Autumn Spectacle: Trip Captain Visits Arkansas

Go Hogs Go!

“Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooie!…Razorbacks!”

The whining of the wheels made his head hurt and his eyelids droop. Trip Captain was fighting to stay awake, driving south on I-540 in eastern Arkansas. It was a Thursday afternoon in late October.

Past Bentonville, Springdale, on south he drove, to Exit 62, Futtrall Dr. (at 6th St.), Fayetteville - home of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Getting there
Fayetteville, a bustling collegiate burg of 67,000, is located in the Ozark Mountain Range, near the Ozark Mountain Forest, in the northwest corner of Arkansas. Springdale and Bentonville are nearby to the north, and it’s about 60 miles to Ft. Smith, south, along I-540. It’s around 220 miles to Little Rock, southeast, and 240 to Oklahoma City, southwest. Austin, home of the bitter rival Longhorns, is 615 miles, deep into the heart of Texas. Oxford, where the Ole Miss Rebels rule, is 411 miles southeast, and it’s 580 miles south to Baton Rouge, the LSU Bengal Tigers’ lair.

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, 22 miles northwest of the city, supplies air passenger service to the area.

Lay of the land
Cap checked in at the Best Western Windsor Suites, and headed for the pool. Floating on his back, he studied the ceiling. High above the large indoor pool were the state flags of every state in the Union, hanging down, arranged in alphabetical order. They reminded him that college football is played coast-to-coast and border-to-border across the

U.S.

, all day long, every Saturday in the autumn. He had been to many of these states for college football weekends - and he’ll keep going - as long as there are college towns, campuses and autumn showdowns.

The water refreshed and relaxed him, and he hit the sack early. Tomorrow, he’d see what the University of Arkansas is all about.

Cap woke early Friday morning, and headed out to campus. East on 6th St., past Razorback Rd., past the Trail of Tears marker at Garland, on east, then left up over the hill and down to Dickson Street.

The area just off campus on Dickson Street offers restaurants, boutiques, galleries, clubs, bars, live music and serves as a focal point for fans on football weekends.

Cap parked in the large lot at West and Dickson, across the street from the Walton Art Center, and headed into the Common Grounds for a Friday morning shot of java. He snagged a big mocha latte’ and hiked up the hill. At Dickson and Arkansas Ave., he entered the campus and strolled toward Old Main. The air was fresh and the campus was lit with bright autumn foliage as he approached Old Main’s east door - where Senior Walk began.

Senior Walk - a unique feature of the Arkansas campus - is the practice of etching the names of graduating seniors into the sidewalks across the campus. First begun at the front door of Old Main with the class of 1904, the practice has continued to this day, with the names of more than 124,000 graduates in the sidewalks.

Cap paused on a bench overlooking the large, tree-lined lawn in front of Old Main, and studied the building. Constructed in the Second Empire architectural style, Old Main is the signature landmark and oldest building on campus, completed in 1875.

He headed on down the sidewalk past Vol Walker Hall, and toward the Arkansas Union. As he walked, he scanned the names passing beneath his feet. These people were here, he thought, and now they’re gone – but they’ve left a presence that lives on.

At the Union Plaza, he read the Senior Walk marker and greeted the Razorback Statue, then grabbed a coke in the Union and moved on - looking to check out the stadium.

Across Stadium Dr. sits Razorback Stadium, double-decked, seating over 72,000. The picturesque structure has seating on three sides, and a 30X107-foot video screen - the largest video board at any sports venue in the world. At the north end of the stadium, Cap found the Frank Broyles Athletic Center.

Outside the Broyles Center front door is a marker – “Hugo Bezdek and the Razorbacks.” Seems the story goes something like this: Arkansas started football in 1894 and Hugo Bezdek coached from 1908-1912, finishing 29-13-1. His place in Arkansas lore was established in 1910. Hugo was impressed with the mean-tempered hogs that roamed the state, and with that in mind, he described his players, saying they "played like a bunch of wild razorback hogs." The name stuck and the rest is history. Arkansas fans are calling the Hogs today, thanks to Hugo.

Cap headed into the Broyles Center and downstairs to the Museum. As he wandered through, the ghosts came alive - with trophies, photos, kiosks, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, beautifully displayed – and he was soon lost in the Razorbacks’ gridiron story.

Countdown to kickoff
Frank Broyles is, without question, the face of Arkansas football. Coaching from 1958-1976, he is the Hogs’ winningest coach, by far, and led them to their only National Championship. The Hogs claimed that National Title in 1964, on the strength of a 14-13 October win over Texas in Austin, a 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and a Texas goal line stand that beat Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

A perennial power in the old Southwest Conference, Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991. They compete in the SEC West Division, which they won in 1995 and 2002, and they play LSU in late November each year for the Golden Boot.

They suffered a near-miss 28-24 loss to Tennessee in 1998 during the Vols’ National Championship run, but their most devastating loss has to be their "Game of the Century," a 15-14 heartbreaker to Texas in 1969.

Former Arkansas heroes include players Lance Alworth, Lloyd Phillips, Ben Cowins, Steve Little, Anthony Lucas, Dickey Morton, Bill Burnett, Clint Stoerner, Bill Montgomery, Chuck Dycus, Billy Ray Smith, Shawn Andrews and Matt Jones.

Besides Broyles, past coaches of note include Fred Thomsen, Ken Hatfield and Lou Holtz.
Razorback football remains in good hands today, with head coach Houston Nutt, and Frank Broyles - still on the job as Athletic Director.

TC emerged from the Broyles Center, enlightened and famished. He walked back across Stadium Dr., up the hill to the Transportation Facility, where he caught the Razorback Transit, taking him around the campus and back to Dickson Street.

The lunch crowd was descending on the Ozark Brewery (now the Hog House Brewery), and Cap counted himself lucky to find a seat at the bar where he waded into a great Dagwood sandwich, and washed it down with a cold Dr. Pepper.

As he chewed, he scanned the student paper - The Arkansas Traveler - The USA Today, and The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, getting up to speed on this week’s showdowns, coast-to-coast.

Tomorrow’s opponent here in Fayetteville was Ole Miss, and much of the focus in local papers was on revisiting last year’s 7-overtime Arkansas victory, in Oxford.

Cap spent Friday afternoon browsing the shops and stores along Block Ave. and the square, and then back to Dickson Street, the Campus Bookstore and on to the Razorback Shop in the Union - searching for souvenirs and gameday gear.

His quest paid off as he scored a shirt, cap, Hog Head and Hog’s snout. The cap, Hog Head and snout all looked great on him. But which to wear tomorrow? The cap and snout together? Nice touch - not too bold. Made sense. The Hog Head was a bit much. Hmmm...

It was a kick-back afternoon. Shopping finished, Cap drifted across the campus, enjoying the beautiful afternoon – cool and clear – and the brilliant autumn leaves.

He found a soft, grassy spot on the Old Main lawn, and lay back to contemplate the finer things in life: the colors – a deep blue sky and an array of autumn foliage that was as bright and rich as any he’d seen, anywhere – and the time to take it all in.

Frisbees and footballs flew across the lawn as serious, disciplined students became carefree, at least for a weekend – a college football weekend. They may not realize it right now, Cap mused, but this is as good as it gets.

And at the Hog’s Trough, south of the stadium, tailgaters were claiming a space, getting it started - gearing up for gameday.

Cap completely lost track of time, until the growing shadows on the lawn brought him back. Reluctantly, he pulled himself up and ambled slowly down the hill to his car.

With the sun dropping, TC headed back to the Best Western for a power nap. Then, a workout in the fitness center overlooking the pool, a dip to cool down, and he was back to Dickson - for dinner at Doe’s Eat Place.

TC was in the mood for steak, and he couldn’t have been at a better place. Doe’s is famous for their steaks – by the pound.

Cap studied the menu choices: steaks of 1, 1½, 2, 2½, 3 pounds. He went for it – Whole Hog – choosing a 2-pound Porterhouse, with a huge pile of fries. He ate and kept on eating – the bottomless steak. It was magnificent, and he waddled out stuffed, satisfied and feeling proud.

Outside, the sidewalks along Dickson were filled with people standing, waiting. “What’s goin’ on?” Cap asked a coed. “Homecoming parade”, she beamed, “hear it?” He did – distant drums, growing nearer.

The Razorback Marching Band, coming down the hill, struck up the Arkansas Fight Song. The Ozark Brewery balcony and the sidewalks along Dickson were filled with clapping people as the band passed, followed by floats, convertibles carrying Homecoming Queen candidates and campus celebs, the costumed mascots – Big Red, Pork Chop and Sue E., and the feature attraction – the venerable Tusk, Arkansas’ live mascot.

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