FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas’ retro basketball logo, known as the “slobber hog,” was added to midcourt at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday, one week after it was promised if a fundraising goal of $500,000 was met.
In a social media post, Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said $1 million was raised for the Arkansas Edge collective for Name, Image and Likeness in the past week. Among the donations were a $500,000 matching gift and a six-figure donation from undisclosed donors, and proceeds from a concert by country music artist Justin Moore in Rogers last Thursday.
Moore, a Razorback fan who is from Poyen in Central Arkansas, pledged his cut of proceeds from a concert that also included Randy Houser at the Walmart Amp.
“Every dime is going to NIL — ticket sales, merch[andise],” Moore said last Thursday on The Chuck & Bo Show on ESPN Arkansas. “I’m not going to make a dime tonight. I’m giving it all to NIL.”
In addition to the slobber hog logo, logos for Bentonville-based Walmart and Springdale-based Tyson Foods are on the new floor, between the three-point line and free-throw lane on each end of the court. Those companies also are in the first season of having their logos on the football field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The slobber hog logo was a staple at Barnhill Arena under coaches Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson, and was on the floor at Bud Walton Arena from the time it opened in 1993 until the logo was removed in 2008 and replaced with the Razorbacks’ official logo.
The slobber hog logo has long been revered by fans and has made a comeback in recent years. It is a featured logo as part of official Razorback apparel and a miniature slobber hog logo was included in on-floor signage after the court at Bud Walton Arena was named for Richardson in 2019.
Eric Musselman-coached teams wore slobber hog jerseys in recent years and a slobber hog flag has led the team onto the floor for home games.
“Since I got on campus in April, I’ve had many bring up the Slobbering Hog in Bud Walton!” first-year Arkansas coach John Calipari wrote in an Oct. 2 social media post. “Razorback fans have a chance to make that happen now!”
Arkansas will play its first game with the new logo back on the court Oct. 25 when the Razorbacks host Kansas for an exhibition game. Arkansas is scheduled to open the regular season with a Nov. 6 game against Lipscomb in Fayetteville.
