64 days until Razorback Football: Today we remember the 1964 Championship Team

In the 7th season under legendary head coach, Frank Broyles, Arkansas won their first and only National Championship in 1964 voted by the FWAA.

The 11-0 Razorbacks defeated top ranked Texas 14-13 in Austin enroute to the championship. An 81-yard punt returned for a touchdown by Ken Hatfield set the tone early for Arkansas. While Ronnie Cavness tallied 25 tackles from his linebacker position.

The Razorbacks pitched 5-straight shutouts against Texas A&M, Wichita State, Rice, SMU and Texas Tech.

During the postseason, Arkansas won the 1965 Cotton Bowl over Nebraska to finish as the only undefeated team in college football.

There were plenty of legends to speak of on the ‘64 team. Jerry Jones (Cowboys owner), legendary coaching figure Jimmy Johnson, real estate icon Jim Lindsey, future head coach Hatfield, Lloyd Phillips and Cavness were all members of the team. There were also quite a few players that went on to play Sunday’s including Bobby Crockett, Bobby Burnett, Lindsey and Ronny South.

Arkansas boasted an elite defense that season when they allowed only 5.3 points per game which was good for second in all of college football.

It is well known that the AP and UPI polls released their rankings when the regular season was over. They chose Alabama as their champion although they would lose to Texas in the Orange Bowl to finish 10-1 on the year. Years later, the AP (1965) and UPI (1974) would eventually change their procedure to wait until after the bowls to announce their final rankings.

To this day, the Hogs have been close on several occasions of reaching the pinnacle of success in college football. With Sam Pittman at the helm with his talented staff many believe that the glory days are just around the corner for the Razorbacks.