History of Arkansas Razorbacks
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On a wet afternoon in Fayetteville -- November 18, 1922 -- the University of Arkansas Razorback football team took the field to play powerful Southern Methodist University, in the first annual "homecoming" game.
The SMU Mustangs had come up, by train, from Dallas as a 40-point favorite, tied with Baylor University for the Southwest Conference lead. The train also brought a big band, the Mustang pep squad, and numerous fans.
The Arkansas Razorbacks were in their first season under Coach Francis Schmidt and their season record was erratic. They had defeated Hendrix and Drury Colleges, had lost to Ouachita College, had suffered humiliation ( 60-13) by Baylor University, and by Rice (31-7), but had succeeded in beating Louisiana State by 40-6. "Smitty" was understandbly apprehensive because his team for the most part was inexperienced, and Homecoming had been built up to a pretty important occasion for alumni and University friends.
Coach Schmidt was a master psychologist and so he used some psychology in the contest. He ordered a long white banner, some 20 feet in length and five feet high, lettered in red: ARKANSAS NEVER QUITS, and had it installed directly behind one goal. I helped to install it. Just how much influence the banner and its slogan actually had in the game, nobody can say for certain, but the outcome surely points to considerable influence.
Arkansas had a limited number of players on its squad and made only a couple of substitutions as the contest progressed. SMU made many substitutions.
A pass, from Bill Fulbright to Homer Berry, broke the game open for Arkansas in the first quarter, after Yandell Rogers had run the ball into position. Then, in the second quarter and on a fourth down, Fulbright kicked a 35-yard field goal. Inspired by the nine-point lead, the Razorbacks held on tenaciously·throughout the rest of