Cotton Bowl Director Thinks UA Will Stay

The executive director of the Cotton Bowl believes that the University of Arkansas will remain in the Southwest Conference but says the bowl will have to look at its options if the Razorbacks leave the SWC and Texas and Texas A&M; follow suit.

Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles said last month that UA had accepted an invitation from Southeastern Conference officials to discuss membership.

“Frank’s a good businessman and I know he’s the man up there,” Jim Brock said. “But I still feel when all the smoke has cleared that Arkansas will stay in the Southwest Conference. I certainly hope I’m right about that, because I would hate to see Arkansas go.”

There have been some reports that Arkansas will join the SEC next year and that Texas and A&M; would follow. One of those three teams has won six of the last seven SWC championships and has been the host in the Cotton Bowl.

“I just hate to see everybody so panic stricken,” Brock said. “But if (the SWC) were to lose Arkansas, Texas and A&M;, we’d certainly have to look at our options.”

The Cotton Bowl Executive Committee met recently and discussed three possibilities if the league lost the Razorbacks, Longhorns and Aggies:

--Continue to have the SWC champion be the host team of the Cotton Bowl.

--Pursue a host agreement with a different conference.

--Sever league ties and invite two teams.

“Some people think we’d be better off to become an open bowl, but I’m not one of them,” Brock said. “I think it’s best for us to stay hitched. And to the Southwest Conference.”

Cotton Bowl President John Stuart, a Texas graduate, said it is hard to believe that Arkansas may leave the SWC after 76 years.

“But I was in Berlin last year and I never thought the Berlin Wall would come down and look what happened,” Stuart said. “It goes to show you anything is possible. Our feeling is (Arkansas) is part of the family and we’d rather they didn’t leave. But the Cotton Bowl Athletic Assn. has no control over that.”

Stuart said that even if Arkansas leaves the SWC, he hopes that Texas and A&M; will remain and that the league can replace the Razorbacks with another school, such as Oklahoma.

“It’s one thing for Arkansas to decide to do something,” Stuart said. “It’s another for two Texas schools to disassociate themselves from what basically has been the heritage of college athletics in Texas.”