Quarter Century in Hog Heaven

When I stepped on the University of Arkansas campus in the fall of 1990 for my freshman year, little did I know it would be the first day of a journey that would last more than a quarter of a century. At 18, years old you just do not think that way. The idea of spending more time than what my life experience had currently accrued would have been hard to fathom. It was the start of a new adventure for me, one that marked its 25^th anniversary just last week.

From even before day one, I knew I wanted to be a part of Razorback Athletics. In fact, I set up my own recruiting visits to several potential colleges, including the University of Arkansas. Instead of asking questions like how many credits will it take to earn my degree? How will a degree from the University of Arkansas help me land a job? I was asking how many hours can I work in the sports information department? Can I work all the games? This is what I wanted to do. The University of Arkansas is where I decided I wanted to be. It was a decision that would change my life.

The early days were far from filled with high-profile assignments. For the first six months in the sports information office, I waded through newspapers that had stacked up over the summer and clipped articles, and pasted them into large books. I passed stats, straightened curtain pleats and handed out credentials. Yet everyday was filled with awe and wonder as I had a rare behind the curtain look at the unifying force that captured the state.

I was involved in other campus activities, but make no mistake my fraternity was the Razorbacks. The more time I spent at the Broyles Athletics Center, the more assignments I was given. Some were planned, writing features, helping with game notes, working games and covering men’s swimming and diving. Others were impromptu, dropping a Southwest Conference championship banners from the rafters of Barnhill Arena or driving UNLV’s Larry Johnson, Stacy Augmon and Anderson Hunt back to the Clarion Inn after a press conference, the day before the epic 1991 matchup between the No. 1 Runnin’ Rebels and No. 2 Razorbacks.

My undergraduate career could not have ended more perfectly, with a trip to the 1994 NCAA Final Four, where Arkansas won the national championship. Many years later when my daughter Ellie played on a girls’ basketball team with the daughters of Scotty Thurman and the niece of Corey Beck, I proudly stated that the team had three girls related to those who were at that memorable win over Duke for the title. Without missing a beat, Ellie reminded me that the others were actually on the floor actually playing in the game. Of course, she was right. Nothing like a humbling perspective from inside your own house.

Following four years as a student assistant, I had an opportunity to intern at the Southeastern Conference. It was a great experience and I became the first Razorback to work at our program’s new conference home. After receiving a job offer to come back to Arkansas, I shocked then SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer at a going away party. He asked if I was going to “Call the Hogs?” Before he finished his sentence, I was halfway through the first Woooo. Two minutes of awkwardness is worth years of legend – at least that was my rationale then and now.

On July 1, 1995, I returned to Arkansas to become an assistant sports information director. I was excited to work alongside Rick Schaeffer and Bill Rogers in a return to my collegiate home. It was an opportunity I am eternally grateful for.  There was a time when I scoffed at the idea of such longevity. Now, I treasure it. Oh, what a ride it has been!

In the 29 full years, I have been a part of Razorback Athletics, I have worked with three directors of athletics, 10 football coaches and six men’s basketball coaches just to cite a few. There have been numerous coaching searches, each with its own unique set of oddly fascinating circumstances. I have watched coaches retire, be fired or resign. I have worked alongside Razorback legends named Broyles, Richardson, McDonnell, Harter and Van Horn.

I witnessed a transition from the Southwest to the Southeastern Conference, a move from Barnhill Arena to Bud Walton Arena and from George Cole Field to Baum-Walker Stadium. I have done radio broadcasts for men’s basketball and baseball, television broadcasts for baseball and football, sung the national anthem and Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Baum-Walker Stadium and lowered banners from Barnhill and Bud Walton Arena.

I have driven countless coaches and student-athletes here and there, including the starting five of the 1994 Arkansas Basketball Team through a fast-food drive through in Charlotte the day before the title game. I drove Dana Altman to Bud Walton Arena for his first day of work at the University of Arkansas. Later that same day I drove him to Drake Field on his final day of work at the University of Arkansas.

There have been plenty of highlights – national and conference championships, trips to bowl games, Final Fours and the College World Series. I witnessed John McDonnell rack up many of his 40 national championships, making him the most successful collegiate coach in any sport ever. There was the football win over Texas in the 2000 Cotton Bowl to kick off a new century, a mind-boggling run in men’s basketball in the 1990s led by a legendary coach, Nolan Richardson, whose name fittingly adorns the floor at Bud Walton Arena.

There have been plenty of challenges as well. From stadium debates to countless controversies big and small, from dismissals to lawsuits and NCAA investigations. There was the time the newly installed video board in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was sending signals reminiscent of downed aircraft to the FAA. Fighter jets were commissioned to explore the air space and I landed my first quote in USA Today.

There have been dark and somber times. I will never forget the moments I received the news of the sudden and tragic passing of beloved Razorbacks Brandon Burlsworth and Garrett Uekman. I was awakened to a phone call that relayed the news that the beloved Voice of the Razorbacks Paul Eells had been killed in a car accident. I heard the pain in Coach Frank Broyles’ voice on the phone moments after his beloved wife Barbara passed away. I had a chance to say thank you and goodbye to the legend himself shortly before he died at home.

All of those moments have helped create an indelible tapestry of my personal Razorback experience. The beauty of sports is that it helps provide us a lasting snapshot of those special moments, often accompanied with a caption including a date and score. If they were all contained in scrapbooks of memories, I would need multiple volumes and several additional bookshelves.

Yet the best part of the journey is that I did not traverse it on my own. The greatest satisfaction has come from the relationships I have been able to build along the way. The interactions, sometimes brief while at other times extended, have allowed me to get to know the remarkable men and women who have been a part of the story of Razorback Athletics. The student-athletes, coaches, administrators, game day workers, media members and of course the loyal Razorback fans from all around the state and throughout the world. The people are what make the Razorbacks Nation special.

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all those I have worked alongside or come in contact with along the way. They have shaped me both personally and professionally in ways that I could have never imagined. I look forward to the months and years ahead. Although we currently are in a time of uncertainty, there is much to be optimistic about the future of this program.

What will the future hold? No one can say for sure. No day is ever the same. But if the days ahead turn out anything like the first 25 years I have spent at the Home of the Razorbacks, then I will continue to borrow Coach Broyles’ iconic line. After all, when it comes to being a part of the Razorback Family, I too, feel like I have lived a charmed life.

Razorback Road is a column written by Senior Associate Athletic Director for Public Relations and Former Student-Athlete Engagement Kevin Trainor (@KTHogs). Trainor is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and has worked for Razorback Athletics for more than 25 years.