Contract extended; Razorbacks to play at War Memorial through 2016
By ArkansasOnline
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden throws a touchdown pass in the first half against University of Louisiana-Monroe at War Memorial Stadium in this 2006 file photo.
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LITTLE ROCK — The Razorbacks will play two games at War Memorial Stadium each year through 2016 under an agreement extension announced Friday by the University of Arkansas and the War Memorial Stadium Commission.
One of those games will be against a Southeastern Conference opponent.
The original agreement was set to expire in 2014, but commission chairman Gary Smith said he approached Jeff Long, director of athletics, about the contract extension.
“We are pleased that the long-standing tradition of Razorback football at War Memorial Stadium will continue in the years to come thanks to a contract extension through 2016,” Long said.
Under the terms of the original agreement reached in 2000, the team was to play three Little Rock games in four seasons and two games in the other 11 seasons.
Arkansas has played three games in Little Rock twice since then, leaving the Razorbacks with two more seasons of three Little Rock games through 2014.
For 60 years, Razorbacks have divided games between Fayetteville and War Memorial, where tailgating has become almost as popular as the games themselves.
The War Memorial games have long been a contentious issue, dividing fans among those who wanted all Fayetteville home games and those who wanted to keep as many games as possible in Little Rock. For a time, former Athletic Director Frank Broyles had pushed for all games to be played in Fayetteville.
Smith said the extension makes it possible to continue renovating the stadium, which has undergone more than $8 million in work over the past five years.
War Memorial was dedicated in 1948. The stadium was originally built for 31,000 fans, but has been expanded three times to hold 53,727 fans, according to the commission’s Web site.
War Memorial Stadium is home to several other games, including the Delta Classic (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff vs. Grambling), Catholic High School's home games, the Salt Bowl (Benton vs. Bryant High School teams) and the high school playoffs.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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Originally published 11:44 a.m., August 22, 2008
Updated 03:06 p.m., August 22, 2008
