Pat Summerall Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic

Hatfield says future is now for Hogs

Former Arkansas head football coach Ken Hatfield during Monday's Pat Summerall Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Classic at Chenal Country Club.
Former Arkansas head football coach Ken Hatfield during Monday's Pat Summerall Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Classic at Chenal Country Club.

As a coach, Ken Hatfield recited a story from his high school baseball days in Helena when he'd want to motivate a less-than heralded team.

Hatfield and his Helena teammates were playing Walnut Ridge in a state tournament game, fell behind early, and trailed 13-4 to start the final inning. But Helena came back to win 14-13, scoring the winning run with only one out in the final inning.

"Everybody that played on that team, for the rest of their lives, do you think they'd ever say the game is over until the last man is out?" Hatfield said. "Never. When you see it, experienced it, you know it's true."

It was a story Hatfield relayed to his players at Air Force, Arkansas, Clemson and Rice during a 27-year head-coaching career, and it is fitting for the current Razorbacks, who want to erase the disappointment of Coach Bret Bielema's 3-9 finish last year.

Hatfield was at Chenal Country Club in west Little Rock on Monday, where he participated in the Pat Summerall Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic that benefits the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. Hatfield, 71, golfed with fellow Hall of Famers and later served as one of the guest speakers during the event's luncheon.

The 2005 season at Rice was Hatfield's last one as a head coach, and though he still follows the game he played and coached at the highest level closely, he no longer itches for the start of fall camp during the late summer months.

But he did speak about Bielema's effort to get players to buy-in to a changing philosophy, how to handle what is regarded as one of college football's toughest schedules and how Bielema's focus is likely on winning as soon as possible.

"Everybody talks about being patient, but as a coach, you don't talk like that," Hatfield said. "You talk about 'We're getting ready to beat Auburn, and we're going to do all we can to beat Auburn.' ... You don't worry about two years down the line, maybe you'll have more depth, but we need to do it right now."

Winning immediately was something Hatfield said he was able to pull off when he arrived at Arkansas to replace Lou Holtz in 1984. Hatfield entered as a former player who helped the Razorbacks to the 1964 national championship, and also, his first season included a string of four consecutive victories that set up a chance to play for the Southwest Conference title against SMU, a finish that was followed by a 10-2 record in 1985.

Hatfield was 55-17-1 in a six-year run at Arkansas and was 168--140--4 in his coaching career that included 10 bowl appearances, 3 Southwest Conference titles and 1 in the Atlantic Coach Conference.

"I think the players were ripe when I got there in '84, because they had not gone to a bowl the year before and they expected to," Hatfield said. "I wanted them to experience the same thrills that I had [as a player], and I really wanted that for them. ... So, I knew they had bought into us as a team and a coach."

Bielema doesn't have the same experiences to draw on, Hatfield said, but the buy-in that is necessary for a more successful Year 2 might be more likely than expected.

Arkansas enters its Aug. 30 season-opener at Auburn carrying a nine-game losing streak and 12 consecutive SEC losses and are facing what is considered by some to be one of the toughest schedules in college football, a slate that includes games against four teams that finished in last year's top 14 of the Associated Press poll.

But Hatfield counters with the exit of talent from the SEC and Arkansas' final game of the 2013 season in which it lost 31-27 to LSU in Baton Rouge, a game that seemed to be in hand until Arkansas let LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings toss a 49-yard touchdown pass with 1:15 remaining.

"There's no reason to believe we had a chance to beat LSU in Baton Rouge after 3-8," Hatfield said. "And we had them beat. ... I think they all believe that we can beat the LSUs, the Alabamas, anybody. I think they're going to start the season with a confidence factor."

Sports on 07/29/2014

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