The Arkansas Razorbacks college football team represents the University of Arkansas in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Razorbacks compete as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 33 head coaches, and 3 interim head coaches, since it began play during the 1894 season.[1] The Razorbacks' current head coach is Sam Pittman, who has held the position since the start of the 2020 season.[2][3]
As of the conclusion of the 2019 regular season, the team has played 1,271 games over 126 seasons.[1] In that time, 12 coaches have led the Razorbacks in postseason bowl games: Fred Thomsen, John Barnhill, Bowden Wyatt, Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, Ken Hatfield, Jack Crowe, Danny Ford, Houston Nutt, Reggie Herring, Bobby Petrino, and Bret Bielema.[4] 5 coaches won conference championships: Thomsen, Wyatt, Broyles, Holtz and Hatfield won a combined ten as a member of the Southwest Conference.[1] Frank Broyles won the Razorbacks' lone national championship in 1964.[1][5]
Broyles is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 144 victories during his 19 years with the program.[1] Hatfield has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than 1 game, with .760.[1] Chad Morris has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than 1 game, with .182. Of the 31 different head coaches who have led the Razorbacks, Hugo Bezdek,[6] Francis Schmidt,[7] Wyatt,[8] Broyles,[9] and Holtz[10] have been inducted as head coaches into the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
† | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] |
No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC [A 6] |
CC | NC | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John C. Futrall | 1894–1896 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
2 | B. N. Wilson | 1897–1898 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
3 | Colbert Searles | 1899–1900 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
4 | Charles Thomas | 1901–1902 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0.529 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
5 | D. A. McDaniel | 1903 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
6 | A. D. Brown | 1904–1905 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0.353 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
7 | Frank Longman | 1906–1907 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0.441 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
8 | Hugo Bezdek† | 1908–1912 | 43 | 29 | 13 | 1 | 0.686 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
9 | Earle T. Pickering | 1913–1914 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0.556 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
10 | T. T. McConnell | 1915–1916 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0.567 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
11 | Norman C. Paine | 1917–1918 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0.708 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
12 | James B. Craig | 1919 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
13 | George McLaren† | 1920–1921 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.594 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
14 | Francis Schmidt† | 1922–1928 | 65 | 41 | 21 | 3 | 0.654 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 0.518 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
15 | Fred Thomsen | 1929–1941 | 127 | 56 | 61 | 10 | 0.480 | 26 | 42 | 3 | 0.387 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
16 | George Cole | 1942 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0.300 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
17 | John Tomlin | 1943 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.222 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
18 | Glen Rose | 1944–1945 | 21 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0.405 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0.318 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
19 | John Barnhill | 1946–1949 | 42 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0.560 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0.438 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
20 | Otis Douglas | 1950–1952 | 30 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 0.300 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0.222 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
21 | Bowden Wyatt† | 1953–1954 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0.524 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0.583 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
22 | Jack Mitchell | 1955–1957 | 30 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 0.583 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0.472 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
23 | Frank Broyles† | 1958–1976 | 207 | 144 | 58 | 5 | 0.708 | 91 | 36 | 5 | 0.708 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 – 1964 | AFCA Coach of the Year (1964)[15] |
24 | Lou Holtz† | 1977–1983 | 83 | 60 | 21 | 2 | 0.735 | 37 | 18 | 1 | 0.670 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | College Football Coach of the Year (1977)[16] FWAA Coach of the Year (1977)[17] Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year (1977)[18] Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1977)[19] |
25 | Ken Hatfield | 1984–1989 | 73 | 55 | 17 | 1 | 0.760 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0.783 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — |
26 | Jack Crowe [A 7] |
1990–1992 | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 0.375 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0.375 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Int | Joe Kines [A 7] |
1992 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0.350 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.438 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
27 | Danny Ford | 1993–1997 | 57 | 26 | 30 | 1 | 0.465 | 16 | 23 | 1 | 0.413 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
28 | Houston Nutt [A 8] |
1998–2007 | 123 | 75 | 48 | — | 0.610 | 42 | 38 | — | 0.525 | 2 | 5 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (2001, 2006)[25] SEC Coach of the Year (2001, 2006)[25] |
Int | Reggie Herring [A 8] |
2007 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | .000 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
29 | Bobby Petrino | 2008–2011 | 51 | 34 | 17 | — | 0.667 | 17 | 15 | — | 0.531 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
30 | John L. Smith | 2012 | 12 | 4 | 8 | — | 0.333 | 2 | 6 | — | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
31 | Bret Bielema | 2013–2017 | 62 | 29 | 33 | — | 0.468 | 11 | 29 | — | 0.275 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Int | Paul Rhoads [A 9] |
2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
32 | Chad Morris | 2017–2019 | 22 | 4 | 18 | — | 0.182 | 0 | 14 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Int | Barry Lunney Jr. | 2019 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -- | .000 | 0 | 2 | -- | .000 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- |
33 | Sam Pittman | 2020–present | 36 | 19 | 17 | — | 0.528 | 10 | 16 | — | 0.385 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |