New Razorback Book

I finished a coffee table book this week that focuses on Arkansas’ football history. It is called “Footsteps Have Trod: 125 Seasons of Arkansas Football.” The title is a line from the UA alma mater. The book is available for $10 off via a pre-sale now. It ships before Christmas. You can find more details at this link: https://www.pediment.com/products/foots … _125_years

Chuck Barrett wrote a nice foreword that talks about his experience at the 1975 Texas A&M game and his memory of seeing the photo of Teddy Barnes’ touchdown catch in the newspaper the next day. That picture is in the book. So are pictures from other great moments - The Powder River Play, The Miracle on Markham, The Big Shootout, the overtime marathons, the 1981 Texas game, the 1999 Tennessee game, the 2007 LSU game, etc.

There are some short stories about people and games, but this book is about the pictures. I first pitched this in February 2017 and spent several months going through our archives to find some good oldies. My favorite memory is spending three days going through cabinets full of old Arkansas Gazette photos in Little Rock. It was hard to get work done because I was so mesmerized by some of the shots. A lot of those proofs had writing on the back, probably from Orville, with details about the photo or directions how to use it in the newspaper.

What I like about this book is that there are pictures you might have only seen once, in the newspaper decades ago. These are not the photos you see in the media guide every year, although there might be a couple in the oldest chapter. The photos give a different vantage point of memorable plays. The table of contents picture is Darren McFadden’s 80-yard touchdown against LSU in 2006, taken from directly in front of him.

The cover is a beautiful black and white photo of John Barnhill and an unidentified player from a 1949 game in Little Rock. Barnhill is wearing a nice coat and top hat, and the player has a black eye and no facemask - all of which you never see anymore.

There are some great staged shots of players and teams from the first 50 years, but the photo quality, especially game photos, begins to pick up in the 1950s.

I wrote most of the stories over a 15-day span after I got home from Omaha at the end of June. Between the book and the CWS, I think I probably worked more than 400 hours over a 31-day span from mid-June to mid-July - an exhausting time period, but worth it in retrospect. I was pleased with our coverage from Omaha and I was happy when I saw the final proof for this book earlier this week.

I hope you will consider purchasing this book.

Sounds like a fun book to write. And read. Will plan on buying it.

Will definitely get the book. I was in LR for the Teddy Barnes catch also.

I too witnessed the catch by the “Immortal Teddy Barnes”, as Frank called him! Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the book!

I will get the book and add it too my hogs stuff. It will be fun to read and a conversation piece to show to my kids and grandkids.

Just bought it. The sample pictures sold me. Can’t wait to see the rest.

Notice how Coach Broyles and his staff are wearing football pants and cleats in the picture.

I just sent the link to my wife as a Christmas gift idea

I fortunately got to look through this book while Matt was working on it, and it’s fascinating.

Ditto.

I appreciate that. Two of those pictures that are in color are actually in black and white in the book. The sample pictures were turned in long before everything was finalized in the book, including which chapters would be in color vs. black and white.

At least one other picture in the sample images didn’t make the finished product.

In all, I think there are between 250-300 photos in the book. There were a lot that had to hit the editing floor. It’s amazing how quickly 160 pages can fill up.

Congratulations to Matt. I can hardly wait. I know this is going to be something that everyone will want for their coffee tables. I have not seen it yet, but Matt has given me much of the detail. He’s gone through the archives of Hawgs Illustrated, the Democrat-Gazette (which has the old Gazette files) and I think gone to some local museums for research. I know it’s going to be a special collection of photos and history.

Mine has been ordered. I’m looking forward to seeing the book.

Ordered this morning. Looking forward to seeing it.

Just ordered my copy. Can’t wait for it’s arrival.

Congratulations Matt!

I just ordered my copy, and plan to place it on my coffee table displayed beside my Orville Henry first edition signed copy of “The Razorbacks”.

Great stuff Matt and thank you for compiling this book.

Got my copy today. OUTSTANDING!!!

[quote=“pghawg1”]

Got my copy today. OUTSTANDING!!!

[/quote] My order arrived today. While some of the book precedes my time as a fan, a big portion is like a walk down memory lane. The book might come at a good time for some who are discouraged and might benefit from a reminder of why we suffer through these valleys of defeats, because the views from higher points of the hill is pretty sweet. Thanks for the reminder.

I appreciate that.

ordered my copy today as a Christmas gift to myself. My lovely bride of 60 years said “why would you want to look at 125 years of old pictures about the Razorbacks”. I just stared at her until she left the room mumbling something about “old men trying to recapture their childhood by looking through a picturebook”. You can bet your boots thats just what I plan to do. Relive all the greatest moments of Razorback football and smile at every picture. Besides, how could a California girl ever feel the depth of emotion which comes with a Arkansas Razorback victory or defeat. We know that emotion don’t we guys. Afhog

Ordered mine. Can’t wait to get it.