84-year-old Hogs fan who fell, broke hip while celebrating touchdown gets letter from Chad Morris

Razorbacks: Kathleen Smith, a Razorback fan at Hudson Senior Center, holds up the letter that Chad Morris, Arkansas’ head football coach, wrote her after she fell while watching the Oct. 13 game.

An 84-year-old Arkansas woman and die-hard Razorbacks fan who fell and broke her hip celebrating a touchdown in October later received a signed photo and a personal letter from Chad Morris, the Hogs' head coach.

Smith, who resides at Hudson Senior Center in El Dorado, said she was watching the Razorbacks play against Ole Miss on Oct. 13 when she jumped up, fell and broke her hip.

"As well as I can remember, I was sitting in a chair and I jumped up when we scored a touchdown," Smith said. "I jumped so high and so hard that when I came down, it kind of knocked me out."

She had surgery the following day, and the first thing she asked when waking up was, "who won?"

"I remember that when they told me that they lost, it made me so mad," she said, laughing. "I got mad at the doctor ... I got mad at everybody because I have always, and always will be, a Razorback fan."

The Razorbacks lost 37-33 during the game against Ole Miss.

Another resident called Morris' secretary to let him know what happened to Smith. A signed photograph and handwritten letter was delivered to her while she was recovering.

"I am so sorry to hear that you fell during our game last Saturday," Morris wrote. "Our entire Razorback staff and players are praying for a quick recovery. We appreciate your support and love for the Razorbacks. I promise that we will get this program back to the top. Please take care and stay strong -- Just keep getting better everyday. Hope to see you when I come to El Dorado. Go Hogs!"

Above is the signed photograph and the personal letter Arkansas Razorback’s head football coach Chad Morris wrote to Kathleen Smith.
Above is the signed photograph and the personal letter Arkansas Razorback’s head football coach Chad Morris wrote to Kathleen Smith.

Smith said she and her husband were big Razorback fans and they used to go to every game they could. "So we were Razorback fans, both of us, until he died," she said. "So I've become the Razorback girl of this whole house."

NW News on 12/27/2018