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Former Arkansas Razorbacks athletic director and coach Frank Broyles is honored with members of the 1964 national championship team before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 14-13. Beth Hall-Imagn Images

No question who belongs first on Mt. Rushmore of Razorbacks sports

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Jacob Davis | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 9:50 AM ET

When discussing who should be on the Mount Rushmore of Arkansas Razorbacks sports, there is often one name included in each conversation.

While it's hard to narrow down who belongs on such such an enshrinement, this series will consist of two lists made between coaches and players who made an impact as Razorbacks.

Frank Broyles' fingerprints are all over the Razorbacks athletics department even though he hasn't been at the head since 2007. If his influence was still respected, the football program would still be competitive on a national level instead of an also-ran with mediocre .500 regular season records in 11 of the previous 13 seasons.

He established a championship standard in football, basketball, track and field and many other programs campus-wide, making the Razorbacks a revered brand in college athletics.

Won the football programs lone claimed national title

Broyles 1964 team went undefeated with an 11-0 record and was named national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.

That team had some of the most influential people in modern football history such as Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Jerry Jones and Ken Hatfield just to name a few.

The Razorbacks haven't been able to claim part of a championship since, coming up short in 1965 and then again in 1969 before Broyles retirement.

Remains winningest coach

Broyles led the Razorbacks from 1958 to 1976, compiling a 144–58–5 record, which remains the most wins by any coach in program history.

He won seven Southwest Conference titles during his 19-year reign as coach, including back-to-back championships in 1964 and 1965. No other coach has won more than two (Ken Hatfield).

During his tenure, he helped the Razorbacks to 22 straight victories, which is still a school record. The streak is bookended with two regular season finales against Texas Tech from 1963 (27-20) until 1965 (42-24).

A 14-7 loss in the 1966 Cotton Bowl kept Arkansas from potentially repeating and finishing with back-to-back undefeated seasons.

Arkansas won at least nine games eight times, a remarkable amount considering most seasons had up to just 10 or 11 games on the schedule.

As athletics director

Broyles also served as Arkansas' athletics director from 1974-2007 which saw the Razorbacks win 34 national championships, 57 SWC championships and 27 SEC titles across multiple sports.

He was also a world class fundraiser, leading his respective programs to over $200 million in facility upgrades, including the expansion of Razorback Stadium, building Bud Walton Arena and Baum-Walker Stadium, along with a state of the art track facility.

As a fortune teller in the college athletics money grab, Broyles strategically made the Razorbacks brand attractive enough to join the SEC in 1990.

His move helped spark a wave of realignment across college football, including the creation of SEC divisions and the first conference championship game.

The transition gave Arkansas access to fertile recruiting grounds along with a national spotlight that the SWC couldn’t provide.

Broyles Award for top assistant

Established in 1996 to honor the nation’s top assistant coach, the award is a true reflection of his belief of developing elite coaching talent.

The Broyles coaching tree is a legendary one as he mentored over 30 future head coaches in college and NFL levels including the likes of Johnson, Switzer, Joe Gibbs, Pete Carroll, Hayden Fry, Raymond Berry, and Jackie Sherrill among many others.

TV announcer

After his time coaching from the sideline, Broyles took his football mind to the booth as a color commentator for ABC from 1977-1985 alongside play-by-play man Keith Jackson.

An avid golfer as a member of the Augusta National Golf Club, Broyles would be seen on TV at the Masters from 1972-77 as a co-host of the green jacket ceremony for the winner.

Broyles was a jack of all trades and mastered each one, which makes him a no-brainer as the first member of the Arkansas Razorbacks Mt. Rushmore of coaching.