in the early 1990s - Broyles was at the wheel, he caused most of it and it was his mess to clean up. My daddy swore up and down for years that Broyles wanted Arkansas to win no matter what, as long as his coaching legacy wasn't at risk of being surpassed. That always sounded ridiculous to me, but looking back maybe he had a point. Because there were a lot of people a generation or two ahead of me, including many of his friends, that thought the exact same thing.

It got real hard to argue against that theory in the end. 

[Hogtimes]

I didn't mean to imply that, but I can see now how one might have understood it that way.  As I recall, Holtz had it in his contract with the University that the one job he could take without any ramifications (I guess a precursor to today's buy-out clauses) was the Notre Dame job.  It was not a secret that that was his dream job; he was pretty open about it.  But, his last couple of years at UA were less than stellar and despite how they worded it he was "fired", for all intents and purposes.  The Notre Dame job wasn't open then and it's doubtful they would have considered him considering the ending of his tenure here.  So he took the Minnesota job, by all accounts did a great job there (I think they went to a bowl for the first time in a long time, and he developed a really good QB there named Ricky Fogge).  Thus, he rehabilitated his coaching image and was a prime candidate when the ND job did come open the next year.

My bad on that.

Actually not to be picky, but I believe that clause that he would only leave for the Notre Dame job was in his contract with Minnesota...not Arkansas.    After all he did leave Arkansas for Minnesota.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Actually not to be picky, but I believe that clause that he would only leave for the Notre Dame job was in his contract with Minnesota...not Arkansas.    After all he did leave Arkansas for Minnesota.

Pretty sure he left Arkansas because Broyles "encouraged" him to leave.  But you are probably right; I never saw the contract myself.  Just remember the stories I heard.

[Hogaholism]

that's as good of a post as i've seen in a long time...i could almost call for a fourth era, too...

[KennyForAD]

Pretty sure he left Arkansas because Broyles "encouraged" him to leave.  But you are probably right; I never saw the contract myself.  Just remember the stories I heard.

Your point is correct, regardless.  He always made it clear that ND was his dream job and campaigned for it. 

[Farmer Hogget]

Ken Hatfield won more than Lou Holtz.  Kenny won 75% of his games and took the Hogs to the Cotton bowl his last 2 years.  I do not recall Lou ever taking Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl.

[code red]

Funny how some of you talk about Petrino stacking the offensive side of the ball....and ignoring the defense.  Well..I think we are seeing right now.  Recruiting studs to the defensive side of the ball is not as easy as we thought.....still now.   

[redeye]

Interesting post.  I just wanna make these points on it:

* I started watching Arkansas football in the mid-seventies as a kid.  My view back then was that Arkansas was so close to becoming a national powerhouse and just needed to win the undisputed national championship that had eluded us.  Entering the seventies, there didn't seem to be much of a gap in the histories of Arkansas and teams like Oklahoma and, especially, Nebraska, who we beat for our '64 title.  The pre-war era seemed mostly dominated by Notre Dame and Big 10 teams, at least according to the national press, so most everyone else was a newbie of sorts, including Arkansas.

As the years rolled by, and especially after the Holtz era, my dream of Arkansas joining those other great powerhouses diminished.  Even if we won the CFP today, it would still just be a flash in the pan, much like Auburn in 2010, and it wouldn't be enough to put us on that level consistently (I'm talking about image and how our peers think of Arkansas).  I probably underrate the Hatfield era some, but after the beat downs by Miami and Oklahoma, I never really saw Arkansas as a team close to winning another national title, until 2010 happened.

* I LOVED Petrino ball and I initially thought he might lead us to another national title.  However, it eventually became clear to me that it was unlikely, unless we started playing defense (yea, I know Auburn did it, but it's different for reasons I won't go into here).  Perhaps we would have eventually had a defense that was good enough, but I'm skeptical, because defense just wasn't important to Bobby.

* I know Holtz has a reputation of being a poor recruiter at Arkansas and I don't doubt that.  However, I'm sure all the cheating by teams around us also played a factor.  How can it not, when you're recruiting against the likes of Oklahoma, SMU, Texas, A&M and all the other SWC schools that also recruited the DFW area hard, but were doing it by giving cars as gifts?  It should surprise no one that Arkansas began struggling in the Holtz era, while all these other schools flourished by cheating.  In my opinion, that is one of the big tipping points in our downfall, because we've never really been considered a regular national player since, other then a couple of years under Hatfield, which resulted in embarrassments you didn't see with serious national competitors back then.

[Farmer Hogget]

Interesting post.  I just wanna make these points on it:

* I started watching Arkansas football in the mid-seventies as a kid.  My view back then was that Arkansas was so close to becoming a national powerhouse and just needed to win the undisputed national championship that had eluded us.  Entering the seventies, there didn't seem to be much of a gap in the histories of Arkansas and teams like Oklahoma and, especially, Nebraska, who we beat for our '64 title.  The pre-war era seemed mostly dominated by Notre Dame and Big 10 teams, at least according to the national press, so most everyone else was a newbie of sorts, including Arkansas.

As the years rolled by, and especially after the Holtz era, my dream of Arkansas joining those other great powerhouses diminished.  Even if we won the CFP today, it would still just be a flash in the pan, much like Auburn in 2010, and it wouldn't be enough to put us on that level consistently (I'm talking about image and how our peers think of Arkansas).  I probably underrate the Hatfield era some, but after the beat downs by Miami and Oklahoma, I never really saw Arkansas as a team close to winning another national title, until 2010 happened.

* I LOVED Petrino ball and I initially thought he might lead us to another national title.  However, it eventually became clear to me that it was unlikely, unless we started playing defense (yea, I know Auburn did it, but it's different for reasons I won't go into here).  Perhaps we would have eventually had a defense that was good enough, but I'm skeptical, because defense just wasn't important to Bobby.

* I know Holtz has a reputation of being a poor recruiter at Arkansas and I don't doubt that.  However, I'm sure all the cheating by teams around us also played a factor.  How can it not, when you're recruiting against the likes of Oklahoma, SMU, Texas, A&M and all the other SWC schools that also recruited the DFW area hard, but were doing it by giving cars as gifts?  It should surprise no one that Arkansas began struggling in the Holtz era, while all these other schools flourished by cheating.  In my opinion, that is one of the big tipping points in our downfall, because we've never really been considered a regular national player since, other then a couple of years under Hatfield, which resulted in embarrassments you didn't see with serious national competitors back then.

2 bad losses so you discount the Ken Hatfield years.  Razorback fans as screwed up.  Kenny won 75% of his games as coach of Arkansas.  The Razorbacks were well respected when Ken Hatfield was here.  He won a heck of a lot more than Lou Holtz or Bobby Petrino

[rtr]

Ford deserves more credit than he receives for the rebuild he did and the conditions and position from which he had to do it. 

Could not agree more.

[Boog41]

In the several times that I met him at fish fries and whatnot, Ford seemed as happy to be here as someone who had to stay in the drunk tank overnight. It was strange.....he was engaging and you wanted to like him, but he just had this aura about him that rubbed me a little odd.

I can't find anyone else to blame for the misery we endured in the early 1990s - Broyles was at the wheel, he caused most of it and it was his mess to clean up. My daddy swore up and down for years that Broyles wanted Arkansas to win no matter what, as long as his coaching legacy wasn't at risk of being surpassed. That always sounded ridiculous to me, but looking back maybe he had a point. Because there were a lot of people a generation or two ahead of me, including many of his friends, that thought the exact same thing.

This couldn't be further from the truth. All Frank Broyles ever wanted was for the Razorbacks to be great. He wanted that as a coach and as an AD. He still bleeds Razorback Red.

Now toward the end of his career he did get into a power struggle with White. He ultimately won because he stayed in the AD position, but he did have to give up some of his control.

[KennyForAD]

Ken Hatfield won more than Lou Holtz.  Kenny won 75% of his games and took the Hogs to the Cotton bowl his last 2 years.  I do not recall Lou ever taking Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl.

There was that one year, when Lou said, "We're going to the Cotton Bowl this year, even if I have to buy tickets."

[KennyForAD]

Interesting post.  I just wanna make these points on it:


  I probably underrate the Hatfield era some, but after the beat downs by Miami and Oklahoma, I never really saw Arkansas as a team close to winning another national title, until 2010 happened.



* I know Holtz has a reputation of being a poor recruiter at Arkansas and I don't doubt that.  However, I'm sure all the cheating by teams around us also played a factor.   

1. What?!!!  I guess you stopped watching after the Miami beatdown.  The next year we were 10-0 and had Miami beat IN Miami, only to lose when Atwater dropped the game winning INT.  He catches that and we are 11-0 in the Cotton Bowl. 


2.  I met a guy in Dallas years ago.  He was selling insurance.  He told me that he too was from Arkansas, but left when he accepted a football scholarship to Baylor.  I asked why he didn't play for the Hogs.  He said, "Baylor recruited me harder.  All Holtz ever said was, "Come be a Razorback!"   I'm a little bit slow.  I said, huh?  He said, "All ...  Holtz ... would ... offer. . was that I could be a Razorback.  Baylor had more to offer."   I got it then.   Holtz to this day complains about the wild ass cheating of the SWC.  Kenny suffered from it too, but never complains.

[KennyForAD]

This couldn't be further from the truth. All Frank Broyles ever wanted was for the Razorbacks to be great. He wanted that as a coach and as an AD. He still bleeds Razorback Red.

Now toward the end of his career he did get into a power struggle with White. He ultimately won because he stayed in the AD position, but he did have to give up some of his control.

I believe this is true.  And I believe that if we hadn't lucked into hiring Broyles that we would be another Mizzou, never having accomplished anything.  But no one is perfect.  We all have flaws.  I think that Broyles was rightly very confident and proud of his phenomenal success at Arkansas and that it created a little "ego problem" when dealing with coaches.  Eddie Sutton didn't say "I would have crawled on hands and knees to Kentucky" because he didn't like Arkansas or our fans.  He said that because it was difficult to work for Broyles.  Hatfiield and Holtz - same thing.     Jerry Jones wants the Cowboys to win, too, but they never will again while he runs them because he has a worse ego problem than Frank ever did.   Big deal.  It doesn't mean Frank is bad, or take away the great things about him.   It was Frank's buddy (Herrod) in Dallas, not Houston Nutt's buddy, who got caught playing players and got us on probation.  Do you not think that Nutt held that over Frank's head?   I do. 

Yes, Frank always wanted what was best, and for fifty years did almost everything right, but he made a few mistakes too.   Big deal.  A handful of mistakes, but a mountain of accomplishments is GREAT.  I'm glad and proud we had Frank, as everyone should be. 

[bphi11ips]

Good OP and interesting topic.  I'd divide "modern" Arkansas football into three parts as well - two eras and what I believe is the beginning of another.

I'd define the "modern era" as beginning in 1958 with the arrival of Frank Broyles.  Those who would begin the modern era at the integration of football in the South ignore two things.  First, by-and-large, the same teams competing for prominence in college football in 1958 were the same teams that have dominated the game since 1970.  Second, African- American athletes began playing college football outside of the South long before 1970.  The game changed dramatically at the college and jprofessional level once it became fully integrated, but to suggest that Arkansas was as successful as it was in the 60's because college football was not yet fully integrated is superficial.

Having said that, the first era in my mind was 1959-1989.  Arkansas was a perennial Top 20 team that entire time, even though it went through occasional dry spells like the early 70's.  Even then, Arkansas maintained its national image with a major drumming of California and an upset of USC in a year when the Tojans won the NC.  The national media was a bit stunned when Miami thumped Arkansas in Little Rock in 1987, even though Miami was in the middle of its heyday.  But that is only because Arkansas was highly regarded itself.  The Hogs almost got payback the next year in Miami when the two undefeated teams met to close the season.  Only a dead drop of an interception in the endzone by Steve Atwater allowed the Hurricane to escape with an 18-16 victory.  A deflated Arkansas team then lost to Troy Aikman-led UCLA in the Cotton Bowl.  The Hogs would return to Dallas the next year and lose to Tennessee in a game featuring two dynamic offenses filled with playmakers that could have gone either way.  In 1988 or 1989, the Hogs could have been in the national title conversation had a few plays gone their way. 

Everything changed abrubtly in 1990.  For whatever reason, Ken Hatfield left and Broyles, caught in a pinch, elevated Jack Crowe from offensive coordinator to head coach.  The thinking was that Quinn Grovey would return for his senior year, and Crowe would provide continuity.  That idea worked better on paper than in practice.  Almost overnight, defense and special teams, long hallmarks of Arkansas football, fell through the floor.  Arkansas opened 1990 ranked 15 in the AP poll, but in the 4th game in Little Rock, TCU threw at will over the top of the Arkansas defense in route to a 54-26 victory.  Razorbacks fans were stunned.  TCU had been to Arkansas what Kentucky has been to Tennessee for so many years.  Hog fans had never seen a defense give up so many big plays, not even to Texas.  And this wasn't Gary Patterson's TCU.  Jim Whacker's Horned Frogs would finish 5-6 that year.  But Arkansas would win only one more game in 1990 and finished 3-8.  Holy cow!  Little did we know that 1990 was only the beginning of a 25 year run that would be punctuated far more by lows than by highs.  Frankly, Broyles, Holtz and Hatfield had spoiled us.  We would wander in the desert through Crowe, Kines, Ford, and Nutt, finding an oasis here and there.  Then, when Bobby Petrino appeared to be the coach we'd been missing for almost two decades, he wound up in a road-side ditch, literally, and we were back where we started with Jack Crowe II a/k/a John "Smiley" Smith.  At least he held the official "interim" title, which Crowe had held on a de facto basis.

I firmly believe we are embarking on a golden era of Razorbacks football.  I've said this since Bielema was hired and have drawn many parallels since he was hired to the state of the program when Broyles arrived and the state of the program when Bielema was hired.  Even the spike of success Petrino had during his brief tenure has an analog in Bowden Wyatt's 25 Little Pigs of 1954 and a Cotton Bowl appearance.  Wyatt left for his alma mater of Tennessee, but the pump was primed.  Arkansas had a respectable new stadium in the heart of the state it could fill with cardinal-clad fans, and Frank Broyles and network television were about to take Arkansas to national prominence.

Fast forward to January, 2016.  Bret Bielema is beginning the fourth year of a six year rebuilding project, and it appears as if things are right on schedule.  Arkansas has a beautiful facility on-campus and can fill it with 75,000 cardinal-clad fans.  This weekend Bielema is hosting a dozen of the finest high school football players to ever visit Fayetteville at the same time.  The number 2 defensive end in the country and the number 3 running back are solid commitments.  The number 1 safety is in Fayetteville today.  The current roster includes four 4 star QB's lined up almost perfectly by class. 

The future is bright, but as Razorbacks fan, I'll still knock on wood.

[westside_player]

nutt era

[LZH]

2 bad losses so you discount the Ken Hatfield years.  Razorback fans as screwed up.  Kenny won 75% of his games as coach of Arkansas.  The Razorbacks were well respected when Ken Hatfield was here. He won a heck of a lot more than Lou Holtz or Bobby Petrino

I would have to take a little exception to this. Hatfield did win more, but his teams weren't necessarily well respected. Oh, we played hard and clean, and he ran a very clean program. But we were always the lowest ranked one loss team, or lowest ranked two loss team, or lowest ranked three loss team, etc.... whatever the situation may have been at the time.

It started with the 1985 Texas game. We were ranked #4, and they were unranked. We miss like a million field goals (what should have been touchdown opportunities) and lost in our newly renovated stadium on national television.

The Orange Bowl after the 1986 season and the Miami game in 1987 surely cemented this notion. Check where we were ranked when we went to the Orange Bowl and almost beat the Hurricanes in 1988. An undefeated 10-0 Southwest Conference champion ranked behind several teams that had a loss or two. We were ranked so low because we had not proven for years that we could play ball with the big boys.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Coach Hatfield. But for whatever reason, we never did well in games against the toughest teams.

[LZH]

By the way bphi11ips, that was an excellent post.

[redeye]

2 bad losses so you discount the Ken Hatfield years.  Razorback fans as screwed up.  Kenny won 75% of his games as coach of Arkansas.  The Razorbacks were well respected when Ken Hatfield was here.  He won a heck of a lot more than Lou Holtz or Bobby Petrino

I'll first note that I said I probably underrate the Hatfield era some.  I was referring to that period of time, but in hindsight I'm pretty certain I did.

When you get beat down by other national title contenders, you tend to think you were overrated some.  But it wasn't just 2 games; it was also his 1-5 bowl record.  We played some good teams in those bowls, but if you're also a good team, then you should do better then 1-5.  One of the reasons Hatfield won so many games was because nearly the entire SWC was on probation.  Hatfield was a good coach who I liked, but you can't mention his name on Hogville without receiving a beat down from his loyal army of irrational supporters.

Fact is that Arkansas never really came very close to a national title under Hatfield.  We won a lot of games and had some good times, but almost every time we played anyone good, we lost.  If those teams had played in today's SEC, there would be no 10-win seasons and they'd fare no better then current teams have.

[bphi11ips]

By the way bphi11ips, that was an excellent post.

Good time to be a Razorbacks fan. 

[redeye]

1. What?!!!  I guess you stopped watching after the Miami beatdown.  The next year we were 10-0 and had Miami beat IN Miami, only to lose when Atwater dropped the game winning INT.  He catches that and we are 11-0 in the Cotton Bowl. 


2.  I met a guy in Dallas years ago.  He was selling insurance.  He told me that he too was from Arkansas, but left when he accepted a football scholarship to Baylor.  I asked why he didn't play for the Hogs.  He said, "Baylor recruited me harder.  All Holtz ever said was, "Come be a Razorback!"   I'm a little bit slow.  I said, huh?  He said, "All ...  Holtz ... would ... offer. . was that I could be a Razorback.  Baylor had more to offer."   I got it then.   Holtz to this day complains about the wild ass cheating of the SWC.  Kenny suffered from it too, but never complains.

1. No, I watched and it was a great year.  We came close in a revenge game, but still lost.  Then we proceeded to get stomped by Aikmen and UCLA in the Cotton.  We had a pretty good team, but still managed to lose to the only ranked teams we played that year.  Those teams weren't on the same level as our first teams under Holtz.

2. Thanks for sharing that story, but that's why I said I didn't doubt that Holtz was a poor recruiter.  Kenny did also suffer from the cheating, but the difference is that other SWC schools were also suffering while he was the coach.  Hatfield didn't face nearly the unfair advantage that Holtz did.  My point isn't to pick favorites here, but Holtz competed against Oklahoma, Texas, A&M and SMU on the recruiting trail during their prime years, while they were still cheating.  Then he helped Notre Dame win it's last NCAA recognized national championship, while Hatfield was mopping up wins against downtrodden SWC teams at Arkansas.

I liked Hatfield as our coach, but I'm just giving my honest opinion here.

[redeye]

I would have to take a little exception to this. Hatfield did win more, but his teams weren't necessarily well respected. Oh, we played hard and clean, and he ran a very clean program. But we were always the lowest ranked one loss team, or lowest ranked two loss team, or lowest ranked three loss team, etc.... whatever the situation may have been at the time.

It started with the 1985 Texas game. We were ranked #4, and they were unranked. We miss like a million field goals (what should have been touchdown opportunities) and lost in our newly renovated stadium on national television.

The Orange Bowl after the 1986 season and the Miami game in 1987 surely cemented this notion. Check where we were ranked when we went to the Orange Bowl and almost beat the Hurricanes in 1988. An undefeated 10-0 Southwest Conference champion ranked behind several teams that had a loss or two. We were ranked so low because we had not proven for years that we could play ball with the big boys.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Coach Hatfield. But for whatever reason, we never did well in games against the toughest teams.

I completely agree with this and think it's when the "lowest ranked x-loss team" thing started for Arkansas.  We've basically experienced that bias ever since, and I much prefer being the highest ranked x-loss team, like we often have been in recent years.

That 1985 Texas game is one that still sticks with me, because that's the game where we scored 2 touchdowns, while keeping Texas out of the end zone, but still lost.  Texas had a great kicker who had hit 5 field goals, with 2 of them being 50 yarders.  They led 15-7, but we scored another TD late and failed to convert a 2-point conversion for the tie.  The way I remember it, we basically outplayed them all day, but still lost.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

1. No, I watched and it was a great year.  We came close in a revenge game, but still lost.  Then we proceeded to get stomped by Aikmen and UCLA in the Cotton.  We had a pretty good team, but still managed to lose to the only ranked teams we played that year.  Those teams weren't on the same level as our first teams under Holtz.

2. Thanks for sharing that story, but that's why I said I didn't doubt that Holtz was a poor recruiter.  Kenny did also suffer from the cheating, but the difference is that other SWC schools were also suffering while he was the coach.  Hatfield didn't face nearly the unfair advantage that Holtz did.  My point isn't to pick favorites here, but Holtz competed against Oklahoma, Texas, A&M and SMU on the recruiting trail during their prime years, while they were still cheating.  Then he helped Notre Dame win it's last NCAA recognized national championship, while Hatfield was mopping up wins against downtrodden SWC teams at Arkansas.

I liked Hatfield as our coach, but I'm just giving my honest opinion here.

My Grandfather explained the Hatfield era to me as a young teenager like this:

-Hatfield was a genuinely good man. But he is also a football coach getting paid to win.
-All football programs are judged on a winning "pattern" by the fans and media.
-Football programs winning "pattern" begins on the recruiting trail.
-Broyles was the "Godfather of Razorback Football", but not infallible. Had issues meddling in the program.
-Hatfield did lose a some games we should've won. Abysmal bowl record.
-Some fans didn't like the way he was winning games. (Extremely run heavy)
-The above led to fan apathy.
-Other programs began tell recruits that Hatfield was in Broyles' doghouse.
-Hatfield got wind of the rumors.
-Bailed to Clemson when he started losing recruits because of it.

I'm sure there was more to it, but media wasn't quite as accessible then as it is now.
-
-

[bphi11ips]

My Grandfather explained the Hatfield era to me as a young teenager-

Some fans didn't like the way he was winning games. (Extremely run heavy)

All you really need to know about Ken Hatfield is this - 16-14.  That was the score when unranked Texas upset 15th-ranked Arkansas in Little Rock on a last second touchdown pass in 1987.  Hatfield and the Hogs left the field to a rain of boos, and he never got over it.  To the man whose punt return for a TD against the Longhorns in Austin led to Arkansas' s only real claim to a NC, revenge was best served cold.  After winning two straight SWC championships the next two years, Hatfield raised his very Christian middle finger to Razorbacks-nation and crawled to Clemson, knowing what his sudden departure was likely to do to his alma mater.

Hatfield went from running a perennial power to relative obscurity.  After washing out in four years at Clemson, he spent twelve nondescript years at Rice before packing it in.  After what he he did to the Hogs, it serves him right.

[Hog are ya]

Excellent mature thread!!!!  Thanks for the read.

edit: read my post and wanted to make sure it didn't come across as derisive.  I was on the hill for the Holtz to Hatfield transition.  You cats really do bring out good points and I agree with most all of it.....   

[LZH]

Excellent mature thread!!!!

"Mature"? Just so you know, I am NOT even AARP eligible, unlike most of these other sorry bastards.   

[Hog are ya]

"Mature"? Just so you know, I am NOT even AARP eligible, unlike most of these other sorry bastards.   

Yeah but you're only 2 yrs away!  (I think it's 50, I got something in the mail recently but ignored it because I"m only 38, wink wink...)

[DeltaBoy]

In the several times that I met him at fish fries and whatnot, Ford seemed as happy to be here as someone who had to stay in the drunk tank overnight. It was strange.....he was engaging and you wanted to like him, but he just had this aura about him that rubbed me a little odd.

I can't find anyone else to blame for the misery we endured in the early 1990s - Broyles was at the wheel, he caused most of it and it was his mess to clean up. My daddy swore up and down for years that Broyles wanted Arkansas to win no matter what, as long as his coaching legacy wasn't at risk of being surpassed. That always sounded ridiculous to me, but looking back maybe he had a point. Because there were a lot of people a generation or two ahead of me, including many of his friends, that thought the exact same thing.

Your Daddy was right and My Grandpa said the same thing.  Frank wants to win and win big as long as it does't mess with his Legacy.  Ken was a Home Grown Boy and was winning too much for Frank to stand it.

[12247]

Hatfield reminds me of some singers.  Its my music and I'll play what I want all the way to bankruptcy court.  Hatfield was going to operate his schemes no matter the results.  Every SWC school was on probation at some point during Hatfield's tenure with us.  Check it out.  We faced a watered down SWC and did well against them.  Our choice of offense didn't fair well against most any decent football team.  We'd get to go play someone very good due to our overblown record and Broyles ability to get us into better bowls than we deserved.  Hatfield did it his way and beat probated teams but couldn't match the big boys.

Until now, I never considered that Holtz was recruiting against those same schools that eventually got in trouble for various levels of cheating.  Hatfield, for the most part, ended up getting an advantage from that cheating.  Hatfield was/is a very nice person but if he was rehired today, we'd see the bone sprung back to life.

One thing about football, if you have the hosses, you can operate just about any schemes you choose and still win bunches or if you have a talent advantage for any reason, you can win in bunches.  It's when you are required to tee it up against like circumstances that the true cream comes to the top.  BAMA wins today with top recruited players and great coaches, both which are legal in this day and age. 

One reason I hate teeing it up against lower division schools.  Things are not even and the lessor team usually is on the road.  Its like a 4 year old pushing around on a 2 year old and then claiming a win from that.  Should not be allowed.