University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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The thing that impressed me the most about the Cotton Bowl happened on the way to the game. It was in¬ credible. There were so many Arkansas fans on the road to Dallas that it felt just Wee home. Lynn Porter freshmen Attempting to bring down quarterback Quinn Grovey (4), UCLA ' s Bryan Wilcox (93) tightly seizes his opponent in a strong defensive effort. The Bruins held the Hogs to 42 yards, the second lowest yardage total in Cotton Bowl history. (Jim Bailey photo) Giving a spirit filled performance, the Arkansas Razorback Marching Band plays to a capacity crowd during the halftime show at the Cotton Bowl. (Jim Bailey photo) COTTON BOWL Life

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An October victory had football fanatics thinking OTTON Hordes of Arkansas fans invaded Dallas to enjoy NEW year ' s PARTIES AND WATCH THE SWC CHAMPION HOGS FIGHT A 3-17 LOSING BATTLE AGAINST UCLA cotton Bowl hysteria described the frenzy football fans flew into on Oct. 29 after the Hogs defeated Rice and earned a New Year ' s trip to Dallas. And the Cotton Bowl frenzy was never more evident than on 1-30 as cars with Arkansas license plates caravaned to the Cotton Bowl for the Jan. 2 showdown against the UCLA Bruins. Arkansas fans traveled alone or in cara¬ vans, properly attired with signs and Razor- back paraphernalia for the ultimate road trip. Texans thought their state was being invaded — and it was. Ranked eighth in the national polls, the Hogs first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1976 was preceded by finishing first and unde¬ feated in the Southwest Conference. Al¬ though the team lost to Miami in the season finale, dashing hopes of taking an undefeated record to Dallas, it earned a great deal of national respect and attention from the closely-fought game against the defending national champion Hurricanes. Pre-game days consisted of clubbing at Dallas hot spots, sightseeing and gossiping about Coach Ken Hatfield ' s impending decision to depart from the University. However, the gossip and speculation stopped when Hatfield informed his team at breakfast on game day that he turned down the Geor¬ gia job. Players and fans enjoyed dozens of pre¬ game activities, and so did Kori Ann Peel, Arkansas Homecoming queen. Peel, a sopho¬ more, was crowned Cotton Bowl Queen at a New Year ' s Eve ball. The ball was one of many functions she and escort Blake Hanby, a senior, attended during six days of lunch¬ eons and banquets. The experience was wonderful. Every¬ thing was elaborate and glamorous, she said. Everything was wonderful except getting lifted into her parade float by way a cherry picker. After all the pre-game festivities, the big event finally arrived. With $30 tickets in hand, dedicated Hog fans arrived at the stadium all decked out for the occasion. Some wore hog hats and noses. Others carried banners and balloons. While one Dallas newspaper estimated that 35,000 Arkansans traveled to Big D., another estimated, more accurately, that most of the 74,304 specatators crammed into the overflowing stadium were Razorback group¬ ies. The stadium looked like a sea of red with only an occasional splash of UCLA gold. Spirited fans arrived at the game with one (or more) day ' s worth of hangovers, but ready to cheer the team on to victory. It seemed as if the entire crowd was Calling the Hogs — even some Texans. Pre-game activities, in addition to the parade, included four parachutists landing on the field including one dressed like a hog and annoucing: as, This Hog ' s For You. Country star Charley Pride sang the national anthem and the long-awaited game began. A scoreless first-half didn ' t dampen the Marching Razorback Band ' s spirit as they kept the fans going, providing a rousing backup during the game and for the halftime show. Additional halftime entertainment in¬ cluded an ensemble performance by the Please turn the page Enthusiastic Hog fans decked out in red and white participate in the Wave during the Mobile Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2. More than 70,000 crowded into the Dallas stadium to watch the game. (Jim Bailey photo) COTTON BOWL The Story Teller

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OTTON Continued Marching Razorback Band, the UCLA Solid Gold Sound, the Kilgore College drum and bugle corps and the Kilgore Rangerettes. The bands were joined by a parade of Cotton Bowl Queen Peel and her court consisting of other Homecoming queens from schools in the Southwest Conference. The third quarter of the game brought a glimmer of hope to the fans all decked out in Razorback red. Kendall Trainor kicked his 24th consecutive field goal of the season with 6:32 left to play. The 49-yard goal put Arkan¬ sas on the scoreboard for their only points of the game. It was the beginning and the end. The Southwest Conference champs didn ' t hold their opponents and were defeated by the Bruins, 3-17. It ' s been said that it doesn ' t matter whether you win or lose, but how you played the game. In both cases, Arkansas fans left the stadium disappointed. Offensively the team experienced prob¬ lems, but the defense fared well enough for linebacker LaSalle Harper to be named outstanding defensive player. We (Cagle and his friends) were on the offensive more on New Year ' s Eve than the team was on Monday during the game, said Mike Cagle. Sophomore Michelle Gill said: I was very impressed with our defense especially Tony Ollison who replaced Wayne Martin. Although the loss was a disappointment to fans, as well as the players. Gill added: ' The fact that we made it to the Cotton Bowl made the entire trip worthwhile. Reaching the Cotton Bowl rewarded the team for a record-breaking season, provided a vacation for the fans and generated stories for everyone to tell for years to come. Donald Plowman, a second-year law student, summed up the 1989 Mobile Cotton Bowl Classic story: It ' s a football game — you can ' t win ' em all, he concluded. Plowman was right. You can ' t win ' em all; however, the person who coined this sports cliche probably wasn ' t talking about the Cotton Bowl. □ Liz Vanzant 10 COTTON BOWL The Story Teller