Six Degrees of the Razorback Nation

One of the things I have learned in my time with the Razorbacks, is that almost anywhere you go you are likely to run into some kind of connection to Arkansas. For a state with a population of just more than three million, it seems that we often beat those small odds when it comes to bumping into a fellow Arkansan.

Some might recall the pop culture game invented in 1994. While watching the movie “Footloose,” three college students created a game relating to one of the classic movie’s stars, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The object? Players must link any movie actor in history to Kevin Bacon within six steps. Sounds a bit crazy, but often a link can be made in far fewer than six moves.

For instance, if you wanted to link screen legend Sidney Poitier to Kevin Bacon, it is only a couple of degrees away. In 1965, Poitier was in “The Slender Thread” with actor Ed Asner. In 1991, Asner was in the movie “JFK” with Bacon. Two degrees. Quick, easy and fun.  

However, for many of us, the more applicable connecting challenge hits a little closer to home. With high-profile names ranging from Fulbright to Clinton, Campbell to Cash, Walton to Hunt, Tyson and Stephens it is easy to create a wide-ranging network in nearly any imaginable category. It truly is remarkable to review all the difference makers this state has produced. Our prowess outnumbers our population. This small state has done some mighty big things. 

Some Arkansans, both born and adopted, pay homage to Arkansas in bolder ways than others. It would be impossible to miss the giant Razorback on the back of country music star Justin Moore’s tour bus. Internationally known radio and television personality Bobby Bones has made numerous trips to Razorback events and recently outfitted his entire crew in Razorback jerseys.  

Other tributes may be more subtle. When former Razorbacks and professional women’s golfers Stacy Lewis or Maria Fassi hit the links, they often pull a driver with a Razorback head cover. Former Razorback and current NBA star with the Los Angeles Clippers Patrick Beverley recently donned some Arkansas Razorbacks gear when competing in a nationally televised “NBA 2K” video game competition. 

Last football season, when Fayetteville native, former Hog and San Francisco ’49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw introduced himself hailing from the University of Ar-KANSAS on a national telecast, it created a social media sensation. Greenlaw had lost a friendly wager to a teammate and had to pay it off by intentionally mispronouncing Arkansas on national television.  

Razorback fans had not gotten that riled up since then-LSU head coach Les Miles mispronounced Arkansas in the same way in the game week prior to the Battle for the Golden Boot in 2007. Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis provided Miles plenty of opportunity to practice the correct pronunciation as he watched Cardinal jerseys with A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S emblazoned on the front sprint by him with regularity in the Hogs’ 51-48 triple overtime win over No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge. Ironically, Miles now coaches some Jayhawks up the road in Lawrence at the University of Kansaw, um, I mean Kansas. Just kidding everyone!  

The first time I remember becoming familiar with this Arkansas phenomenon was during my brother’s football career at Arkansas. In a game at War Memorial Stadium, Kendall, who was a placekicker, headed toward the kicking net to get warmed up as the Razorback offense moved across midfield. As he asked folks on the sideline to clear a path so he could begin to warm up, he came face to face with the fast-talking, salesman Herb Tarlek from the 1970s-80s TV Show “WKRP in Cincinnati.”

Ok, of course it was not actually Herb Tarlek, but instead Frank Bonner, an actor from Little Rock who played that memorable role from 1978-82. In a tribute to his home state, Bonner kept a Razorback mug on his desk during the show that continued to attract new fans through years of re-runs.  

Kendall later admitted he was a little bit star struck with the encounter, but thankfully he still managed to make the ensuing kick. After hearing the story, all I could think is thank goodness another “WKRP in Cincinnati” star, Loni Anderson, did not have any Razorback connections. We might have missed out on three points!

While the high-profile connections that are most easily celebrated, often it is the understated day-to-day, previously undetected links that resonate the most satisfaction. Maybe it is the pride of those in who have traversed through this state or the seemingly immediate connection created when someone has that iconic Razorback on a hat or shirt. It is those impromptu moments when a polite hello or nod is exchanged for a Wooo Pig or Go Hogs. It comes as natural as the state itself. Forget Kevin Bacon, we want Six Degrees of the Razorback Nation!

Last summer while my family and I are were traveling with some friends in Europe, I was reminded of this not so ancient Arkansas proverb. As we disembarked from a train that had transported us from London to Paris, we were struggling to figure out which route to take on the Metro, the local mass transit system. After several minutes of confusion, as if a beacon of light, my wife noticed a woman with a Razorback on her blouse.

There standing just a few feet away from us was Myrna Olaya, a Razorback women’s tennis player and her family. Myrna, who is from Little Rock, was traveling with her family in Europe over the summer. Within the course of our Razorback mini-reunion, I had the pleasure to meet her family and we talked about the University of Arkansas and her time in Fayetteville.

Myrna could sense we looked a bit out of place, so within moments she had helped us purchase our tickets and pointed us in the right direction for our train. It may not have been an official Razorback Road Show event, but in my book, it counted even if it was in that other Paris, the one in France, not Arkansas.

Whether it is in times of victory or defeat, or coming together for a One Hog Call, time and time again, we prove the connective tissue that defines us collectively as One Razorback. Chances are if you have been an Arkansan or Razorback for any length of time, you have your own reservoir of stories. That has never been more important than it is today as we face challenges far beyond the gauntlet of an SEC Western Division football schedule.

So next time you get a chance to travel around the nation or even around the world, make sure you do not miss an opportunity to properly greet a fellow Razorback. It may take six degrees to connect to Kevin Bacon, but it only requires two extended arms and three long Wooos to unite each of us within the Razorback Nation.

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.