Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Jeff Long saw a need for more revenue at Arkansas. Chris Wyrick and the Razorback Foundation put a plan in place to generate money through the increased seat licensing fees. Bobby Petrino and the Razorbacks won 10 games to keep excitement high.

All those folks did their part for the Razorback Seat Value Plan, sure. But if you’re looking to explain why RSVP was successful in generating $6.5 million and more than 2,500 new Razorback Foundation members, Arkansas fans have to be at the top of the list. They responded to the athletic department’s plea to “Answer the Call” and invested their money into the program.

That’s why a recent press release by the UA is worth mentioning here.

Arkansas has asked seven folks representing the 13,000-plus Razorback Foundation members to participate in the “ ‘A’ Walk of Honor” prior to kickoff on Saturday. Coaches and the team run through the ‘A’ onto the field before games and donors, alumni, etc., get to make the walk before the Razorbacks.

This week the school will recognize folks that invested in RSVP. Here’s more from the UA:

“It is only fitting that we honor the contributions of the nearly 13,000 Razorback Foundation members who stepped forward to raise the annual support of our program through R.S.V.P.,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “The overwhelming response of our fans and the tremendous success of R.S.V.P. will be instrumental in providing vital funding for the future success of more than 460 Razorback student-athletes competing in 19 sports. We are grateful to all of those who participated in R.S.V.P. and who continue to support Razorback Athletics.”

The seven representatives participating are from various membership levels within the Razorback Foundation. All of those taking part in the ceremony on Saturday either joined the Razorback Foundation as part of R.S.V.P. or increased their pledge as part of the program. Those representatives scheduled to take part in the “A” Walk are Angelo Coppola, Audie Dennis, Mel Redman, J.J. Hurley, Kathy Stone, Raffy Quimbo and Brandon White.

Those folks are why this thing worked. Credit goes to Long, etc., but especially the fans.

Often these sorts of press releases get ignored or ridiculed. We don’t mind calling a bad idea a bad idea. But this is a gesture to fans that should be applauded.