ARKANSAS, USA — Hog calls have run from generation to generation, much like how the Razorbacks run through the 'A' as they head out from the tunnel onto the field.
For more than a century now, the fall season in Arkansas has meant one thing for certain-- football.
That all starts again this Saturday as the Razorbacks host Cincinnati for the 2022 season opener in Fayetteville.
But, did you know it wasn't always the Razorbacks who took the field for the University of Arkansas? Instead, it used to be the Cardinals who wore the uniforms and displayed Arkansas pride, according to Razorback historian Jim Harris.
"Their mascot was the Cardinals because they wore Cardinal jerseys," Harris said.
According to the University of Arkansas, the team received their "Razorback" namesake after an undefeated season in 1909, which led to a famous speech from the first Head Hog and gave the team a new name.
"The coach then, Hugo Bezdek, he got off the train after the Hogs [Cardinals] finished 7-0, I think it was after beating LSU, he said we played like a wild bunch of Razorbacks," Harris said.
According to the university, the name was an instant hit among the student body, which voted in 1910 to change the school’s official mascot from the Cardinals to the Razorbacks.