It's Never Too Early to Get Hooked on The Arkansas Razorbacks

His name was Ike Forte. He played running back, wore No. 85.

Every Razorback fan remembers the player who made them a supporter in the first place. If you’re a fan, there was that player who stood out to you, who you cheered for, who you specifically tuned in to watch.

You didn’t become a Razorback fan just because of the Hog on the helmet.

O.K. Sure, a lot of us were born into the Razorback culture, I was too. I grew up in tiny Bradley County, a town called Jersey. Who else was I going to root for? But everyone has their first favorite player.

Former Arkansas Razorbacks running back Ike Forte speaking with a young fan during his time in college. | KARK

Ike Forte was a two-time All-Southwest Conference running back in 1974-75. I was about 10-years-old at the time. I didn’t know a lot about football but I understood No. 85 was an unusual number for a running back.

I guess that’s what drew my attention first. He also had a cool name. Ike Forte sounded like a Starsky & Hutch character.

And, through Wikipedia I recently learned he was only 6-feet tall. For some reason, he looked taller when he was playing. Perhaps it was the fact he had a receiver’s number?

I don’t know. I just remember tuning in to see Ike Forte. He hooked me on the Hogs as a star on some of Frank Boyles’ final teams.

Lou Holtz took over in 1977 and led the Hogs to a 31-6 win over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners were playing for a national championship. Holtz suspended three key players, including running backs Ben Cowens and Michael Forrest. Reserve running back Roland Sales ran for a record 205 yards.

When one of the assistants informed Holtz that Sales had a chance to break the record. The TV announcer said the coach would not care and wouldn’t dare give Sales the ball again. Instead, Holtz gave him the ball and said, “tell him to tuck it in.”

Or words to that effect.

Watching that game on a small black-and-white television was one of my Arkansas football highlights.

Former Arkansas Razorbacks coach Lou Holtz, center, the featured speaker at the Clinic Bowl Honors Luncheon on Nov. 29, 1983, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, jokes with Gordonsville quarterback Kevin Wills, left, and tackle Richard Anderson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coach Holtz came to my tiny school in Hermitage, Arkansas to speak after recruiting Danny Phillips, a defensive lineman with the Hermits.

Since then I’ve interviewed Ken Hatfield and Danny Ford. Hatfield was probably the nicest coach I’ve ever met. Ford had consumed a few beverages and was feeling no pain. Talking to Chad Morris was like interviewing an empty coffee mug.

I liked Houston Nutt, heard him speak once. Oh, and I did interview Frank Broyles briefly. He was nicer than I thought he’d be. Bobby Petrino was just as big a jerk as I thought he was. Great coach though, so who cares?

The worst loss in Razorback football history (in my lifetime) was a 10-3 embarrassment to The Citadel in 1992. Jack Crowe was fired immediately.

But the program’s basement was during the Morris administration with losses to Western Kentucky and San Jose State in 2019. Morris is the only full-time coach in Arkansas history to leave without recording a single conference victory.

Remember Billy Ray Smith and Gary Anderson and Quinn Grovey and Tony Cherico? How angry were you when Darren McFadden was robbed of the Heisman not once, but twice? Maybe.

It’s been a lifetime of ups and downs for this Razorback football fan growing up.

I've spent more than 50 years of screaming, celebrating, crying and kicking.

In the grand scheme of things, I don’t know how important it is to grow up a Razorback fan or a Buckeye fan or a Cornhusker fan. Do non-sports fans in Alabama get fired up when they hear “Roll Tide?”

I don’t know but it’s fun though. I can’t think of anything that brings people together like sports. In Arkansas, Razorback football is a binding agent that makes the whole state happy one Saturday, miserable the next and fired up for the opening kickoff six days later.

Where were you when you heard about Petrino’s motorcycle accident and what did you think? Every Razorback fan has an answer. Should we have fired Houston Nutt or Ken Hatfield or Sam Pittman or Bret Bielema? No, no, yes and maybe we should’ve waited?

The great thing about college sports in general, and Razorback football in particular is everyone knows everything and everyone’s opinion is the only one that matters.

My love for the Razorbacks began when I was 10-years-old. It all started with a running back who wore No. 85 and had a cool name.

Ryan Silverfield will kick off a new era of Razorback football. Some little boy or girl will sit down with their parents and watch the Hogs for the first time and, hopefully, some player will catch their eye. And they will be hooked on the Hogs.

It will be a bumpy ride (insert Petrino joke here) and they’ll remember every second.

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