I was 8 years old, wearing a red blazer and a skinny black tie, when my dad took me to my first Razorback football game at War Memorial Stadium in 1966. When we reached the top of the crowded portal to enter the stadium I thought it was the biggest place in the world. It was love at first sight. Fifty-nine years later, walking home from the same exact seats I had occupied when I was 8, I was overtaken by a profound sadness that I had likely just witnessed my final Hog game at War Memorial.

We had just defeated Arkansas State, but little did I know that we wouldn't win another game the rest of the season (legendary coach Frank Broyles had long opposed a game against Arkansas State, fearing that it would detract from the University's monopoly on the state's fan base). Perhaps it was this heretical scheduling decision that cursed our 2025 season. Maybe our troubles went further back to the fateful decision Coach Broyles made to move us into the dreaded lower rungs of the Southeastern Conference in 1990. Since then, we seem to have endured endless coaching struggles, torturous seasons. Now, Lord help us as we enter this new era of Name Image Likeness.

Yes, there was a lot to think about the future of Razorback football, none of which mattered much right then. As I walked home, I found myself replaying an emotional highlight reel of old War Memorial memories featuring my dad, my friends, my daughter and thousands of cheering, rabid fans stretching over the past six decades.

In the first games we attended, Dad hung on to his theory that arriving just before kickoff was the best strategy for avoiding the worst of the traffic. Every game I fretted we would be late. Later, when I learned about pregame warmups, I would plead for an earlier arrival so I could watch our players field punts that seemed to soar into the stratosphere. I was captivated by the (now clearly ludicrous) drill during which players practiced their reflexes by repeating the quick hand motions of the leader in front of them.

I even loved the PA announcer. At almost every game there was........

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