Are you pleased with the announcement Arkansas will alternate between playing Missouri and an intrasquad game at War Memorial Stadium through 2024?
Probably not, although I could argue a Red-White game in the spring can be more interesting than the Florida A&M and Alcorn State games played in Little Rock in recent years. Keeping games in Little Rock was an obvious compromise where no one gets exactly what they want, and many leave the debate grumbling about something.
Much credit for last week’s compromise should go to Hunter Yurachek, who replaced Jeff Long as athletic director at Arkansas. Yurachek went around the state and listened to all sorts of Razorback fans, and not just the ones who purchase the high-priced tickets with indoor seating at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
“While it might not be a perfect solution for our constituents, individually,” Yurachek said, “it is the right decision for Arkansas, collectively.”
I’ve supported keeping Arkansas games in Little Rock as long and as vigorously as I’ve opposed Arkansas’ policy against playing in-state schools. With the great stadium debate settled for now, I am hopeful Yurachek will eventually take a serious look at changing the outdated policy against playing a school like Arkansas State, which would be happy to face the Razorbacks in Little Rock in the years Missouri doesn’t play there.
It is ridiculous that Arkansas baseball travels to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock each year to meet teams such as Grambling and Louisiana-Monroe when Arkansas-Little Rock and Central Arkansas are nearby. If the Razorbacks don’t want to budge on this topic, then Arkansas State would be wise to take action and schedule a Division I football opponent at War Memorial Stadium in the years Arkansas and Missouri don’t play there.
Memphis would be a logical choice but the Tigers have already signed a home-and-home series with ASU beginning in 2020. So, how about Arkansas State against Oklahoma State, Houston or Chad Morris’ former team at Southern Methodist? I’m sure the folks at the Parks and Tourism Department, which operates War Memorial Stadium, wouldn’t object to any of those games.
I respect all points of view on these issues, although I am annoyed by newcomers to the state who insist all games should be played on campus without attempting to learn the history of the Razorbacks. I suggest for these people a book co-authored by Orville Henry and Jim Bailey entitled The Razorbacks: A Story of Arkansas Football. It chronicles how a football program nearly isolated in the northwest corner of the state grew into one that is recognized nationally.
It didn’t happen just with the support of fans from Northwest Arkansas.
I’ve seen the passion of Arkansas fans throughout the state while covering Razorback Club meetings in Blytheville, Pine Bluff and Fort Smith, and I’ll never forget discussing Arkansas baseball with a fan in Helena while returning from the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. That old man with the overalls and a worn-out Arkansas ball cap knew plenty about the Hogs, although he had never been to a game in Fayetteville.
That’s what newspapers, radio, TV and playing games in Little Rock did to help spread the word about the Hogs.
War Memorial Stadium will need millions of dollars and plenty of upgrades before the Great Compromise of 2018 is fulfilled. But Governor Asa Hutchinson, who splits his time between Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas, is confident the money is there to get it done.
“This is something that can be handled within the existing budget at War Memorial Stadium and Parks and Tourism,” said Hutchinson, who supports keeping Razorback games in Little Rock. “As we go forward and have increased investment needs, we will work through that.”
So, it’s settled, with one exception. Does last week’s announcement mean we’ll need a new Battle Line trophy for Missouri games no longer played in NW Arkansas, where the battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove were fought?
Better get busy, Mr. Bazzel.
Rick Fires can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWARick.