 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
On a lonely stretch of highway U.S. 412E, a white 1993 Subaru was making the all too familiar trip from Fayetteville eastward to the small town of Harrison. The winding road had been one that both the Subaru and its driver knew by heart from having made it hundreds of times during the previous five years. All of a sudden as dusk was approaching, the silence of the farms was shattered by the sound of squealing rubber and crashing metal echoing across the countryside and mountains. The Subaru had collided head-on with an 18-wheeler and was now being hurled back 168 feet before finally coming to its rest. There was no hope for the driver of the small car as he was killed instantly while making the journey home on Wednesday, April 28, 1999, to have supper and go to church with his mother. Being only fifteen miles from his destination, he had nearly made it. But in that instant, he had finally reached his Home. He was only 22 and his name was Brandon Burlsworth 6'4", 308 lbs., All-American Razorback offensive right guard #77.
In that same moment, the boy who had been a walk-on for Danny Ford, then a Razorback starting offensive lineman, had gone on to be an All-American under Houston Nutt, and finally a NFL Indianapolis Colts football rookie, now became a true Razorback football legend for Hog fans everywhere.
There have only been two numbers retired for Razorback football. The first was the #12 for Clyde "Smackover" Scott. It was then reactivated for Steve Little and finally permanently retired after Little's graduation. However, in a ceremony held in Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium on November 20, 1999, Brandon's #77 was officially retired as only the second number to be bestowed with this honor.
Described by defensive lineman Sacha Lancaster as "If God ever made the perfect person, it was that guy." A point brought home by a poster displaying "The Ultimate Razorback". On it, each part of the Razorback football player's anatomy is represented by a former player's name. The heart, however, is special and is represented by Brandon Burlsworth! Fitting? YES. For no one else could be considered more deserving as the heart of "The Ultimate Razorback" and the heart of the Hogs.
Brandon graduated from high school in Harrison and entered the U of A as a walk-on guard for then head coach Danny Ford. He has been described as an "ordinary guy," although, if the truth be known, deep down with the removal of the star ratings and hype, all college football players are "ordinary guys" that just happen to have a talent for playing the game. Brandon was no different.
His dedication, persistence, and seeking of perfection in developing his skills, and footwork soon won a starting position for this former walk-on. Whenever he felt that he had not had an especially good practice, he could be found alone after hours working on his footwork until it was perfect for all of the plays that had been used that day during practice. It was this drive and attention to detail that made him the All-American that he became, as well as, the first Razorback football player to obtain both a bachelor and master's degree before completing his Hog playing career.
Former assistant coach Mike Bender summed it all up by saying that Brandon was, "the best to play the offensive line in Arkansas history," and added "there has never been one like Brandon Burlsworth, and there never will be again."
 Brandon Burlsworth #77 (Click to enlarge) To say Brandon was a perfectionist is like saying the sun is a nice place to visit for a quick tan. Everything had to be in its place and everything had to be perfect. He had tremendous focus which made it possible for friends to literally drive him a little crazy by simply shuffling his pencils a few inches on his dorm room desk.
During team meetings for five years, he would always sit in the same seat which everyone knew as "Brandon's chair." As the story goes, when Brandon was a junior, an underclassman made the mistake of sitting in "Brandon's chair". With his seat taken, Brandon saw nothing else to do but to quietly stand behind the chair. Being embarrassed, the underclassman soon figured it out and quickly vacated this seat and found himself another more suitable place to sit.
Brandon lived in a world of routine and familiarity. He always parked his Subaru in the same spot in "The Pit" just north of the Broyles' Athletic Center. At practice, he would always refuse to remove or unsnap his helmet, even for water breaks. Going to class or anywhere else on campus would find him always walking on the sidewalks and never taking shortcuts across the grass. Being almost OCD and Adrian Monk-like, you could say he always followed a strict regime. Always, always, always ... perfect, perfect, perfect.
It could have been his Drew Carey looks with his short hair and black horn-rimmed glasses that dredged up a chuckle in the defensive player across the line from him, but this was soon put to rest by his formidable force and footwork that tended toward perfection. Whether it was a practice or game, Brandon knew only one speed and the defensive player would always suffer the brunt. If you were unlucky enough to line up across from Burlsworth, you would first feel a hit, and in the next moment realize that you were picking yourself up off of the ground. The chuckle would soon vanish and be replaced by a grimace of pain.
Anytime the Hogs found themselves inside the twenty on offense, Brandon would quietly challenge the squad during the huddle by asking "OK guys, how bad do you want it?". It was a rally call for commitment from every player to perform at their top level. He very seldom raised his voice, but at this time it would be raised to the highest level that he would allow himself to use. Everything had to be perfect and he truly believed that if it was, then the Hogs would score.
Brandon was known, not only for his dedication, drive, and perfection, but most of all for his tremendous faith. Comments from former coaches, and players all express how his strength and trust was brought on by his unyielding Christian faith. There is no doubt by anyone that knew him that he is now at Home. On every occasion possible, Burlsworth would make the familiar trip back to Harrison in order to attend church with his mother. There were many times that after away games, he would pack his bag upon arriving in Fayetteville on Saturday night and make the trip back to Harrison for Sunday morning services.
Each time when he would leave to return to Fayetteville, there was a routine that he and his mom would follow where his mom would stand on the porch and say "Watch for old big trucks and pray". In Brandon's world, "Old big trucks" had been the term that he had used for 18-wheelers when he was a small boy. Hearing his mom, he would quietly say "Mom, I love you" and then pull away and head back to Fayetteville and the Hogs.
Perhaps it could be found in his origin as a walk-on, perhaps it was coming from a small town environment, or perhaps it was due to his unwavering faith and family upbringing, but no matter what the reason, it had molded Brandon into a unique young man with a complex dual personality. On the field, he had developed into almost the perfect offensive lineman as he went from being a walk-on to being an All-American while becoming one of the elite top-tier players in the nation.
The flipside of this was Brandon when he was off of the field. He was the truly humble, gentle giant that never quite realized or took credit for his greatness. At the end of his Hog career, he stopped coach Houston Nutt and his true nature became apparent. Brandon began by saying “Coach, I want to thank you for the best year of my life in football". Followed by Nutt’s response “Brandon, you made it happen". And finally, Brandon ended by saying in his own humble way “No, it was my teammates and coaches. Y'all made it". Any football player faced with his accomplishments and the future that lay ahead might have been totally consumed by his own greatness, but then again, that would not have been “The Burl’s Way”!
"Brandon Burlsworth probably represents more good things in this world than I thought existed," - Tommy Tice, Brandon's high school coach at Harrison High School.
The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation has been set up by his older brother Marty and the Burlsworth family to fulfill one of Brandon's dreams "that every child is a gift". "The Christian organization's mission is to support the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities."
Through the Foundation, thousands of eye exams and pairs of glasses have been given to children in need. Brandon's goal had always been to help the under-privileged children. In memory of Brandon and his career, the Foundation has also developed the Burlsworth Trophy which is presented each year to the nation's top college Walk-On football player.
While driving a few weeks ago, I heard this song on the radio and found it especially fitting for Brandon as it tells of his faith and love of children. The song this month is one sung by a children's choir containing the powerful words "Lead me on through the night, Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me Home". Join us next month, as we once again recall tales of the games, players, and coaches from the past.
Send us your name and e-mail address to receive a reminder of "hawg-tales" each month plus a FREE copy of the 1960's 45-rpm records in mp3 format to play on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. They make a great gift for any Razorback football history buff. Don't forget to let us know where you are from! WPS
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 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
After losing only one game during the season, December 5, 1970, known as "Shootout #2" in Austin brought about the anticipation of finally winning against Texas after the famous loss that had occurred the previous year in "The Big Shootout". However, this would have to wait one more year as the Hogs went down 42-7 in a rout that was not of the same caliber as found during the previous year.
By 1971, Broyles had put into place a blue chip quarterback named Joe Ferguson out of Woodlawn High School in Shreveport. In high school, Ferguson had been recognized nationally for his drop back passing abilities, and now found himself well-fitted to the Hogs' pro-style offense.
December had not been favorable for the Hogs, so no longer would the scheduled date of the Texas game be shifted and played at the end of the season for the sake of television. Broyles saw to it that October would now be resumed as the date for the famous Arkansas-Texas game.
On a overcast 75-degree October 16th, in Little Rock before a crowd of 54,446 fanatical Hog fans, Darrell Royal managed to bring his #10 Longhorns into War Memorial Stadium to do battle against Frank Broyles and his #16 Razorbacks. By gametime, the wind was coming out of the northeast at 4 mph providing only a pleasant breeze for the fans.
The first quarter began as games between Arkansas and Texas usually did with Texas in control. After a 56-yard punt return by 5'-5", 145 lb. Longhorn speedster Dean Campbell to the Razorback seven yard line, Texas would soon find themselves in the lead 7-0. The score had come after a Jim Bertlesen run from the one with 7:07 left in the first quarter culminating a three-play drive. Hog fans had seen this too many times before. It brought back nightmares of how dominating a team Texas had always been.
But this time it would be different, Ferguson would now go to work.
On the very next possession, he would take the Hogs 75 yards in 8 plays to tie the game at seven-all. The final play of the drive had come as a pass to tight end Bobby Nichols on fourth down from the five-yard line. Throughout the drive, Ferguson had kept Texas off-balance as the Hogs moved the ball down the field by mixing sprint draws to Dickey Morton along with rollout passes to Mike Reppond. There was now something different happening with the team from the Ozarks.
With 1:10 left in the first quarter, Texas punted Arkansas back to the Hogs' six-yard line. They would soon find out that this was not far enough. Once again, Ferguson would engineer what would be a 94-yard, 12-play drive. The drive would end when Ferguson kept the ball on a quarterback keeper and ran out of the wishbone for the final ten yards to give the Hogs the lead at 14-7. It was a lead that, once established, would not readily be given up.
With just slightly over a minute left in the half, Ferguson would once again add the final embarrassment in a half that saw very little offense from the #10 Longhorns. In a mix-up between the Texas defensive backs, Reppond slipped through and found himself alone at the 16-yard line leading to a 37-yard pass play and a third Arkansas touchdown. So ended what had been a 56-yard drive in three plays. With no time left, halftime could not come soon enough. Texas would now try and find a way to regroup. As the teams now funneled their way to the locker rooms, the scoreboard showed Arkansas 21, and Texas 7.
 Click to enlarge Oct 16, 1971. When the third quarter began, the skies opened and the rain began to fall. Scoring during this quarter was limited to only three points as Bill McClard punched through a 30-yard field goal with 6:49 showing on the clock. The field goal came after a 12-play, 69-yard drive by the Hogs. The stats would later show, the obvious, that the Longhorn defense was finding it difficult to stop the Razorback drives.
The final quarter opened as the scoreboard indicated Arkansas 24, Texas 7. With a little less than six minutes left in the game, Ferguson would end the final scoring drive of 34 yards in five plays with a three-yard pass completion, once again, to tight end Bobby Nichols. Texas would find it difficult to put together any type of scoring drive during the remaining game time. As the clock ran out and the scoreboard lights were dimming, they would now show Arkansas 31, Texas 7. For the first time since the 1965 season, Arkansas had finally beaten Texas before a home crowd (Hogs won in 1966 in Austin). Pandemonium had set in.
After the game Broyles commented that this had been the best "big game" performance by any quarterback that he had ever coached. For his performance in this game, Ferguson won the prestigious national player-of-the-week award. What a great win for a great team!
Arkansas ended this game with 21 first downs and 451 total yards to 10 for Texas and 217 total yards. In the passing category, the Hogs had 249 yards on 14 of 24, while Texas had 77 yards on 6 of 13. For the first time against Texas, this was a game that saw no fumbles and no interceptions. As the only non-Texas team in the SWC, it became apparent that the red-headed stepchild had come through!
After a victory like this, it's only appropriate that the 45-rpm record this month references the October 16th game for the Hogs. Enjoy!
Join us next month, as we once again recall tales of the games, players, and coaches from the past.
Send us your name and e-mail address to receive a reminder of "hawg-tales" each month plus a FREE copy of the 1960's 45-rpm records in mp3 format to play on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. They make a great gift for any Razorback football history buff. Don't forget to let
us know where you are from! WPS
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 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
World War I was now behind. The roaring twenties had begun. Football, which had once come close to being eliminated due to its rough nature, was now coming into its own. It was 1922 and Arkansas had just released George W. ("Tank") McLaren as head football coach after a second and third place finish in the newly formed Southwest Conference.
A former Nebraska Cornhusker halfback and end with a degree in law, would now come knocking on the door at Fayetteville for the top spot as head football coach and Arkansas' first athletic director. His name was Francis Albert Schmidt who also went by the nickname "Close the Gates of Mercy".
Prior to coming to Arkansas, he had been the head man at the University of Tulsa where he had established himself as a true offensive wizard. He was known for his double and triple laterals, filling the sky with forward passes, and as the creator of the I formation. While at Tulsa he had established an 24-3-2 record while outscoring the opponents 592-27. In a game against the Hogs in 1919, Schmidt and the Hurricanes had defeated the Hogs and coach J.B. Craig by a score of 63-7. Is it any wonder that Arkansas was glad to see Schmidt making the trip from Tulsa to Fayetteville (not as the opposition, but as the top Hog)?
 Francis A. Schmidt (Click to enlarge) Schmidt would stay in Fayetteville for seven memorable years making him the longest lasting head football coach since the team's early beginning in 1894. His unorthodox style of play led the newspapers of the time to label it as a "razzle dazzle offense" leading to a great deal of fan excitement brought on by his high scoring teams. He definitely knew how to put points on the board.
In a 2009 interview, Brett Perkins (author of the biography "Frantic Francis") described Schmidt as operating "somewhere between oddness and madness" and describing him as "he was just a bizarre guy – he probably could have used medication. Everything with him was just overboard." While speaking with a definite drawl, he came across as a Foghorn Leghorn in a three piece suit while spitting tobacco, and spewing four-letter words at will. He was often absentminded and confusing which probably originated from his lack of sleep due to his life style being in overdrive and obssessed by the X's and O's.
His practices were often labor intensive and confusing as he would change plays and movements constantly to inject something new into the offense. Very often the players would be changing their schemes before they had even perfected the ones from the previous day. Schmidt was one who walked the fine line between genius and madman and sometimes it was hard to tell which side of the line he was on. One thing for sure though, he was an offensive genius.
After joining the SWC as a charter member in 1914, the Hogs would find it difficult to win the Conference championship. As 1925 rolled around, the Southwest Conference would be solidified with six Texas teams and a lone, straggling Arkansas team. It would remain this way until 1956 when Texas Tech would join followed fifteen years later in 1971 by the University of Houston finally putting an end to the conference's expansion.
During the seven years that Schmidt was at Arkansas, he would acquire a record of 42-20-3. Although he never won the conference championship, his 1927 and 1928 teams were considered as some of the best assembled in Arkansas history. The 1927 team went 8-1 and ended in third place in the SWC, while the 1928 team went 7-2 and had a second place finish.
In 1928, Francis Schmidt would leave the Hogs and become the head football coach for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs where he would stay until 1933. Although rare at Arkansas, he would not be the only coach to jump to another team in the same conference. Once again, this would happen in 2007 when Houston Nutt would resign and end up going to Ole Miss, but then again that's another tale.
Out of the '60s comes one of the 45-rpm records which became popular while being played throughout the state on local radio stations. It was a song performed by Cecil Buffalo and the Prophets. I hope that you enjoy it.
Join us next month, as we once again recall games, players, and coaches from the past.
Send us your name and e-mail address to receive a reminder of hawg-tales each month plus a FREE copy of the 1960's 45-rpm records in mp3 format to play on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. They make a great gift for any Razorback football history buff. Don't forget to let
us know where you are from! WPS
* Some spam filters send our reminders to the spam folder, so also check the spam folder periodically to see if we ended up there!
 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
It was Monday, January 1,1934, when Coach Fred "Tommy" Thomsen brought his 7-3-1 Razorbacks into Fair Park in Dallas to meet the 8-0-4 Gentlemen of Centenary College coached by Homer Norton in what would be the last Dixie Classic Bowl. Although Thomsen was at Arkansas from 1929 through 1941, this would be his only bowl appearance. It was the Hogs' first bowl game and it would be played before an estimated crowd of 12,000 spectators. The Dixie Classic had only been held in Dallas on two other sporatic occasions which were in 1922, and 1925. However, the demise of the Dixie Classic would bring about what would become the long standing Cotton Bowl Classic and future home of the Southwest Conference champions.
Arkansas had the best record for 1933 with their 4 wins and 1 loss in conference play and was selected by invitation to move on to Dallas for New Year's Day. The only conference loss had come at the hands of a Rice team by a score of 7-6. However, they had to give up the Southwest Conference championship because Thomsen had unknownly played an ineligible player, Ulysses S. “Heinie” Schleuter, in a minor role during three previous games. He was spotted from a photo by an SMU player that had previously played against him in the 1932 Nebraska - SMU game. The mistake was made when Schleuter, having been a previous Nebraska Cornhusker, was allowed to play although Thomsen was unaware that he had no remaining eligibility. As a result, it was not until 1936 before the Hogs would win their first Southwest Conference championship. For the new year, Arkansas would find itself at home as it would be TCU and two time All-American quarterback Sammy Baugh that would get the nod to join the five other bowl games and play in the inaugural Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas on January 1, 1937.
But back to that Monday in 1934, the Dixie Classic Bowl would finally begin. The first quarter found both teams scoreless as neither could mount an advantage. However in the secound quarter, Hog quarterback Tom Murphy (the SWC most valuable football player of 1933) spearheaded a drive that ended with a 24 yard pass to halfback Elvin Geiser giving the Hogs the lead at 6-0. Geiser then kicked the extra point making the score 7-0 Hogs.
Not to be outdone, Centenary made a run of their own. It started on the Centenary 41 with Harold Olsin breaking for a 34 yard "catch me if you can" run down to the Arkansas 25. This was capped off by a touchdown pass to Olsin from Centenary quarterback Manning Smith. It was now Arkansas 7, Centenary 6. Chester Weidman came on to attempt the extra point. Ball snapped, kick wide. What's that on the field? Oh no! Yellow flag, Hogs offside. On the retry, Weidman split the uprights, once again knotting the score at 7 all.
The score stayed at this for the remainder of the game. However, Arkansas was able to engineer a drive that took the Hogs down to the Centenary seven yard line, where on a 14 yard field goal attempt to win the game, the kick would drift wide for Geiser.
When it had all ended and the lights on the scoreboard were fading away, they showed a final score of 7-7. Not much to write home about, but It would go down in history as the Hogs' first of many bowl games.
Arkansas ended the game with 12 first downs compared to six by Centenary. For the game the Hogs had accumulated 148 yards rushing and 97 yards passing. Centenary ended with 167 yards rushing and 36 passing. The field advantage was won by the Hogs as they averaged 44.0 yards on 13 punts from quarterback Tom Murphy compared to 12 punts for an average of 25.0 yards by Centenary. In the loose ball category Arkansas had the larger number while fumbling 4 times to only once by Centenary.
The second bowl game for Arkansas would again end in a tie while finding the Razorbacks lining up in Dallas against LSU for what would become known as The Ice Bowl. See the 05/06/2012 Hawg-tales for the blog about The Ice Bowl.
Arkansas' history of bowl games has ended only three times as tie games while participating in a total of 39 bowl appearances. The Hogs' first two ties were in 1934, and 1947 with only the third being against UCLA in the 1978 Fiesta Bowl played on Christmas day of that year.
Join us next month, as we once again recall games and players from the past. Send us your name and e-mail address to receive a reminder of hawg-tales each month plus a FREE copy of the 1960's 45-rpm records in mp3 format to play on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. They make a great gift for any Razorback football history buff. Don't forget to let
us know where you are from! WPS
* Although some spam filters send our reminders to the spam folder, so also check the spam folder periodically to see if we ended up there!
 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
On an early November day in 2001, the Razorbacks traveled to Oxford, MS to do battle in another SEC football game. Houston Nutt had taken his 4-3 team to once again face the David CutCliffe coached 6-1 Rebels of Ole Miss in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before a crowd of 47,464 fans. The game itself featured the offensive running of Cedric Cobbs and Fred Talley joined by relief quarterback Matt Jones. Mississippi had a famous quarterback of their own named Eli Manning.
The game itself started as any ordinary game on any ordinary fall Saturday in the SEC. Arkansas received and after only one first down was forced to punt from its own 37. The Rebels received the punt and started their first possession drive at their own 20. Manning stepped in and promptly moved them down the field where they scored as Joe Gunn dove in from the one with just under eight minutes left in the first quarter.
The score stayed 7-0 Mississippi for nearly the rest of the first half until Hog starting quarterback Zak Clark engineered a 13 play 80 yard drive late in the second quarter. With time running out in the half, Cobbs made his way over the right side and into the end zone for six with less than twenty seconds left. The extra point was good by Brennan O'Donohoe.
The second half would begin as a new game with the score tied at seven all. On their first possession, the Rebels were able to move to the Arkansas two yard line. Arkansas' defense would hold, forcing a missed 20 yard field goal attempt. The Hogs would now take over and move to the Rebel 28 yard line, when on second and 8 Talley would fumble turning the ball over to Mississippi.
After Ole Miss went three and out, the Hogs would take over on the Ole Miss 43 yard line. The Hogs were able to move into position to make a 46 yard O'Donohoe field goal on a fourth and 7 from the 28. This would be the Hog's first lead of the day at 10-7. On the ensuing kickoff Mississippi returned the ball to the Razorback 40 yard line. Manning would now go to work moving the Rebels to the Arkansas 14. Again the defense held while forcing Mississippi to settle for a 32 yard field goal knotting the score at 10 each.
The fourth quarter would see Matt Jones come in replacing starting quarterback Zak Clark. Arkansas would score first with a two yard run up the middle by fullback Mark Pierce with 10:18 left in the game. Arkansas 17- Mississippi 10. With 4:50 left in the game, Manning would tie it up with a three yard scoring pass of his own from the right side to Jamie Armstrong. Regulation would end with the score Arkansas 17, Mississippi 17. Once again it was OVERTIME. This was the Hog's third overtime game with the first two ending with victories over Mississippi State.
The first overtime period resulted with a 16 yard run by Cobbs, followed by an 11 yard pass from Manning to Jason Armstead to force a second overtime. Hogs 24, Rebels 24.
After a scoreless second overtime, both teams were faced with the third in the series. Hogs 24, Rebels 24.
The next three overtime periods would find each team scoring touchdowns, but falling short in converting their two point conversions. During this stretch, Jones would score on a 25 yard run from the right side in the third overtime. In the fourth overtime, he would hit George Wilson for a 24 yard TD again from the right side. However during the fifth overtime, Jones would score on an 8 yard run from the left. As the numbers formed, the scoreboard would now display 42 all.
It had now reached overtime six and Manning would hit Doug Zeigler for a touchdown off of play action. Two points would be tacked on by Charles Stackhouse when he found the end zone over left tackle. Pierce answered with a two yard run for six. Jones scrambled to his left and added the necessary two points with a pass to Jason Peters in the back of the end zone. It was now 50-50.
Overtime seven. The fans and players were all wondering "Would it never end?" The Hogs once again had possession and Pierce, for the second time in OT, found scoring territory from the two. Throwing off of his back foot, Jones found DeCori Birmingham in the end zone giving the Hogs a 58-50 lead.
With their possession, Manning hit Armstead twice for three yards each with the second leading to six points from the three. The scoreboard was lit up and showing Arkansas 58, Mississippi 56. It had come down to making the two point conversion, or going home. Manning brought the Rebels up to the line. Ball is snapped. Manning quickly throws a do or die pass to Zeigler on the one. Immediately linebacker Jermaine Petty stops Zeigler with a courageous tackle before he was able to find the promised land. The game had finally ended with the ball lying at the one and a score of Arkansas 58, Mississippi 56. The players were spent, there was nothing left. What started out as an ordinary game was now the longest football game in NCAA history. During the midst of it all, the teams had also set a NCAA Division 1 record for the most points scored during an overtime (80).
After four and a half hours, Arkansas would end with 370 yards rushing, 161 yards passing for 531 yards of total offense. On that day, Fred Talley would rush for 114 yards, Cedric Cobbs for 100 yards, and Matt Jones for 110 yards placing three players with over the century mark in rushing. Ole Miss' final tally was 166 yards rushing, 312 yards passing for a total offense of 457 yards.
Join us next month on the 6th as we remember another Razorback football tale on hawg-tales.
 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your friends about us, so they can also take part. Thanks for your support. Be sure and Like us on Facebook at hawg-tales.
By 1971 Bill Montgomery had come and gone, "The Big Shootout" was over, and the Razorbacks were in need of a new quarterback to lead them in what they hoped would be a continuation of the '60s. Arriving in 1969 (although freshmen couldn't play varsity back then) he played as a sophomore in 1970. In 1971, he would take over the helm as a starting junior quarterback from Shreveport, Louisiana known for his passing and would leave as a record holding legend.
Born on April 23, 1950 in Alvin, TX, Joe Ferguson came to Fayetteville after leading his Shreveport Woodlawn High School team to the 1968 Class AAA high school state championship. At the time, Class AAA was the top classification for football in Louisiana. On his way to the state championship, Ferguson had become known for shattering national high school records in passing.
In a game played on October 30, 1971, Ferguson would again continue his passing ways and place his name in the record book as he threw for a Razorback school record of 345 yards against Texas A&M. This record would stand for 26 seasons until it was finally broken by Clint Stoerner with 387 yards on November 28, 1997, in a game at LSU. The A&M game was played in Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium before a crowd of 54,446 cheering Hogs. While breaking the record, Ferguson had gone 31 for 51 in a game that would see the Hogs go down by a score of 17 to 9. Their only other loss, prior to this, had been one to a Tulsa team on September 25th by a score of 20 – 21.
 Click to enlarge. 10/16/1971 In his breakout junior year, Ferguson found himself in a position to lead the Hogs in a complete domination of their arch rival Texas Longhorns to win by a score of 31 – 7.
It was an overcast October 16th day, when the #10 Texas Longhorns would arrive at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium to meet the #16 Arkansas Razorbacks before a sellout crowd. Kickoff was scheduled at 3:20 pm. There was a northeast wind of 4 mph, and a temperature of 75 degrees at kickoff. The weather was a little bit on the warm side, but other than that everything would soon be going Arkansas' way.
With 7:07 left on the clock in the first quarter, Jim Bertlesen put the Longhorns on the scoreboard first following a Dean Campbell 56-yard punt return ending a quick 7-yard, 3-play drive. This, however, would be the Longhorn's only score for the game as the Hogs would now begin their domination.
Following the ensuing kickoff, Arkansas would march down the field in a series lasting 3 minutes and 39 seconds. With 3:28 remaining on the clock for the first quarter, Arkansas would complete a drive of 75-yards, in 8-plays to even the score as Ferguson found tight end Bobby Nichols with a 5-yard pass completion to the endzone.
The second quarter would be owned by the Hogs as they would now drive 94 yards in 12 plays ending with a 10-yard run by Ferguson breaking the deadlock. After Texas went three and out, the Hogs would take over and score with only a minute and a half left in the second quarter. Ferguson would now take command of the situation by ending the 3-play, 59-yard drive when he cocked his arm and launched a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Mike Reppond. Without any hesitation, the wide open Reppond quickly scampered his way for six. It was a drive that lasted only 37 seconds and brought a close to the first half with a score of the Hogs 21 and Horns 7.
The third quarter would go scoreless until after having kicked extra points all day, it would finally end on the toe of Bill McClard. He would now find himself in position to finish off a 69-yard, 12-play drive by kicking a 30-yard field goal, and in doing so would only add to the anguish felt by the #10 Longhorns. The once high flying "Hook-Em Horns sign" now fell limp by their sides as the period ended and they found themselves going into the final fifteen minutes trailing by a score of 7 – 24.
During the final quarter and with only 3:22 left in the game, Bobby Nichols would again pull in his second TD pass of the day. The final score would come from a Ferguson 3-yard lob to Nichols. When the game ended the lights on the scoreboard would go out showing Arkansas 31, Texas 7 providing the first Hog football win over Texas since 1966. It was a day when the cardinal and white of Arkansas would overpower the burnt orange of a once proud Texas Longhorn team.
Texas would go on and win their remaining games only to lose to a Joe Paterno Penn State team by a score of 30 – 6 in the Cotton Bowl and end up with a final AP poll rating of #18.
Arkansas would end the season with a record of 8 – 3 – 1 while playing Tennessee in Memphis before a crowd of 51,410 at the Liberty Bowl. The Hogs, however could not pull this game out and found themselves on the losing side with a final score of 14 – 13.
The season was now completed for Ferguson and his stats would indicate 160 of 271 for 2,203 yards and a final AP poll rating of #16 for the Hogs. During his career, he would end up with 327 completions on 611 attempts for 4,431 yards and 24 touchdowns.
In 1971, he was selected as a member of the First Team All-SWC team, and as the MVP of the 1971 Liberty Bowl. Since then, Ferguson has been honored by selection to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, and the University of Arkansas All-Century Team. In 1972, Ferguson played in the North-South Shrine Bowl, and in 1973 was selected as a member and played in the Hula Bowl celebrated on Honolulu.
Join us again next month as we reminisce with another tale about the Arkansas Razorback football team.
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It was 1977, Frank Broyles had just vacated his head coaching position and moved on to become Athletic Director. For many fans Broyles was the only coach of the Hogs they had ever known, and concern had risen as to what would happen next. Under Broyles, the Razorbacks had flourished as a national contender year in and year out. The legendary former coach would now have to find a replacement.
It would come in the form of a skinny, onetime linebacker from Kent State who had just left college coaching for a one year stint in the pros with the New York Jets. After being with the pros for one year, he found that his true love was to be found in the college ranks.
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1960, and ended up at North Carolina State just prior to his time in the NFL. Coming to Arkansas, he found himself with an immense amount of talent that was primed for a great season. Broyles had left the program in a remarkable state with an abundance of talent.
Names like Dan Hampton, Robert Farrell, Ron Calcagni, Donny Bobo, Steve Little, Gary Stiggers, Bobby Duckworth, Ben Cowins, Michael Forrest, Jerry Eckwood (red-shirted due to injury in 1977, but he would be back, too), Leotis Harris, Brad Shoup, Vaugn Lusby, Patrick Martin, and the list goes on and on of the players that could be found in the Razorback camp during the '77 season. It was a season where the Hogs would go 11 – 1 with their only loss being at the hands of an Earl Campbell led Texas Longhorn team that won in Fayetteville by a score of 13 – 9. Once again, it was Texas. It seemed that everyone knew Campbell would carry the ball on what seemed to be every play, but he still couldn't be stopped. He was that good and dominating. Texas would have claimed yet another National Championship if they had played their normal game and not had a loss to No. 5 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl (score 38 –10).
The Hogs went on to play a No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners team in the 1978 Orange Bowl to end the season. This turned out to be one of the Razorback's most famous bowl games. When it was announced that Arkansas was chosen for the Orange Bowl, the field was plummeted with oranges. Typical of Holtz's dry humor, his comment was “I’m glad we didn’t get selected for the Gator Bowl.”
Controversy prior to the game, however led to a disciplinary suspension of Donny Bobo, Michael Forrest, and Ben Cowins (what a powerful offensive group) for the bowl game. For what was already an underdog team prior to the suspension, hopes of beating Oklahoma became almost non-existent among normal thinking people. But the Hogs had Holtz, and some would say that he's not what you would call normal thinking. It had rained prior to the game, and Holtz could be found walking the field on the night before the game making notes of the areas that showed loose footing. He made sure that there would be no plays called that would be impacted by these areas.
"Steve Little was nailing field goals from long distance in the warmups. He started kicking 25 yard field goals on the right hash mark. All five cleared the net and went into the crowd. He backed up and kicked all five 35 yarders over the net. He kicked 2 of the 5 45 yarders over the net. He made all five from 55 yards and all five from 65 yards with room to spare. He moved to the left hash mark and made 4 of 5 from 65 and then didn't miss as he moved back in. The OU players were standing around and gawking." - Bill Barger (Hog fan at the game, see comment below)
From the start the defense played exceptional, Calcagni, Roland Sales (who would set an Orange Bowl rushing record of 205 yards), and freshman receiver Gary Stiggers led a vastly underdog Razorback offense to completely annihilate the Sooners. The opposition was led by their star quarterback Thomas Lott, and future Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims.
Oklahoma would receive the ball and started the game by losing 11 yards on their first three plays culminated by a fumble from Sims that was quickly recovered by Jimmy Walker at the nine yard line. Moments later, Sales took it over from the one. Astonished fans on both sides wondered "What had just happened?". From here on the night went steadily downhill for the Sooners as they were completely dominated by the Hogs. Having not been shut out in 131 games going back to 1966, Oklahoma would finally score on the first-play of the final period preventing the shut out. The scoreboard would sympathetically show a final score of Arkansas 31 – Oklahoma 6. If you were an Arkansas fan, it was a game for the ages that would not soon be forgotten.
As a sidenote with 1:05 left in the game, Barnabus White would score the final touchdown after a 20-yard run originating with a handoff from a relief quarterback out of Little Rock Central High School – Houston Nutt.
Holtz would go on and coach through the '83 season while taking the Hogs to six post season bowl games. During his 7 years at Arkansas, he went 60 – 21 – 2. In 1984, he was replaced by a former outstanding defensive back from the 1964 National Championship team – Ken Hatfield.
Join us again next month as we reminisce with another tale about the Arkansas Razorback football team.
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Traditions ... As you walk toward the stadium on a clear, brisk, fall day during what is known as football weather anticipating the game to come, you think back and realize all of the past traditions associated with the Hogs. Walking on the sidewalks covered with red, and yellow maple leaves, the names come alive from past graduates and players. Names like Alworth, Hatfield, Carpenter, Jones, Scott, Burnett, Montgomery, and Little. Their images all bring back memories of the excitement during past playing days. You walk past Old Main, the old Union, and Library as you continue strolling down the hill. Soon you notice the tailgaters, and their tents as they completely fill up the Pit. Through the constant movement of the fans, the smell of good food grilling and the sound of the crowd goes only to increase your anticipation as you find your way through the obstacles and into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The day is full of traditions. Looking around you see the Hog Hats that first made their appearance back in the mid '60s as students started to appear with those funny looking hogs on their heads. Music comes alive as on the field appears the precision of the Marching Razorback Band which had its humble beginning in 1874 as the Cadet Corps Band as part of the Military Arts Department making it one of the oldest collegiate bands in the nation.
 "Old Main" As you fight the crowd and find your seat, the cheerleaders go into motion encouraging the crowd to begin what has become known as the most unique rally call in NCAA sports. It's now time to "Call Those Hogs". A tradition dating back to the 1920s, it's a call that when there are more than two Hog fans within earshot of each other, the sound can stir the blood and bring on an immediate friendship. Other teams have tried to come up with their slogans, and symbols, but since there is only one Razorback, this tradition has never been quite duplicated. Those farmers could never have imagined what they had created as they encouraged the football team with their Hog Call.
It's now time for the grand entry from the north endzone area of the Broyles' Complex as the band strikes up Arkansas Fight and the team charges onto the field by "Running Through the A". Arkansas Fight goes all the way back to William Edwin Douglas who, as an undergraduate student of the class of 1913, first penned the lyrics. Later Douglas' former music teacher, professor Henry Tovey (who also provided the music for the Alma Mater), added the music making what would be known as the Field Song. When it was finally adopted by the University as the rally song for Hog sports, the name was changed to Arkansas Fight. Although the rights for this song are not owned by the University, but rather by The Southern Music Company located in San Antonio, TX, it will always be in the hearts of Hog fans and forever associated with Razorback sports. No longer is it just a football game, but along with all of the traditions, it has become a complete day-long carnival experience for fans to truly enjoy.
For you now know it is time for:
Razorback Football
After nearly 100 years, you can still hear these words as they echo throughout the Ozarks:
"Hit that line, Hit that line, Keep on going,
Move that ball right down the field.
Give a cheer, Rah! Rah!
Never fear, Rah! Rah!
Arkansas will never yield.
On your toes Razorbacks to the finish.
Carry on with all your might.
For it's A-A-A-R, K-A-N, S-A-S for Arkansas,
Fight, Fight, Fi-i-ight. "
Next month, we'll be back on track talking about another favorite player from Hog history, although it just seemed right to recollect and reminisce for a while about some of the traditions of a great Razorback football program.
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With the early losses against ULM, Alabama, Rutgers, and A&M thoughts are brought back to times when the Hogs have struggled in the past. It was 1963 and Arkansas had just come off of a 9-2 season that was oh so close to winning their first national championship. With star running back Lance Alworth, and the Hog's only quarterback to ever be selected as All American - Billy Moore, the Hogs were now picked pre-season to win the SWC and ended up with a dismal 5-5 for the season.
On the plane ride from Dallas after the SMU loss (7-14) in the next to last game of the season, quarterback Freddie Marshall and end Jerry Lamb approached Broyles. The season had been weighing heavily on both the team and the coaching staff. This had now reached a boiling point. It was a point where, during their discussion, they mentioned that the team was embarrassed and wanted to begin scrimmaging the following Monday in preparation for their final game of the season against Texas Tech. This was something new. It was widely known that a Broyles’s team had never scrimmaged during in-season, but worked on assignments in order to keep the team fresh and injury free. Monday came and, along with it, so did the scrimmage.
The team had shown a commitment to winning that had been missing throughout the season. They wanted to win, but wanting was not enough. It had now become an obsession. The now famous 22 straight, lasting for two years, began in 1963 with this game against Texas Tech. After the season the commitment by the seniors was continued with their return after Christmas with a new reason for winning. It would no longer be for individual goals and fame, but for a total emphasis on the team. For with this group of seniors, they were going to make it happen. And everyone knows what happened next in 1964.
There was no more focus on being NFL players first, no distractions of "being an army of one", no more being "the best that you can be", or any other B.S. It was now a total focus for TEAM. Putting the individual first became a thing of the past. No longer was it about just showing up for practice, no more just X's and O's. Practices were grueling. They verged on inhumane, and unusual cruelty. It was brutal, and the ones that were left when the dust cleared were now ready for the upcoming season. Coaches didn't just go along with the common offenses, or defenses. It was a time of imagination. It was a time to win the National Championship. It was nearly fifty years ago.
Broyles knew he didn't have the largest team in the nation. He knew that if he lined up to try and play them one on one, he would not have any advantage. His O and D lines were built on SPEED. He knew speed kills. And sure enough they did. It is a game of few fundamentals: run with the ball, throw it and catch it, block, and tackle and in '64 they could do it all with the best of them.
Against Alabama this year, we tried to line up against their dominating size and were shown that we had no advantage in that department (although this was not the only factor leading to the loss). When you realize that size is not your advantage, you look to other features that can replace size. Otherwise, you are destined that only the largest team can win the games. Holtz used speed and motivation (commitment as a TEAM) against #2 Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl to completely dominate the game and annihilate Oklahoma. Arkansas has used it numerous times to defeat a much favored, much larger Texas Longhorn team. It's the commitment by all of the players AND coaches to not just show up at practices and go through the motions, but use imagination to find these advantages and not count on size alone.
Charles H. Duell (the head of the U.S. Patent Office in 1899) said "Everything that can be invented, has been invented". He was wrong then and wrong now. Taking a step further - every offense and/or defense that can be invented has not yet been invented. It's time that the Hog coaches do some inventing of their own.
This is supposed to be a blog about the Hog football program history, and in some ways it is, but it is also about its future, and as everyone knows history repeats itself. Broyles did it in '64, Bezdek did it 55 years earlier in 1909, and now it's time that the Hogs recommit and do it again.
Join us again next month when we will get back on track with some not so recent tales of Razorback football history.
The 45-rpm song this month comes from one that I received from a hawg-tales reader, Justin Gage: a true Razorback. It is one written by Charlie Rich's wife, songwriter Margaret Ann Rich, and is known as "Callin' the Razorbacks". RCA Records recorded it in 1965 as a promotional disk performed by The Hog Callers. I hope that you enjoy it.
 Join us on the 6th of each month for the newest blog in our series on hawg-tales.com. Feel free to make comments and suggestions for subjects that you would enjoy seeing. Be sure and tell your
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Well here we are at the start of a new season. By the time you read this, the Hogs should have their first win of the 2012 season under their belt. The one thing about history is that the longer something lasts, the more history there is tell of it. So now it's time to back up and remember how it all started.
It was the "Big Bang", November 6, 1869, when Rutgers College first met the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) for a match at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The initial football game was played much like rugby on a field 120 yards long by 75 yards wide with a round ball that favors today's soccer ball. Rutgers went on to win in a tightly contested game 6-4 (touchdowns were six points then as now, but during the early years field goals counted as four).
From this small beginning, it took 25 more years for American football to find its way to the mountainous, rural campus located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Keep in mind that Fayetteville was not what it is today, it was very small, very remote, and there were no interstates to be found anywhere in the Ozarks.
Skip ahead now those 25 years to the fall of 1894 and you will find a young Latin professor named John Clinton Futrall, who after recently joining the staff at the University of Arkansas, would take on the task of being its first part time coach for 14 inexperienced players that would become the initial University of Arkansas football team. What would they be called? How could a team go on the field of battle without a name? After much deliberation, the name would be chosen from the school colors (cardinal and white). So obviously, they would be known as the "Cardinals".
With that settled, their first game would be played on the gridiron against a Fort Smith team made up primarily of players from Fort Smith High School. These future players must have felt pretty good since they were able to man-handle the Fort Smith crew by a score of 42-0. They felt so good that they scheduled a second home game against the same team and promptly thrashed them again 38-0. They now felt that they were undefeatable and ready to take on the world. So on Monday, November 26, the team boarded a train for their first college game against the University of Texas in Austin. The world was much bigger outside of the Ozarks as they soon found out after being soundly defeated 54-0 in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500 onlookers who had paid a total of $700 to watch the game.
So ended the first season, and began one of the biggest rivalries in college football history with Arkansas versus Texas. Neither the school nor the state would ever be the same again.
 John Futrall Click to enlarge The first Cardinal football team was made up of: quarterback Wright Lindsey, halfbacks Arthur J. McDaniel and W.W. Haydon, star fullback Herbert Y. Fishback, center Frank D. James, guards Tommy H. Rogers and J.C. Braswell, tackles LeRoy Campbell and Raleigh Kobel, and ends Edward Mook and Dade Moore. Substitutes were Jim Brown, W.S. Norman, and E. Carney.
In his second year, the Cardinals needed a win after the Texas fiasco. So it was now time to play their one home game for the season, and that was once again against the Fort Smith team which, to no one's surprise, they handily won 30-0. Their one game season had now come to an end. This win coupled with the previous season gave the Cardinals two consecutive back-to-back winning seasons (sort of - with 3 wins against Fort Smith, and 1 loss against Texas). But it was a glimpse of what was to come. Football had finally arrived in the Ozarks.
For Futrall's final year to coach (1896), the Cardinals played Fort Smith twice winning both times 10-0, and 6-2. Next came a game in Springfield, Missouri at Drury College where, as Futrall's last game, the Cardinals would once again lose their collegiate game by a score of 34-0.
Out of these first years came a fullback named Herbert Y. Fishback who became the first campus football hero. During his career, he served as team captain for three years until his untimely death on a train in 1897 while on his way to play in the team's second football game against Drury College in Missouri.
After a non-stellar beginning, John Futrall turned the reins over to another fellow professor, Burton N. Wilson. Futrall would continue as professor and go on to later become president of the university. While serving as president, he was able to see the dedication on June 28, 1930, of the Chi Omega Greek Theater and with it the establishment of another football tradition - the Greek Theater Pep Rallies.
It would not be until Hugo Bezdek (see the 06/06/12 - A Razorback is Born hawg-tales) and the miraculous 1909 season that the Cardinals would come into their own and the name would be replaced by the now famous Razorbacks. Personally, I'm glad that we don't have to "Call the Cardinals" any longer.
It's hard to believe that what began as an idea in one person's mind would grow into what we now celebrate as the Hogs! The game has changed a lot over the years, but the ghosts of Herbert Fishback, John Futrall, Hugo Bezbek, and all of the others that make up the fraternity of players and coaches to wear the cardinal and white can be proud of the legecy that they established for the players of today. It's a foundation based on over a century of being fine tuned and is as solid as the rocks found deep in the mountains of the Ozarks.
 1896 Cardinal football team Click to enlarge Many great players, and many great games have come along since that first season in 1894 when those 14 players took to the field and played with all they had for the love of the game. Because of them we have felt some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows, but there is always that Razorback spirit, that certain meaness, that Bezdek recognized as he gave the team its final name.
The Razorbacks!
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Brandon Burlsworth #77 (Click to enlarge) 
