The term properly applies to any of the all-male sports teams at the school, but without any other qualifier, it almost always refers to the football team. All-female teams at the university are known as "The Ladybacks".
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2 Rivalries 3 National Championships 4 Famous Players |
History
The first Arkansas football team was formed in 1894 and was known as the "Arkansas Cardinals". During the first year the team racked up two wins against Fort Smith High School but took a 54-0 drubbing at the hands of the Texas Longhorns.
In 1909 the football team finished a 7-0 season allowing only 18 points on defense and scoring 186 points on offense. The coach stated that his team played like "like a wild band of Razorback Hogs". The name proved so popular that the name was changed for the 1910 season.
In 1936 the team won its first Southwest Conference championship in football and played their first Cotton Bowl in 1946.
In 1957 Frank Broyles was hired as head football coach and served in that position for 19 years. Broyles team won the National Championship in 1964. In 1969 Broyles team was ranked #2 and played the #1 Texas Longhorns, coached by Darrell Royal, at Fayetteville. The game, known as "The Big Shootout" is perhaps the greatest game in Arkansas history and even brought President Richard Nixon to the stands of Razorback Stadium. The Razorbacks led 14-0 until 15 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Texas scored 15 unanswered points and one the National Championship 15-14 in stunning fashion.
After Broyles left coaching and became Athletic Director he hired Lou Holtz to take his former position. Holtz served as head football coach for three exciting years. Under Holtz the Razorbacks lost a National Championship in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama and stunned the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl ending their National Championship hopes.
The basketball team rose to prominence in the 1970s under the coaching of Eddie Sutton and with future NBA star Sidney Moncrief. The team made a Final Four appearance under Sutton.
In the 1980s the football team was coached by Ken Hatfield and established itself as a powerful running team. The Razorbacks challenged for the SWC title each year and went to the Cotton Bowl twice. Hatfield's teams established excellent regular season records but had difficulty winning bowl games.
In 1990 Broyles led the Razorbacks out of the Southwest Conference and into the Southeastern Conference setting off a major realignment in college football. In 1995 Arkansas won its first SEC Western Division Title in football.
In 1994 Nolan Richardson's basketball Hogs won the NCAA Tournament. Richardson's basketball teams challenged for the SEC and National Championships regularly during the 1990s, making three trips to the Final Four and two trips to the championship game.
The current head coach of the football Razorbacks is Houston Nutt. Nutt's teams have beaten Texas twice and restored the Razorback's national reputation in football.
The Track and Field Team has been under the direction of John McDonnell for 20 years. McDonnell's teams won 37 Southwest Conference Championships, and 26 of 27 SEC titles. The Razorbacks, under his direction, won 5 National Triple Crowns. Arkansas is the only university to ever win even one National Triple Crown. The Track and Field Razorbacks completely dominated the sport during the 1990s.
Rivalries
The premier rivalry for the Arkansas Razorbacks is against the Longhorns of the University of Texas. This rivalry is somewhat one-sided, as the Longhorns have several other rivalries that they consider more important (notably Texas A&M and Oklahoma). For Arkansas the rivalry is an emotional experience and Arkansas fans and media go into a frenzy when the two teams play in any sport. The emotional intensity from the Arkansas side in these games is sometimes surprising to Texas fans.
Since joining the Southeastern Conference a rivalry has been established between the Razorbacks and Louisiana State University in football. The game between these two teams usually takes place near the end of the season and has sometimes decided the SEC Western Division Championship. The winner of this game takes home the "Golden Boot" which is a gold trophy in the shape of the two states.
In basketball, the primary rivalry for the Razorbacks has been the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. This rivalry was established during the coaching tenures of Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Nolan Richardson at Arkansas when both teams were challenging for a national championship on an annual basis.
The Razorbacks have no in-state rivalries and do not schedule in-state opponents for fear of diluting their fan base. The Razorbacks did meet the Arkansas State University basketball team in 1986 when they were both trying to advance in the National Invitation Tournament. The Razorbacks won that game in overtime after overcoming a large deficit.
National Championships
Famous Players
Football
Basketball
Golf