Sam Pittman smiled as he sat at the table for his postgame interview after Arkansas defeated Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, ending a nine-year losing streak to the A&M.
The significance of the win, a momentous hurdle cleared in his rebuild of a Razorbacks football program that had won seven games and lost 27 in the previous three seasons, two 2-10 seasons under Chad Morris and one 3-7 season in the first year, was taken by Pittman.
He pointed to the back of the room.
I think this is what should happen in Arkansas. I don't think we should win every game. We are the University of Arkansas. Eric and Dave are doing it. It should happen to us.
The Razorbacks' men's basketball and baseball coaches were on the sideline with Eric and Dave during the game against Texas A&M.
Jamie Pittman is Sam's wife and she attends all of his news conferences.
In a postgame interview, it's not usually a scene. The only place where it's not possible is at Arkansas.
There are only three people in the country who have won a bowl game, made it to an Elite Eight and gone to a baseball super regional. It's part of a larger pattern of camaraderie that has made for some great times in Fayetteville.
The extra oomph may not be needed by Pittman this year. The Razorbacks are ranked 10th heading into this year's Southwest Classic against the Texas A&M. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
This is the most successful two-year stretch for Razorback athletics. Alabama and Florida are tied for second with seven SEC titles each. The directors' cup is awarded to the most successful athletic programs in college sports. After finishing eighth the year before, the school's first top 10 finish ever, they finished second in the SEC.
Is there anything going on at Arkansas? The scene in Arlington last year is said to be part of the reason. There will be no public squabbling between the coaches. The Arkansas' 15 head coaches that represent 19 sports are their own hype squad. They go to a lot of different things together. A group chat explodes when a coach wins. Everyone is cheering each other on.
They say that all the coaches, men's and women's, young and old, are connected. It's all a dream scenario for athletic director Hunter Yurachek, who always envisioned a department with this sort of harmony, but said it never came together at his previous stops as an AD. It's much easier when your football coach is personable and easy to get along with.
"When you're in the SEC and you have a head football coach like that, that has a cascading effect among your entire department," Yurachek said. There is a change in the air around here.
He can't remember seeing a similar situation before at any of his previous stops, but now he wonders what the big deal is.
He said it was a special moment for him. It was great to have Dave Van Horn and Eric Musselman there.
He said it was obvious that he was in elite company when the staff met with Yurachek.
I grabbed my phone at the meeting. "I text my wife, 'Hey, I'm sitting here, and everyone in here has accomplished more than I have,'" he said. You have to hold up your end of the bargain if other people are winning. You are elevated. It's difficult to be comfortable if everyone is winning.
Van Horn has been the head coach of the Razorbacks for eight years and has 796 career wins, including seven trips to the College World Series. Lance Harter is an eight-time NCAA coach of the year and 44-time SEC coach of the year. Chris Bucknam has been the best coach in the SEC 27 times. The only ones in school history that Colby Hale has coached are the soccer team.
She took over a softball program that went 1-23 in the SEC the year before she arrived and just won her second straight SEC title.
"This is the first time I've ever experienced this in my life," he said. It's really nice. The [text] thread just blew up after volleyball's biggest win in seven years. The norm is not it.
Greg Sankey said that Arkansas has always had its strengths, but that he has been impressed with the transformation happening now.
The track and baseball programs have made any number of contributions to the SEC. It's fun to see what Sam's done since they're ranked now. They went through change in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball at the same time.
Yurachek said the mix of personality of his coaches has been a source of pride for him in his third stop as an athletic director.
He said that the vibe among the head coaches was special. I like going out to dinner with them and their spouse, and that has not always been the case.
Sankey has also seen that.
Sam was at a baseball game in February. I went to dinner with Muss, Dave, Sam, Hunter, and his wife, and they were all together.
There won't be any public squabbles like at Kentucky this year, when John Calipari raised the ire of football coach Mark Stoops by saying that Kentucky was a basketball school. He wanted to improve his own.
"There's jealousy at places and I just don't think it's accepted here," said Musselman, not in Kentucky. I don't hear our assistants say "we don't have this". The track has a brand new facility. They are happy for us. It's really great. There's a tunnel that connects the new facility to the dugout. It is amazing. It's really good.
Football and basketball coaches at many schools are close to each other. They are all members of the club at Arkansas.
Muss, Sam, and Dave know what they mean to the department, but they don't come with any ego, which is great.
Barry Odom comes by his office to discuss football. Hale brought soccer recruits to the basketball office and invited Musselman to coach his team for a day just to mix it up. The basketball program adopted a practice of having Hale show them his presentations for their parents.
"You're not going through something that someone hasn't gone through," he said. It's great to be able to ask for help. It's great to listen to them and hear what they have to say. You can be supportive of each other if you listen to Sam and Muss' perspective on how they have to balance a different level.
The football coach is one of the top recruiters in the country.
"He's my go-to here, and I have a five-year extension with him," she said. He's more than willing to meet with anyone. He'll come out a few minutes early and meet our recruits and talk to our third baseman because he knows our players.
The two people have a bond. When he was the Razorbacks' offensive line coach, she immediately fell in love with him. When Yurachek brought him back as head coach, she was happy. They've watched each other change jobs. She'll tell him what he's doing is amazing, and he'll remind her that she's done it herself before.
He's amazing." She thought of the world of him. He has been an advocate for softball. I don't think a lot of football coaches are regulars at softball stadiums. He was the first text I received when we were going to play Texas. He knew the winner of the Texas-Washington game when he was watching it. Sam said "Horns Down" when Texas won. When it's convenient, it's not just. That is the most impressive part of it. He makes everyone feel important to him at that time. He is just as authentic as possible.
When Arkansas kicked off the season against Cincinnati, Pittman waved to the fans and then headed straight for Deifel, who was on the field with a group of recruits. There's a good atmosphere for her prospects if they win, she said.
Had my first official visit this weekend with @RazorbackSB !! Thank you so much @CoachDeifel @MattMeuchel @YoCoachYo @reynaaa_c for a great weekend!❤️ pic.twitter.com/vbkYAJhzOk
— Ashtyn Reichardt (@ashtynreichardt) September 8, 2022
She said that he had changed everything. Our players are asking if our recruits can storm the field. I tell you to go for it.
Musselman went from the sideline to the student section while the other two talked.
Musselman said he would not miss a football game. I'm not going to miss the game. The baseball team is in Omaha. I'll figure out my schedule when I get there. If you're a coach in college, that's what you should do.
David Babcock was named the 1984 Liberty Bowl's Most Valuable Player after making 15 tackles against a Bo Jackson-led team. He is a fixture in Arkansas as a radio and TV personality, as well as the creator of the best assistant coach award in the country.
He can't believe the difference Pittman has made.
The last two years of ChadMorris were the worst in the history of the program. I said I knew this was bad. Winning will be sweeter because of it. It's what's happened.
The Razorbacks' struggles hit the fans hard because they are the only Power 5 program in the state.
He said that people have told him that the mood in the state has changed since the football team went from 2-10) to 9-4 last year. The athletic department and the university have a special effect on this state.
The state is proud of its accomplishments. The university is also a part of it. The freshman class in Arkansas was 4, 600. It had a record this year.
"I'm not going to say it's all tied to the success of our athletic program, the success for our football program, but you can draw some correlations to that in my opinion."
The program that had begun to feel like a lost cause in the SEC West has excelled across the board.
He thinks the stars have aligned in Arkansas. "You're not Notre Dame, you don't have the history of Alabama, don't have the money of Texas, so people sort of realized that there's strength in each other."
He marvels at the pride of the locals, as he sees the sheer volume of Razorbacks shirts on students.
He said that it wasn't the case if you drove on the UCLA campus. If I go to a restaurant tonight, I guarantee there will be at least 10 to 15 people with a Razorback logo on.
After a lifetime mostly spent as an offensive line coach, other than a few seasons early in his career as a high school and junior college head coach, Pittman finally got this opportunity to coach on the big stage with the Razorbacks at 58.
He said that the state is a very proud one. They deserve a good football team and they are proud of their program. They are deserving of all sports. I wanted to make the state proud of the football team as a staff and player. I'm not sure if we're there or not, but I'm pretty sure we're a lot closer to what we were. It's a great feeling.
He may be the most popular coach at a place where all the Razorbacks coaches are at their best.
"We pay attention to what's happening." Walmart is smaller than the Razorback brand in Arkansas. Our coaches were placed on a pedestal. He could be the next governor.
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