LITTLE ROCK — There is a long history with Dennis Dodd.
He was a young kid, just out of Missouri journalism school, when he interviewed for a job with the Arkansas Democrat. He was one of several applicants, and Bob Holt, who has been with us ever since, was chosen.
Later, after yours truly became the sports editor, Dodd was pursued on a couple of occasions but it didn't work out. But over the years a friendship built on respect was developed.
We have broken bread from coast to coast.
A few years ago, Dodd took a chance and signed on with CBSSportsLine.com.
With the Internet apparently not going away, Dodd has become one of the more well known dotcom college football columnists.
Five days ago, his column was on Bobby Petrino and the Arkansas Razorbacks football program.
Like many of my friends who are national columnists, Dodd was somewhat skeptical about how long Petrino would be at Arkansas.
Dodd, unlike some, understood from the get-go that Petrino was leaving the Atlanta Falcons with or without a job.
That Jeff Long's offer to come to Arkansas was that day, not three weeks from that day, when the NFL season would end. Dodd understood that waiting that long for a coach could destroy the recruiting class.
Yet, in his 33-minute interview - a long time by Petrino's standards - Dodd wasted no time bringing up the fact that Petrino has made more moves than someone playing in a Chinese checkers tournament.
"I feel like I need to stay here and this be my last job," Petrino told Dodd.
Yes, Petrino made similar statements at Louisville when he was the head coach of the Cardinals, and he still flirtedwith Auburn and eventually moved on to Atlanta.
One difference today is Petrino is not quite the hot commodity he was when he was leading Louisville to a BCS bowl victory.
The move to and sudden departure from the Falcons have left him in a position where he must win.
Sure, if three years from now he wins a BCS bowl game and Notre Dame (or any larger, more visible program) is looking for a coach, he would most likely listen and maybe even leave.
His original contract with Arkansas was for five years, and the buyout just for the first four ($8.75 million), but until he gets the Razorbacks program on solid ground he isn't going to be on anyone's short list.
In other words, he has to win,and to get there he will have had several good recruiting classes and the program will be in good shape. It is obvious he and his staff are not building for one great season.
Their relentless recruiting is about building the foundation of a program, a Top 25 program, which is what the Razorbacks should be every season.
Some of Dodd's column, which is long but a good read, deals with Ryan Mallett and Petrino's reputation for developing quarterbacks.
Dodd took a hard look at the quarterback history at Arkansas and concluded that the Razorbacks haven't had a true NFL quarterback prospect since Joe Ferguson, just 37 years ago.
The column also points out no Razorbacks quarterback has passed for 3,000 yards in one season.
That may be about to change.
Not that Petrino airs it out on every down - he likes a big back - but he will split four and five out and expects completions and yards after the catch.
Dodd's column was solid in that a year and a half later, the seas have been calmed.
Some Razorbackers still miss Houston Nutt, some don't, but Petrino has never discussed the situation and when the ball is kicked off this fall, all the true Arkansas fans will be pulling for their Razorbacks.
For now, they will be pulling for Petrino, and if the day comes when he bounces up and away, he will leave behind a sold program.
Sports, Pages 17 on 05/13/2009