So Much Said Day Broyles, Kramer Announced Arkansas to SEC

No one knew what either meant, but both predicted huge shifts in college football world day Razorbacks abandoned Texas, SWC

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jul 11, 2023 4:23 AM EDT

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With Texas and Oklahoma getting ready to take part in their farewell edition of Big XII media days, it warranted a curious search to see if there was a video online somewhere of the day Arkansas announced it was leaving Texas and the rest of the Southwest Conference for the much greener pastures of the SEC. Turns out there was, and what a revelation it turned out to be.

The first thing that is immediately clear is how much then athletics director Frank Broyles knew about what all was about to go down in the world of college football and how quick he and the Arkansas administration acted to get out in front of it. In the video, it is stated that the Razorbacks didn't start talking to the SEC until June. By August 2, 1990, the formal vote by the board of trustees made Arkansas officially the first new addition to the conference in nearly 60 years. Less than a year later, the SWC was a thing of the past.

"Well, I think it will make others think that they need to move faster than before," Broyles said. "But, regardless of what Arkansas has done, I see a major upheaval around the country. I think the times of the '90s so different that schools have got to get ready and position themselves if they want to keep up with the Jones and be competitive."

And he was right. The SEC started the concept of divisions and the conference championship game, the Big East fell apart as a football conference, the Big 8 absorbed a solid chunk of what was left of the SWC while those left behind were scattered to the wind, and several new conferences formed along the way. Television deals and a facilities arms race broke out also, and it was all spurred by that initial move by Arkansas to the SEC.

"We must make it a very marketable product and we must continue to expand our horizons in that area," then SEC commissioner Roy Kramer said. "The kinds of competitive arrangements we are talking about now and bringing about will make that possible. I believe that very strongly."

It's obvious now that Kramer was talking about the innovative ideas that he wanted to try, including the championship game, that were a high risk, but if successful, would bring a windfall of money and national spotlight to the conference. It nearly cost the SEC a national title An undefeated Alabama team barely held off an upset bid by Florida. Had the Gators won, so much that has taken place since might not have happened.

KATV sports reporter Paul Eells, who was also the voice of the Razorbacks at the time, mentioned to Broyles that he thought it would give Arkansas a chance to start up natural rivals with Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU. The Razorbacks were coming off a close Cotton Bowl loss to Tennessee and had played Ole Miss quite regularly in the previous years. However, Broyles gushed about the conference decision to make Arkansas and LSU a premiere rivalry game to finish each season going forward.

"We've always wanted a natural rivalry," Broyles said. "Texas and Texas A&M play at the end of the season. Georgia and Georgia Tech play at the end of the season. Now we will have the chance to play LSU home and home at the end of the season in football."

As everyone knows, that rivalry, highlighted by close games and the creation of the Golden Boot trophy, was kicked to the curb as a rivalry week game in favor of Texas A&M taking on the Tigers, leaving Arkansas stuck in an uninspired "rivalry" game against Missouri. It should also be noted that Tennessee remained a permanent opponent of the Razorbacks all the way through the six overtimes game in 2002.

Other observations:

• It's been a long time since we've seen the old astroturf field and the "roll 'em in" bleachers in the south end zone with open air carrying to the old practice fields behind the stadium. It's definitely a jarring sight that shows how far being in the SEC has forced Arkansas to come in the facilities race.

• That opening introduction of the KATV news team was a bit startling also. Sometimes people forget what a legendary line-up Channel 7 had back then, which explains so well why they were so dominant in the local news game.

• If the images of the old stadium don't do enough to give a solid visual of how lacking Arkansas was when it came to money as part of the SEC, the Hall of Fame room where Eells conducts the interview with Broyles puts it over the top. This was in 1990, not the 1970s as the wood paneling and drab carpet would suggest. Recruits probably once walked into that room and were supposed to be impressed enough to not go to Alabama instead.

• Arkansas has always been pitched as coming in with South Carolina to the point that it's always seemed like they came on board at the exact same time. Instead, it was the Razorbacks who managed to quickly squeeze through the door first.

• There are a few things that time will never change. Despite the financial increases and better schedule, there was at least one man mentioned by Broyles who wanted to stick it out in the SWC for old times sake and easier wins. There's still a vocal minority who wish Arkansas had taken the coward's way out. Nevermind that the Razorbacks would have been left to follow the path of TCU, Houston, Rice and SMU in football purgatory.

• When asked about the difficulty of an SEC schedule, Broyles said he thought the program would be ready for it when time came. In 1991, the last year football season in the Southwest Conference [basketball was the first SEC sport for Arkansas in 1991], the Hogs put up one of the worst offenses in school history. The Razorbacks' effort to get ready landed them in a 9-7 dog fight with Southwest Louisiana in Fayetteville. Arkansas scored more than 21 points only twice, one of which was a 22-21 win over TCU, and never broke the 30-point barrier. A third of Razorback games finished with single digit offense.

• It turns out that Arkansas was so ready, that head coach Jack Crowe was fired immediately following the first game of the season in the inaugural SEC football season. It was a 10-3 loss to The Citadel at home. Joe Kines took over as the interim coach and led the Hogs to a shocking upset of No. 4 Tennessee, but not much else as Arkansas finished 3-7-1.

• Arkansas didn't have an official head coach in the SEC until 1993 when Danny Ford took over. Two years later, he had Arkansas in the SEC championship game facing Florida for the first of two times those two would match up in an SEC title game. Arkansas had a chance, but one running back Madre Hill went down, it was over. Hill broke the school single season rushing record and the single game touchdown record that season.

• It was telling that Broyles seemed unsure who was actually in charge of running the university. He didn't seem terribly pleased that the SEC is run by presidents and not the athletics directors. It was easy to see that he was used to running the show in regard to athletics and had little concern about how things ran in the rest of the university.