LITTLE ROCK – I’ve known Rex Nelson a long time. We’ve shared the airwaves, office space and some good meals together. He is one of my great friends. I’ve known Rex to be even keeled. You don’t build a track record of managing communications for political figures and large companies by getting worked up. It’s one of his great qualities as a professional.
However, on Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club at the podium, Rex got a little emotional. He was imploring the 1,000 in attendance who were there to listen to NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, to buy tickets to Arkansas’ Thursday night game with UAPB.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette senior editor was scolding those who made excuses about not going and even used the word “hell” to describe the hot weather. Using that word is a sure-fire sign that Rex is agitated. Rex grew up going up the road to Little Rock games from his native Arkadelphia, and for as long as I’ve known him has been passionate about War Memorial Stadium and has many friends on the board. He’s an advocate.
That’s something we have in common because I would’ve never met my wife of 23 years or had my two boys if it hadn’t been for the Mississippi State game in 1999. I traveled from Bentonville to cover the game at War Memorial and meet that sweet Southern Belle after the game. And living in Central Arkansas since 2001, I’ve covered games at WMS and taken them in with family, including my two boys. I was at Thursday night’s UAPB game with my 13-year-old Luke when we watched the Razorbacks turn UAPB into black and gold sawdust.
It’s sentimental for us.
But when I put my sportswriter hat on, I realize that Little Rock games aren’t necessary anymore. They are more of a hindrance to the Arkansas football program and athletic department than they used to be, especially in light of the maintenance issues plaguing the place over the last two years:
It’s a different time now. Since Razorback Stadium has become more modern, it’s made more sense to play the games there.
Little Rock the big loser with a decade of football futility
The frustrating part for those who do like Little Rock games is the lower attendance gets thrown in their faces. Well, have you paid attention to the state of football overall in Little Rock since 2012? It’s been lackluster, overall, and the biggest loser of that drought has been War Memorial Stadium.
Under Little Rock native Houston Nutt in late 1990s and 2000s, there had been plenty of games where the stands were packed. There was a robust crowd that night in 2012 when No. 8 Arkansas was upset by Louisiana-Monroe. That was the first on-field indication that the program was entering a tailspin and it’s naturally become a tougher sell. The Hogs haven’t played in front of a sold-out Little Rock crowd in a full decade.
Granted, attendance has dropped in Fayetteville, too, but less fuss is made about that. I went to the Florida International game in November last fall. The crowd on the FIU side so sparse I moved down about 20 rows. You could cut the apathy with a knife.
If the Arkansas football program entered the game ranked in the Top 25 and the hopes were high, the game would be close to a sellout. Not even the die-hards of die-hards are going to travel any distance, especially on a Thursday night, to see a Razorbacks team that most pundits don’t think will win more than four games play a struggling Arkansas-Pine Bluff team.
Hanging 70 points in a shutout vs UAPB certainly helped, but until Arkansas knocks off a team like Oklahoma State too little genuine excitement surrounds this program.
That means when it’s hot and most people have a cooled living room with a large screen TV, they will choose to flip it on and not have to drive and spend extra money. It’s not worth it. Winning cures all, and it would definitely cure this WMS quandary and would keep the boo birds at bay that love to pick on WMS, Little Rock and the crowds.
It’s unfair to blame the central Arkansas fans when this program is less than competitive. And for the record, when Georgia played in Little Rock in 2014, the game attracted nearly 60,000 people. Bad matchups with not-great programs equal bad attendance at any venue in the country.
Arkansas State in 2024 May Be Last Chance
Arkansas State is hardly LSU or Georgia, but it is an in-state rivalry that A-State fans have clamored for for years. In 2025, the Hogs open with the Red Wolves, and it is the final game left on the deal. This is the game that WMS needs. I have no doubt this game will be a sellout. Again, the Debbie Downers have been at work on social media claiming ASU fans don’t go to their own home games, so why would they attend at Little Rock?
It’s simple. They’ll go because many of the A-State alums live in the Little Rock area, and if the game is on Saturday, it will attract fans from Jonesboro, too. This game is history, and so many people have wanted to see it. It offers something that UAPB and Florida A&M and Alcorn State and all the other money opponents don’t – excitement and anticipation.
This isn’t just an ordinary game; it’s an in-state rival. It’s the ‘big guy’ against the ‘little guy.’ Arkansas State fans know they don’t get any respect when it comes to in-state college sports, and this game is a chance of retribution. If the two teams had played in some of the recent years, A-State would’ve won. This is the chance A-State has waited for for decades, and the tickets will go fast.
A Plan for the Future at War Memorial
And when the UA brass sees how well tickets sell, they are going to be compelled to re-up with the stadium and make the game a permanent opener for several years. That is a win/win. It allows Little Rock-area fans to see the team every year and begins a new tradition and era that could stoke a legit in-state rivalry. That game will give WMS new life. If the program is going to pay teams to play, they might as well schedule A-State. It’s a great way to start each season.
The UA could also take a lesson from Shane Broadway and the Salt Bowl committee. They have turned the Salt Bowl game between the high schools of nearby Benton and Bryant into a community service project. In addition to making big money for Benton and Bryant High Schools, the game also benefits a handful of charitable causes. The Arkansas/ASU game could also benefit a charity and fans from both teams could make a difference. That would be the best part of it – a football game featuring two in-state teams that raises money for a worthy cause.
At this point, this may be the only hope for the series. Fans and supporters such as Rex want to keep college football in central Arkansas, but the game’s future has reached a fork in the road. We’ll find out soon if it’s the end of an era or a new lease on life for a tradition that has been one of the better venues in college football over the decades.
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