Arkansas Razorbacks
From Hoopedia
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of the basketball teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the all-male sports team at the university while the name that is commonly used to refer to the women's teams at the University of Arkansas is known as "The Lady'Backs". The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the US with a porcine nickname.
The Arkansas Razorbacks compete in the NCAA's Division I and is currently a member of the Southeastern Conference (Western Division). Home games are played in the Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus.
There are a number of costumed mascots for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks that attend most major sporting events. Big Red (aka the "Fighting Razorback") is the traditional mascot for the University and represents the intimidating fighting spirit of the Razorbacks at all athletic events. Sue E., is the female hog and is famous for her costume changes and dancing ability. Pork Chop is the "kid" mascot. Boss Hog, a nine-foot inflatable mascot, joined the mascot family during the 1998-99 football season.
The live mascot for the University of Arkansas is named Tusk. He is a Russian boar that closely resembles a wild razorback hog and weighs in at approximately 400 pounds. Tusk attends all home Razorback football games, as well as various other events.
"Lady'Backs" refers to any of the women's sports teams that competes officially for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. On first reference, the teams are known as the Lady Razorbacks. The term Lady'Backs evolved over time as newspaper editors would shorten the mascot name. It was adopted by the Women's Athletics Department for secondary usage in 1991. Notice that it is a contraction -- always with the apostrophe between the two parts and a capital "B". While many university sports teams have dropped the "Lady" portion of their nickname, it remains at the University of Arkansas as a marketing tool to emphasize the separate athletic departments. The Women's Athletics Department was formed at the University of Arkansas in 1971-72. The current women's athletics director at the University of Arkansas is Bev Lewis. The Lady'Back "A" logo is the official logo for the Women's Athletics Department, but teams also employ the traditional University Razorback on uniforms.
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team is coached by John Pelphrey. The Hogs won the NCAA tournament in 1994 defeating Duke University, and appeared in the championship game the following year, but were beaten by UCLA. The Razorbacks have been to Final Fours in 1941, 1945, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 1995.
The primary rival for the Razorbacks has been the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. This rivalry developed during the coaching tenures of Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Nolan Richardson at Arkansas when both teams were competing for a national championship on an annual basis.
Women's Basketball
The Lady'Back basketball team completed its 31st season in 2006-07, and has made 17 post season appearances (from AIAW through the current NCAA era). Over 900,000 fans have attended home women's basketball games at Fayetteville during the three decades of Lady'Back hoops. The Lady Razorbacks' basketball team made their first NCAA Women's Final Four appearance in 1998, with the help of team leader Christy Smith.
