In listening to the radio, I recall hearing the sports talk people say, "Hmm, let me look that up in the media guide," for whenever they find themselves stumped about some arcane piece of Hogstatistics or history - recent and otherwise. So the media guide itself has long impressed me with its powers to send a caller away more informed than before he or sometimes she called in. Rare is it that the almighty media guide doesn't have the answer. And now I see why, for I have my own copy for the first time thanks to having ponied up for the right to purchase end-zone tickets, which still rubs me wrong, but the addiction is strong, and I went ahead and wrote the check and made my family a member of the Razorback Foundation. Do all foundation members get media guides each year? I don't know. But as long as I have one, I thought I would share with you some things of interest that I've found inside and let you see just how detailed and informative these 207 pages really are.
* Do you know what Greg Childs, Knile Davis, Cobi Hamilton, and Joe Adams all have in common? Well, besides being stars on the offense. They are all majoring in sociology. Arkansas actually has twenty players who are majoring in sociology with sports and recreation management being the second most popular choice. I can assure you that all those players didn't come to the UofA with a desire to learn more about sociology. No doubt, someone in the athletic department has told them that sociology is a "football friendly" major.
* The player biographies stretch from a few lines to whole pages. Besides the player's accomplishments, an interesting feature is that you can also see which other schools recruited each player. Ronnie Wingo Jr. for example was also recruited by Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Illinois, Minnesota, and Kansas.
* Though we focus on the Bobby Petrino that is Bobby Petrino Head Hog, you know, he once coached another college team - somewhere in Kentucky, I think, haha. You can see in the media guide Bobby Petrino's record as a head coach against all the teams he has faced. Can we get Syracuse in a bowl game? Petrino is 3-0 against them. Wake Forest, Texas A&M, Houston, Army, Tulsa, ULM, and Pittsburgh are other schools that have not beaten a Petrino coached team.
* Curious about Bobby Petrino's record by the month of the year? August 2-0 / September 17-6 / October 18-9 / November 21-6 / December 4-1 (bodes well for an SEC championship game) / January 2-2.
* Want to know about off-season workout times? Well, the mighty media guide has you covered there as well. For example, Jarius Wright and Ronnie Wingoposted the fastest forty times at 4.27. Blake Gunderson bench pressed the most at 470 pounds with Alvin Bailey coming in at 455 pounds.
* The media guide never misses an opportunity to trumpet the successes of past players. Peyton Hillisand his Madden video game cover make an appearance. So does a mentioning of Brett Goode's role in last season's Super Bowl.
* 18 - the number of Hogs who have played in a Super Bowl. Turn to page 161 and you can also see which former coaches have appeared on the NFL's biggest stage.
* There's a list going back to 1982 of which Hogs were drafted into the NFL and which round.
* Every season since 1894 is chronicled with a few words of summary under each coach's picture before it carries you through the wins and losses of each season. Reggie Herring, if you are curious, only gets a "&" mark denoting his coaching of the 2008 Cotton Bowl. Personally, I don't think he even deserved that much recognition! haha. Another interesting feature is that you learn which players were the captains for each year. There seems to be captain creep, for the number has increased over the years.
* There's also a list of all the coaches, going back to the 40s, assistant and head, who have coached at the UofA.
* Arkansas's total at the moment: 669 wins / 450 Losses / 40 Ties (.594) and a (.539) in just conference games - 321-273-18.
* HOLY AMAZING ERROR, BATMAN! I found one obvious error to the almighty media guide. In the schedule on page 112, the games against New Mexico and Miss. State are listed as Fayetteville games, not Little Rock. Error or wishful thinking on the part of the media guide? Hmm.
* Something I hope to see in the media guide, a note that Ohio State vacated its claim to the 2011 Sugar Bowl. No such mention is made of the vacating as of this year's edition. But it was really recent news. I imagine we still have to claim the "L," but there is no reason why we can't tell the whole story, right?
* You'll find one outright victory over a Big Ten team recorded in the media guide, for there is a listing of our record against every team we've played, including Fort Smith High School, a popular early opponent. We beat Northwestern (not exactly the pride of the Big Ten) in 1981 in Little Rock 38-7.
* Do you want to talk some smack with the sports information director of an opposing team from this year's schedule? Well, you'll find all their emails listed on page 108.
* Curious about how long each game took to play in 2010? Longest were Auburn and LSU, tied at 3:45. Shortest, Tennessee Tech at 2:54.
* From DeMarcus Love and D.J. Williams in 2011 to Theron Roberts in 1950, you'll find all the Hogs that have played in the Senior Bowl. You can also learn which Hogs have played in the Japan Bowl (1978-1992). Trust me, it is there.
* Awards, we got your awards here! The Crip Hall Homecoming Award in 2010 went to D.J. Williams. The Chism Reed Outstanding Sr. for Leadership Award went to our favorite Prussian general, Van Stumon in 2010. But it is interesting that a number of awards seem to have stopped after 2007 with Jeff Long's and Bobby Petrino's arrivals. For example, the Frank Broyles Award for Best Male Athlete has no 2008-10 listed winners. ???
* Does it seem like the Hogs tend to lose more tv games than not? Well, you are correct. The Hogs' entire tv record can be found in the media guide, as you might expect. 117-131-2 overall. BY NETWORK: ABC 15-28-1 / CBS 15-26 / ESPN 17-17 / ESPN 2 9-11. JP and Raycom are also listed. Curious about our tv records against the upcoming opponents? Well, the media guide has you covered. Here they are: Texas A&M 11-4 / LSU 8-11 / Bama 8-12 / Ole Miss 5-11 / Vandy 2-0 / Auburn 7-8 / South Carolina 7-4 / Tenn. 3-10 / Troy 1-0.
* Finally, with pride, for she is a most excellent Hog fan, my mother's name appears in the media guide along with all the other 2,631 new members of the foundation who answered the call. Woo Pig Sooie, Mom!