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In the one hundred and sixteen year history of the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Hogs fans have had a lot about which they could be proud. With more than 650 wins to the program’s credit and fewer than 450 losses, the program ranks in the top 25 of the NCAA when it comes to the best winning percentage. And though they have yet to win a conference title since moving into the Southeastern Conference, the Razorbacks did win a total of 13 conference championships while a member of the old Southwest Conference. Seven of those championships came during the tenure of John “Frank” Broyles, who served as coach for the Hogs from 1958 until 1976.

As a Player

As is true with the majority o college coaches, Frank Broyles was a player before he became a coach. Beginning with his high school career at Decatur, and then continuing into his stellar four year career as Georgia Tech’s quarterback, Broyles’ love of the game was instilled within him from an early age. His Tech teams went to four postseason bowl games, and he was honored by the SEC in 1944 as that season’s Player of the Year. That same year, his team won the Orange Bowl with Broyles setting a new record for total number of passing yards. It was a mark that would stand for half a century, broken only by the great Tom Brady when Michigan competed in the Bowl in 2000. When he left the school, Georgia Tech voted him into the school’s Hall of Fame. He is also enshrined in the Halls of Fame of the three bowls in which he played – the Orange, Gator, and Cotton.

Broyles the Coach

The beginnings of Broyles coaching career followed much the same path taken by other coaches before and since: one assistant coaching job after another. First as Coach Bob Woodruff’s assistant at both Baylor and Florida, then as an assistant at his Georgia Tech alma mater. His first head coaching job was at the University of Missouri, which he held for one season. He left the team the following year when he was given the opportunity to coach the Razorbacks. Once arriving in 1958, Broyles tenure at the school lasted almost 50 years, as he coached the team until 1976 and then took the job of athletic director. His tenure marked a period of consistent success for the Arkansas program.

His overall record at Arkansas encompassed 144 wins with only 58 losses and 5 ties in a career that lasted for 19 seasons. Those numbers still make him the most successful coach in the history of Razorbacks football, but they tell only half the story. During that same timeframe, Boyles’ teams earned an incredible seven championships in the old Southwest Conference, as they were a dominant force in that conference for much of Broyles’ tenure. The Razorback team of 1964 was so successful that it was awarded a national title by many of the championship selecting groups of the time.

In addition to his many achievements leading the team, his legacy involves the lives of many of his players – particularly with regards to their own success as coaches later in their careers. NFL coaches such as Barry Switzer and the great Jimmy Johnson played for Broyles, and then later brought their own dominant coaching styles onto the sidelines of their own squads in the professional ranks. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Broyles’ legacy came with the creation of the Broyles Award in 1996 – an award that recognizes each year’s top assistant coaches.

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