Jim Harris: Razorback Quarterbacking Legends Reminisce About Days Gone By

As the Arkansas Razorback passing records fall right and left now with Ryan Mallett throwing the ball around, four Hog quarterback legends were assembled Monday for the Little Rock Touchdown Club.

Rex Nelson, one of the club founders and regular speakers, brought up that fact that Billy Moore (1960-62) not only was a great quarterback who for 47 years held the record for longest UA run from scrimmage, but also played defensive back and intercepted three passes in one game. Youngsters today probably wouldn't imagine that the likes of Ryan Mallett or D.J. Williams would have been playing both offense and defense, never leaving the field, under the tight substitution rules before 1964.

As Nelson was revealing this little factoid of Moore and one-platoon football, Moore turned to Joe Ferguson and said, "Man, I AM old."

On the other end of the group of four quarterbacks sat Clint Stoener. Earlier, in recapping the weekend's football highlights, Nelson recited a handful of records that Stoerner had held until Mallett broke them Saturday in Arkansas' 56-20 win over Troy. If Mallett throws for four touchdowns total in Arkansas' last two games, against Mississippi State and LSU, he'll take yet another Stoerner mark of 26 touchdown passes for a season.

Sitting between the youngster Stoerner and the elder Moore were Brad Taylor (1981-84) and Ferguson (1970-72).

Ferguson asked Stoerner loud enough for everyone in the front half of the room to hear: "Clint, would you like to be playing in that offense they're running up there now? I know I would."

Ferguson turned down Paul "Bear" Bryant and Alabama to play for Arkansas and Frank Broyles. Florida State and SMU were the other schools in 1968 that were throwing the ball all around the field. Arkansas' was a little more controlled passing, but Arkansas also had a future NFL coaching great in Don Breaux on the staff, fresh from Florida State, and his Louisiana background sat well with Ferguson's family, and so did the shorter distance to see Joe play if he chose Arkansas over ‘Bama.

As it turned out, Bear Bryant would dump his wide-open passing game after a couple of 6-5 regular seasons to run the wishbone from 1971 until he retired after the 1982 season. Broyles, determining after Texas was so successful at it that the wishbone was the perfect offense in the red zone, would employ some of the ‘bone when Arkansas and Ferguson were closing in on the goal line.

Ferguson still managed to throw 53 passes and amass 351 yards in a 1971 game against Texas A&M in Little Rock that the Hogs somehow lost 17-9. Ferguson scored Arkansas' only touchdown that night on an option keeper.