Fansided

Best college football coach in history from each state

By Nathaniel Reeves

TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 3: Athletic Director Frank Broyles of the Arkansas Razorbacks calls the Hogs before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium on November 3, 2007 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Gamecocks 48-36. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)=
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 3: Athletic Director Frank Broyles of the Arkansas Razorbacks calls the Hogs before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium on November 3, 2007 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Gamecocks 48-36. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)= /

Arkansas: Frank Broyles

While the Razorbacks have enjoyed a few strong campaigns in recent seasons, no coach in state history has been able to match the success of Broyles.

The Hall of Famer began his college football career as a terrific quarterback for Georgia Tech and set an Orange Bowl record with 304 passing yards in 1945 that would last under Tom Brady’s performance in 2000. After stops as an assistant at Baylor, Florida and Georgia Tech,  Broyles got his first head coaching gig at Missouri in 1957 and made the jump to Arkansas one year later.

Arkansas had finished in the top 10 just once in its history before Broyles arrived, but quickly became a power in the Southwest Conference. The Razorbacks went 9-2 with a Gator Bowl victory over Georgia Tech in 1959, setting off a streak of four straight finishes in the top nine of the AP Poll.

Broyles’ career peaked in 1964 when Arkansas went 11-0 to be named national champion by a number of selectors, although Bryant’s Crimson Tide was given the title by the AP. The Razorbacks would earn two more double-digit win seasons before Broyles retired in 1976, and his 144 wins remain an Arkansas record.

Arkansas gave Broyles the Athletic Director job two years before he stepped off the sidelines, and he hired coaches such as Lou Holtz and Ken Hatfield before retiring in 2007. Bobby Petrino led Arkansas to its best season of the post-Broyles era in 2011 and had a chance to build a special program before his dismissal in 2012 over his infamous motorcycle accident scandal.

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