Arkansas Razorbacks Football

The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played at stadiums on or near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Sam Pittman is the head coach and has served since 2020.

The program began in 1894 and has compiled an all-time record of 740–539–40, for a .576 winning percentage. The Razorbacks have won 13 conference championships and have had 58 players honored as All-Americans. Arkansas claims one national championship (1964) awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

History

Conference affiliations

Arkansas has been affiliated with the following conferences.
* Independent (1894–1914)
* Southwest Conference (1915–1991)
* Southeastern Conference (1992–present)

Championships

National championships

Arkansas has been named national champion twice by NCAA-designated major selectors. Arkansas claims the 1964 championship but does not claim the co-national championship the program was awarded in 1977 by the Rothman (FACT) poll after the Razorbacks finished the season with an 11–1 record and defeated #2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, 31–6.

In 1964, the Razorbacks finished the season as the only major team with an undefeated and untied record (11–0) after No. 1 Alabama lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl (and after Arkansas previously defeated Texas in Austin, TX that season). However, the AP and Coaches Polls became final before the bowl games were played, leaving one-loss Alabama as the AP and UPI national champion. The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Helms Athletic Foundation (Helms) conducted their final polling after the bowl games and selected Arkansas as the national champion.

Conference championships

Arkansas has won 13 conference championships, all during their tenure in the Southwest Conference.

† Co-champions

Division championships

Arkansas has won four division championships, all within the SEC Western Division. Arkansas has made three appearances in the SEC Championship Game as winner of the SEC Western Division but are 0–3 in those appearances. Arkansas was also the SEC Western Division co-champions in 1998 with Mississippi State but lost to the Bulldogs during the regular season, resulting in Mississippi State representing the West in the SEC Championship Game. In 2002, Alabama had the best conference record in the West with a 6–2 mark, but was on probation by the NCAA and was barred from post season play. Arkansas played in the SEC Championship Game due to winning the tiebreaker for a three-way tie with Auburn and LSU, both of whom Arkansas defeated during the regular season.

† - Co-champions

Head coaches

There have been 36 head coaches of Arkansas. Barry Lunney Jr. became the interim head coach on November 11, 2019, after the firing of Chad Morris.

† Interim head coach

Bowl games

The Razorbacks have appeared in 45 bowl games with an overall record of 18–24–3.

Arkansas has been invited to multiple Cotton Bowl Classics (12 games, 4–7–1 record), Sugar Bowls (6 games, 1–5 record), and Liberty Bowls (7 games, 4–3 record). Arkansas has faced current or future fellow SEC members in multiple bowl games as follows: Georgia (4 times); Oklahoma (3 times); and Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas (2 times each). Arkansas has faced current or future out of conference opponents Georgia Tech, Kansas State, North Carolina, and UCLA in two bowl games each.

Rivalries

LSU

Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, the Razorbacks have developed a rivalry with the LSU Tigers. The game was played annually the day after Thanksgiving and was televised on CBS until 2014 when LSU played Texas A&M on Thanksgiving and Arkansas played Missouri that week. The winner of the game has taken home the " Golden Boot", which is a 24-karat gold trophy in the shape of the two states, since its creation in 1996.

In 2002, the rivalry gained some momentum as the game winner would represent the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game. The game (called "Miracle on Markham") was won by Arkansas on a last second touchdown pass by Matt Jones. In 2006, the Tigers snapped the SEC West champion Razorbacks' 10-game winning streak when they beat Arkansas in Little Rock, 31–26. In 2007, Arkansas stunned top-ranked LSU in triple overtime, 50–48, giving them their first win in Baton Rouge since 1993, and their first victory over a top-ranked team since beating Texas in 1981, winning back the Golden Boot trophy (after 4 consecutive seasons in the hands of LSU) in the process. In 2008, the Razorbacks defended the trophy, winning 31–30 on a last minute touchdown drive. As of 2023, LSU leads the series 42–23–2.

Missouri

Arkansas and Missouri first met in 1906 in Columbia, Missouri, and played each other a total of five times prior to Missouri joining the SEC in 2012, and then becoming Arkansas' permanent cross-division rival in 2014. The annual meeting was dubbed the Battle Line Rivalry by the SEC. On November 23, 2015, a new rivalry trophy was unveiled for the annual game. Missouri leads the series 10–4 as of the conclusion of the 2022 season.

Ole Miss

The Razorbacks first played the Rebels in 1908. In addition to several occasional years of playing each other, the two teams played each other from 1940 to 1947 and 1952–62 on an annual basis. The Razorbacks and Rebels also met twice in the Sugar Bowl, played in New Orleans, in 1963 and 1970 (both won by Ole Miss). Since 1981, the two teams have played each other annually in football. In 2001, Arkansas and Ole Miss played a then-NCAA record seven-overtime game in Oxford, Mississippi; Arkansas won by a final score of 58–56. When Houston Nutt resigned in 2007 after ten years as Arkansas' head coach to take the same job at Ole Miss, it only added to and heightened the long-standing rivalry between the schools. Nutt was at Ole Miss for four years and went 2–2 versus Arkansas. Arkansas had played Ole Miss more total times than any other SEC opponent until Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. Arkansas leads the series, 37–29–1, per its records, but only leads 36–30–1 per Ole Miss.

Texas

The Arkansas-Texas game has not been regularly played since Arkansas's departure from the Southwest Conference in 1991, and this has dulled the intensity of the rivalry. There were many classic games, including the result of the 1969 Game of the Century (also known as "The Big Shootout"), which eventually led to the Longhorns' 1969 national championship. One of Arkansas' biggest victories over Texas came in 1981, when the Razorbacks defeated the No. 1 ranked Longhorns in Fayetteville, 42–11. Arkansas and Texas have played only six times since 1991, with the Razorbacks winning the 2000 Cotton Bowl, a 2003 game in Austin, and the 2014 Texas Bowl. The Longhorns won the 2004 meeting in Fayetteville and a game in Austin in 2008. However, these games have not served to reignite the once intense rivalry between the two schools. The teams played again in Fayetteville in 2021 (a return game for the 2008 contest in Austin), where the game ended with the Arkansas Razorbacks winning by a score of 40–21; this victory put them in the AP Poll for the first time in 5 years. As of the end of the 2021 season, Texas leads the series 56–23. Beginning in the 2024 season, Texas and Oklahoma will become members of the SEC. Arkansas and Texas are scheduled to play in Fayetteville for the 2024 season. Many Razorback fans are hopeful that an annual game versus the Longhorns will become a reality once more.

Texas A&M

The Razorbacks first played the Texas A&M Aggies in 1903. From 1934 to 1991, the two had played annually as Southwest Conference members. However, the series ceased in 1991 when Arkansas left the SWC to join the Southeastern Conference. Two of the biggest victories for Arkansas over A&M came in 1975 and 1986. Arkansas manhandled undefeated #2 Texas A&M 31–6 in Little Rock in 1975 to win a share of that year's SWC championship and earn the right to play in the 1976 Cotton Bowl Classic. In 1986, Arkansas again beat Texas A&M in Little Rock, this time 14–10, handing the #7 Aggies their only conference loss of the season.

The series resumed in 2009 played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, a neutral field, with Arkansas winning 47–19. The initial agreement between the two schools allowed the game to be played for at least 10 years, followed by 5 consecutive, 4-year rollover options, allowing the game to be played for a total of 30 consecutive seasons.
Following A&M's move to the SEC, the 2012 game was played at Kyle Field, and the 2013 game was played at Arkansas, and thereafter resumed at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Beginning in the 2025 season, the series will move back to each team's home-field stadiums.

Arkansas' 20–10 victory during the 2021 season broke a 9-game A&M win streak against Arkansas. The Aggies won the 2022 matchup 23–21. As of the end of the 2022 season, the Razorbacks lead the all-time series 42–34–3.

All-time records against SEC teams

Records as of December 28, 2023

Awards and honors

Player awards

Coaching awards

All-Americans

Every year, players are selected by several publications to be placed on their All-American team for that season. The NCAA officially recognizes five All-American lists which include AP (Associated Press), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), ''Sporting News'' (''TSN''), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF). A consensus All-American is determined using a point system; three points if the player was selected for the first team, two points for the second team, and one point for the third team. Arkansas has had 58 All-Americans (21 consensus) in its history.

† Consensus All-American

Retired numbers

Facilities

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (formerly Razorback Stadium) is the on-campus and primary home stadium for the Razorbacks located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks began playing football at Razorback Stadium in 1938, where they beat Oklahoma A&M 27–7. The stadium was dedicated to Donald W. Reynolds for the $20 million donation from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to help finance the major expansion in 2001, which raised the seating capacity from 51,000 to 76,000. The playing field was dedicated to former head coach and athletic director Frank Broyles in 2007 and is now called the Frank Broyles Field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

War Memorial Stadium

War Memorial Stadium is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks. War Memorial Stadium is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, with a seating capacity of 53,727. War Memorial Stadium used to host either two or three Razorback football games per season. Beginning in 2014, Arkansas will only play one home game per season in Little Rock.

Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion

The Willard and Pat Walker Pavilion was built in 1998 and is the indoor practice facility for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

Arkansas has 15 inductees to the College Football Hall of Fame with ties to the school.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Arkansas has five inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as of 2020.

Future opponents

Conference opponents

From 1992 to 2023, Arkansas played in the West Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the East Division. The SEC will expand the conference to 16 teams and will eliminate its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Razorbacks to play against the other members of the conference. Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future.

2024 Conference Schedule

Non-conference opponents

Announced non-conference schedules as of August 19, 2024.

References

External links

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{{Southeastern Conference football navbox

American football teams established in 1894
1894 establishments in Arkansas