Hatfield, ex-players visit Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE — A group of former University of Arkansas football players, led by

Ken Hatfield, dropped in at Wednesday’s practice to show support for the Razorbacks.

Hatfield is known for his 81-yard punt return touchdown that propelled Arkansas to a 14-13 victory over Texas during the Razorbacks’ national championship season of 1964, and for leading the Hogs to a 55-17-1 record as head coach between 1984-89. Hatfield’s winning percentage of 76% is the best at Arkansas.

The other former Razorbacks on hand were Grant Cook, Joe Dean Davenport, James Johnson, Kenny Sandlin, Tim Smith, Austin Tate, Matt Wait and Bryan White.

“Fired up about practice today,” Arkansas interim Coach Barry Lunney Jr. said. “We just had six or seven former players that just decided to come out on their own today and give support to our guys. That’s pretty cool, including coach Hatfield. Some guys that care about the program that came, and we got the chance to acknowledge them before practice, and man that means the world to us and to me and our football team.”

Lunney said the former players weren’t in “motivational speech mode,” but they were acknowledged and cited their years on the team. He got a kick out of Hatfield’s introduction.

“Of course coach Hatfield introduced himself as a 1962-64 player, and I said, ‘That’s the most modest introduction in the history of Arkansas athletics. Because this guy right here was the all-time winningest football coach, percentage-wise, in

Arkansas football history. That’s who I grew up watching.’ ”

Hatfield