How the Razorback became the University of Arkansas’s mascot

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas Razorbacks are one of just two major sports teams in the U.S., collegiate or professional, with a porcine nickname.

Their only pig-related counterpart is the NCAA Division II Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas.

But what is the origins of the Razorback name?

A hog by any other name

While the University of Arkansas first opened in 1875, its students were known by an entirely different name until the early 1900s.

Intramural sports were an early staple at the University of Arkansas, but official intercollegiate football, tennis, baseball and track and field games did not start until around 1894, according to the University of Arkansas’s website .

The following year, students held a campus contest in order to decide the university’s official color. Two colors made it to the final round of voting: cardinal red and heliotrope, a shade of rosy, purple, according to the 2007 documentary “ Beacon of Hope: The Story of the University of Arkansas .”

In the end cardinal red won, leading to Arkansas sports teams to be known as the ‘Arkansas Cardinals.’

However, the name would only last another 14 years.

On October 30, 1909, Arkansas football coach Hugo Bezdek, greeted by excited students at the Fayetteville train station, praised the team’s 16-0 victory over Louisiana State, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

Although sportswriters and students had started calling the Arkansas team the “Razorbacks” as early as 1905 , Coach Hugo Bezdek further popularized the name in 1909 by describing his team’s performance after the LSU game as “playing like a wild band of Razorbacks.”

This comparison to the fierce wild boar resonated with fans, leading to the official mascot change from the Cardinals to the Razorbacks in 1910.

The name and the original cardinal red color have stuck around for more than 100 years.

This little piggy… is not from here

“Razorback” refers to feral hogs known for their high, hair-covered backs and aggressive nature.

While wild boars from Europe and Asia were introduced to the Americas by explorers like Columbus and de Soto, Arkansas’s razorbacks originated from domesticated pigs that escaped and interbred with these wild boars, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

Today, feral hogs are found in over fifty Arkansas counties, and are typically black with bristly hair, high shoulders, and sharp tusks. Mature boars usually measure 4 to 5 feet long and weigh between 150 and 300 pounds.

As beloved as the athletic team may be, actual razorbacks are classified as pests by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission .

The ‘sooie’ story

While the University of Arkansas officially switched its mascot from the Cardinal to the Razorback in 1910, the iconic “Woo Pig Sooie” cheer did not get its start until more than a decade later.

In the 1920s, a group of farmers used familiar pig-calling sounds to rally the Razorback football team, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

Ever since, the “Hog Call” is a staple at any University of Arkansas event , athletic or not.

A visual guide to executing a “ proper ” Hog Call can be found here .

The Razorback representatives

Tusk is the name of the official live mascot for the Razorbacks, with the current mascot being Tusk VI.

Tusk VI travels to every home football game from his home on the Stokes Family Farm near Dardanelle. All previous mascots named Tusk have been male, as female swine do not have tusks, and they have all come from the same lineage.

Tusk VI’s favorite snacks include grapes, apples, and corn, and his favorite activity is “play[ing] in mud holes on sunny days,” according to his biographical page .

Prior to the Tusk dynasty beginning in 1997, several other names were used for the live mascot.

For example, former mascot Big Red III escaped in 1977 and caused significant damage before being killed by a farmer.

The Razorbacks also have a team of human costumed mascots , which include:

• Big Red, the main mascot.
• Sue E. Pig, who performs at all women’s events.
• Pork Chop, who resembles a child-sized version of Big Red.
• Ribby, the baseball mascot whose name is a play on the abbreviation “RBI.”
• and Boss Hog, a 9-foot-tall inflatable mascot.

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