When Elvis Slipped into Liberty Bowl (and Got Away Cleanly)

It didn't involve the Razorbacks that year but it was noteworthy

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Dec 25, 2022 9:36 AM EST
Original:
Dec 24, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It is sorta surprising the Razorbacks' appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is only their sixth time.

Surprising because on a clear day you can see the state from the top of the press box. Don't ask, we weren't supposed to be up there, but it was over 45 years ago so the statute of limitations has expired and the witnesses are probably dead.

It is the only bowl game that is literally just a few short miles from the state of Arkansas borders.

The Razorbacks did play in the first Monday night game there in 1971. Considering the highlight of that game was wide receiver Jim Hodge literally blowing past Tennessee All-American free safety Bobby Majors for the Hogs' only touchdown, we'll move along.

By the way, you still may not want to bring up the name Preston Watts to any old-timers like myself because he was chased out of the stadium by some Razorback faithful that now seems rather over-kill.

Until then the Liberty Bowl was an afternoon affair that always tried to get somebody close, but the Hogs were playing in bigger things during the 1960's. After ABC's success with Monday Night Football in 1970, they got that game on for the first Monday after the NFL regular season ended.

It was a different time.

Which takes us to 1976 and the Liberty Bowl. There would be no way today Elvis Presley could have slipped into any bowl game and sat through a little bit of any football game.

Alabama had a sub-par year in 1976, finishing the season 8-3. Bear Bryant worried about his job when that happened in those days.

When he drew UCLA he worked his team like a national championship game.

Through some questions that morning while working at The Pine Bluff Commercial, I managed to get into the press box for that game, but ended up alone on the back row of the new media facilities. I was 19 and had my first full-time job then, so I would pretty much do anything with no notice.

Obviously the weather affected attendance in the box because about the only people there were from Alabama, UCLA and the Memphis area. I had the back row to myself.

Until I noticed some folks wearing sunglasses milling around early in the second quarter and somebody sat down a couple of chairs away with empties between us. Nobody else with them sat down.

Elvis Presley-1976 — Elvis Presley performs what would be his last Memphis concert July 5, 1976 before a crowd of 12,000 at Mid-South Coliseum. (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal via USA TODAY NETWORK)

He looked at me because I was probably staring a little, stuck out a hand and said, "Hi, I'm Elvis Presley." I had already figured that out.

"No s###," was the best I could come up with along with laughing. He (and his surrounding folks) all laughed, thank goodness.

Not a single person I saw came up to him other than his group, which wouldn't happen these days. For youngsters to imagine it, combine Garth Brooks with Michael Jackson in popularity and you still aren't where he was in terms of drawing a crowd.

Nobody would book him at a stadium because of the security problems.

He had asked me where I was from and "how in the hell Alabama was ahead 24-0 already?" when he got there. It was probably unremarkable to him.

Elvis had been at the Pine Bluff Convention Center in the summer of 1976 (and was the first sell-out there ... it had opened that year) and a week or two later was at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. Went to both.

Right after halftime, he got up to leave, said "good to meet you, man" and was surrounded by his group and was gone.

In case you were wondering, the Crimson Tide won the game, 38-6. They played on New Year's Day the next five straight years, winning Bryant's last two national championships, including a 24-9 drubbing of Arkansas in the 1980 Sugar Bowl. The Hogs still haven't tackled Major Oglivie.

In August after that, Elvis left the building for good.