FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino is, in the opinion of many, the face and representative of a new era of championships within the Razorbacks' athletics department.
So it was no surprise when the Razorback Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the athletics department, featured the third-year coach prominently in its "Answer the Call" video, which drove home the need for more financial support from Arkansas fans.
The first step is increasing the minimum donation required for priority seating at football games. The announcement Wednesday was the start of a 10-year initiative to drum up financial support. The drive for funds has a simple goal — jump from among the bottom schools in the SEC financially and into the middle of the pack.
A budget of $63 million, in athletic director Jeff Long's eyes, must reach $70 million soon. And this "Answer the Call" program, spearheaded with the Razorback Seat Value Plan, figures to add at least $5 million annually to Arkansas' funds.
The more cash the merrier for Arkansas, which is — on the surface and behind the scenes — attempting to keep Petrino happy on Razorback Road. It was already apparent when he arrived nearly three years ago on a foggy night, but the senses were flooded with Petrino's pleas Wednesday at the Broyles Center.
The football coach was featured for nearly 2 minutes in a 13-minute video asking for support from fans. The topic, as we've seen over the course of the last year, was the discussion of facility upgrades.
And making the program competitive off the field.
"We have great curbside appeal and the facilities that we have for the fans (are) awesome," Petrino said on the DVD, which was mailed this week to Razorback Foundation members and season ticketholders. "But, quite frankly, we need to get better inside of our facilities. We need a new locker room."
That's when the message came across as a dire announcement to the Razorback faithful.
"That's something that is a must for us," Petrino continued. "We don't even have enough room right here to meet together as a team and really do a pre-game talk before we go out on the field. We have to separate the groups — offense, defense."
Additionally, Arkansas needs a new training facility and larger meeting rooms, Petrino said. Right on cue, with the music a little less upbeat than in the rest of the video, images of an overcrowded training room flashed across the screen.
"When we get together on Saturdays or Sundays after a game or after a scrimmage, we've got guys laying on the ground on mats to try to rehab," Petrino said. "So we have a number of things we have to get it done."
Petrino admitted that he tries to keep recruits away from the locker rooms on visits because of the cramped conditions. As he explained Arkansas' deficiencies, still photographs of LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss' football facilities were shown on the screen.
"To be able to stack up and compete and get the best recruits in the country to come to the University of Arkansas, this is a must," Petrino said.
It's obvious Long wants to keep Petrino happy. After all, if Arkansas makes a deep run this season, other programs may come calling for the Boss Hog. And if that happens, what exactly will the Razorbacks' shallow pockets have to offer to Petrino if a program with better facilities and a higher salary comes along?
Long addressed that in the video in so many words by simply saying, "we want to retain the great coaches we have," which was then followed by the images of baseball coach Dave Van Horn, Petrino and gymnastics coaches Mark and Rene Cook.
Money could be an issue for Arkansas, especially if it attempts to keep a high profile coach on board after a monstrous championship season. Sure, there are a lot of "ifs" in the equation, but Long is attempting to prepare himself for a battle if one of his high profile names hear the sweet sirens of another program.
"Again, you need resources to do that," Long said Wednesday. "If you look at our coaches' salaries, some of them are middle of the pack in the SEC, but we're not at the top — even in some of our most successful programs."
Petrino's annual salary of $2.85 million is above average nationally but in the middle of the pack in the SEC. Petrino faces high expectations in his third year as Arkansas' coach. Some consider the Razorbacks a dark horse to win the SEC championship.
If the positive prognostication turns into proliferation in the win column, fighting off suitors for Petrino's services could become an issue sooner than later for Arkansas administrators.
In Arkansas' pocket, though, is the likelihood of future improvements to the Broyles Center (or a new center completely). It'll take more than just a call to fans for such a project to be completed. Long expects that a comprehensive fundraising campaign would be needed to fund the project, which is projected to cost $10 million to $20 million.
"It’s clear to me Coach Petrino wants to have the tools to compete and win a national championship, and so do I," Long said. "I want him to have that, and that’s going to mean a great deal to our program."
Obviously, Long is making moves to keep Petrino happy and Arkansas competitive off the field. A graphical reminder of possible improvements is on the wall in the Broyles Center, a mosaic of sorts showcasing future improvements to the football facility.
No timetable is set for construction on the football operations center, but the writing is on the wall for Long.
Figuratively and literally.
"I hope he can get it done — and fast," Petrino said in November.
Now it's up to Arkansas fans to dig deep, especially if the Razorbacks win big this season.
"Make no mistake about it," Petrino's image said near the end of the video presentation, "it's our turn."
Brandon Marcello is the online sports editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Northwest Arkansas Media. He regularly updates The Slophouse, a blog covering the Razorbacks, and can be followed on Twitter (@bmarcello).