Razorbacks' visionary set tone for decades of dominance in SWC

Barnhill laid foundation for Broyles, Arkansas athletics' long-term success which makes him Mt. Rushmore guarantee

Arkansas Razorbacks student section prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns at Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While Frank Broyles is clearly the all-time greatest coach in Razorbacks history, John Barnhill deserves credit for his work at coach and athletics director from 1946 until his retirement in 1971.

He was quickly becoming a legend in the coaching business next door at Tennessee until General Robert Neyland returned to his rightful perch after serving in World War II. 

First Splash Hire

Neyland's return to the Volunteers prompted Barnhill to find a new job. After being heavily pursued by schools across the country, he was hired by Arkansas as both football coach and athletics director.

His resume spoke for itself with a 32-5-2 overall record which included a Sugar Bowl victory during his four seasons in Knoxville.

While Barnhill wasn’t nearly as successful at Arkansas, he gave Razorbacks something to cheer for after eight straight losing seasons upon his arrival. 

Doing some late night studying for an upcoming project and came across this beauty of an article.

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Although he was faced with plenty of pressure from the outside, Branhill preserved through several trials throughout his time with the Razorbacks. He even withstood a coup to force him out of his position so the school could hire legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant following the resignation (probably firing) of Otis Douglas in 1952.

Douglas had some great players, but couldn't win games. Think of an older version of Chad Morris.

That led to Bowden Wyatt and the legendary "25 Little Pigs" in 1954 before Tennessee became involved in Arkansas' business again. They hired Harvey Robinson after Neyland retired for good in 1952.

The Vols hired Wyatt after the 1954 season because he was a hot coach. Robinson had gone 10-10-1 in two seasons.

While Barnhill wouldn't hire Broyles then because he hadn't been a head coach to that point, he considered him his ace in the hole. After Jack Mitchell replaced Wyatt, then left after 1957 for Kansas, Barnhill played the ace.

Broyles had head coaching experience by then after a year at Missouri and he jumped at the job with the Hogs.

"Barney, what took you so long?" he asked Barnhill when offered the job over the phone.

Physical ailments eventually forced Barnhill off the sidelines and to the office full-time after his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Ace Recruiter?

One of Barnhill’s greatest recruiting wins was keeping superstar athlete Clyde Scott within the Arkansas' borders.

The Smackover native is the original GOAT of Razorback athletes as an All-American running back, NCAA champion in the 120-yard hurdles, and a silver medalist in the hurdles at the 1948 Olympics.

Scott led Barnhill’s 1946 Arkansas team to a 6–3–2 overall record, the Southwest Conference championship and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl against border rival LSU in a scoreless New Year’s Day blizzard in Dallas.

Trailblazing AD

His work as athletics director cannot be repeated and it certainly doesn’t end with the hiring Frank Broyles in 1971 after just one year of coaching experience at Missouri.

Barnhill was a trailblazer among his athletics director peers establishing a statewide radio network for football games. 

His ambitious move put the Razorbacks in virtually every Arkansas household in an effort to build fan support and recruiting. 

Former Arkansas Razorbacks athletic director and coach Frank Broyles is honored with members of the 1964 national championship team before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 14-13. | Beth Hall-Imagn Images

The work didn’t finish there either. He also established the Razorback Clubs for fundraising, branching out-of-state to alumni bases in large neighboring cities such as Tulsa, Dallas, and Memphis.

Barnhill, along with coaches of other sports, would speak at various clubs throughout the year, with money from memberships and other contributions going to the Razorback Foundation, which made the program sufficient.

He led the charge to build War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock in a move to unite the state and also added onto Razorback Stadium multiple times. 

To prove his point, Barnhill scheduled a game in Memphis, at Crump Stadium of all places, to play Texas in 1947 to secure more revenue because of a larger capacity of 25,000. At the time, Razorback Stadium held just 16,000. Quigley Stadium at Little Rock Central (where they played until 1954) didn't hold any more than that.

During his time at Arkansas, the construction of Barnhill Arena was put in place in 1956 for basketball, which was the Razorbacks home venue until 1993. 

The University of Arkansas' Barnhill Arena prior to the Razorbacks Red-White intrasquad scrimmage ahead of the 2019-2020 season under then first year coach Eric Musselman. | Jacob Davis, Hogs on SI

Though he passed in 1973, Barnhill was named to both the state of Tennessee and Arkansas Halls of Fame. He was among the first of eight members to be added to the Arkansas Razorbacks Inaugural Hall of Honor in 1988. 

Closing Argument

Barnhill was a visionary and his skillful leadership bridged eras which set the tone for decades of excellence in Razorbacks history.

Without his guidance of the athletics department for nearly three decades, there would never have been a strong foundation for Broyles to stand on, which makes Barnhill a shoe-in for Mt. Rushmore of Razorbacks sports.

If it weren't for Arkansas' visionary, then the 1964 football championship or 1994 basketball championship trophies wouldn't reside in the case. Even Scott's No. 12 jersey would still be worn by an athlete each year instead of being retired out of respect for dominance.