In 2010 and 2011, Bobby Petrino was the most popular man in the state of Arkansas. After leading the Hogs to back-to-back 10+ win seasons since the 1980s, Petrino felt invincible. But perhaps Petrino overstepped his boundaries. After an ill-fated motorcycle crash at the beginning of April 2012, details spilled about Petrino’s wrongdoings. Petrino had hired a woman, who he had an inappropriate relationship with, to be a student-athlete development coordinator. Moreover, it was revealed that Petrino lied to his AD Jeff Long about him being the only one on the motorcycle. The totality of the incident led to Long firing Petrino in 2012.
With his reputation now soured amongst the Arkansas fanbase, Bobby Petrino now returns to Fayetteville in 2022. But instead of wearing a Hog cap on the sidelines, he’ll be donning a Bears cap. After being fired from Louisville in 2019, Petrino now coaches for the FCS Missouri State Bears.
Arkansas will play Missouri State on September 17th, 2022. The game shouldn’t be close, as this is one of the only breaks on Arkansas’ daunting schedule. While the action on the field won’t make headlines, how Arkansas fans receive Petrino will. Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of neck braces in the student section. Nor should you be astounded if you see some provocative signs. While some Razorback fans relish what Petrino produced on the field, many are upset he jeopardized the well-being of the program.
They aren’t wrong. Since Petrino got fired, Arkansas has only had three winning seasons. Last year was the first year since 2011 they made it to a New Year’s bowl game. Now this game is a way through which Hog fans can channel their revenge.