Razorback Run to Austin Poster and Photograph

Diane Smith

I work at Army ROTC. Back when the Razorbacks were still a part of the South West Conference, our rival were those “short, squashed Texans” from the University of Texas. Our department has a scrapbook with newspaper clippings, proclamations from the Governor and the Mayors of Texarkana on both the Arkansas and Texas side, and pictures commemorating this monumental event. This was an 500 mile run that our cadets relayed from Little Rock to Austin, TX to deliver the football for the annual Razorbacks-Longhorns game in the years of 1978-1980. This may have occurred in other years, but these are the only ones we have records of.

Pictured are the poster from the 1980 event and an awesome photograph of the 1978 runners with (far left) Major Robert Fairchild, who later served as a Representative for the State of Arkansas. He commissioned through our program in 1965 and his certificate is displayed in our Drill Hall. David Pryor, Governor of Arkansas at the time, is pictured on the far right next to Lieutenant Colonel James Buckner, our commander at the time. This was when the Governor was presenting the proclamation to LTC Buckner. So much more could be said about this event and the people in the picture. Our cadets go on to make a mark in the world!