Razorbacks, War Memorial extend contract through 2024

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks' days at War Memorial Stadium aren't over yet.

The two sides announced an agreement to keep Arkansas football games at the 70-year-old stadium through 2023 on Thursday, ending another round of speculation that the venue's top-selling tenant could end its stay in Little Rock. A contract between the two sides was set to end following Arkansas' upcoming game against Ole Miss at the stadium on Oct. 13.

The new agreement, which runs through Dec. 31, 2024, includes concessions on both sides. Arkansas will play one game every other year in Little Rock - the regular-season finale Thanksgiving weekend against Missouri, a Southeastern Conference opponent - beginning in 2019, ending a practice of playing there annually that began when the stadium opened in 1948.

The Razorbacks have also agreed to play their spring game at the stadium in 2020, 2022 and 2024, pending approval of a waiver by the SEC office. In the event a waiver is not provided, Arkansas will not be required to play the spring game in Little Rock.

The SEC provided Arkansas a waiver to play its 2018 spring game at War Memorial Stadium last month because of construction work at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. It was Arkansas' first spring game played off campus since 1989.

The Razorbacks will rent the stadium for $75,000 each spring game, but will not be subject to pay the cost of playing regular-season games there, according to the contract between the University of Arkansas and Arkansas Parks and Tourism, which oversees the stadium.

Parks department director Kane Webb signed the contract May 9. UA athletics director Hunter Yurachek signed it Monday and UA chancellor Joseph Steinmetz signed it Wednesday.

According to figures provided by the university, the Razorbacks' games in Fayetteville were worth an average per-game revenue of $7.4 million over the past five years, compared to $3.7 million in Little Rock. The Fayetteville per-game revenue is expected to increase to around $8.4 million after a renovation is completed for Razorback Stadium.

"One of the challenges that states like ours face is balancing the deeply-rooted traditions that has helped make us great, with the evolving needs of our program that will make us even greater," Yurachek said. "Throughout this process I have been asked by many what factors I would take into consideration when making this decision. As I have said many times over the past five months, if this was simply a dollars and cents decision it would be an easy one for a director of athletics to make.

"When it comes to the Razorbacks in this state, the investment is much deeper than a simple spreadsheet. It might not be a perfect solution for our constituents individually but it is the right decision for Arkansas collectively."

According to the contract, War Memorial games are expected to meet benchmarks for tickets sold and ticket revenue each year. The contract stipulates that 47,000 tickets should be sold each year at the 54,120-seat stadium, and ticket revenue should total at least $2.1 million in 2019, increasing by $200,000 each game to $2.5 million in 2023. In the event those benchmarks are not met, the two parties will discuss circumstances that could have led to decreased figures and practices to improve ticket sales in future games.

There were 36,055 tickets sold for Arkansas' regular-season opener against Florida A&M last August and 46,988 for a game against Alcorn State in 2016. The Florida A&M attendance was the lowest at War Memorial since a 1996 game against LSU.

The Parks department has promised to make stadium improvements in two phases, beginning with 2019 changes that will replace the playing turf, upgrade network broadcast infrastructure, improve Wi-Fi and cellphone connectivity, replace audio speakers, implement mobile ticket scanning practices and comply with expected SEC minimum standards for visitor locker rooms. The Parks department also promises to work with law enforcement agencies to improve traffic flow around the stadium.

A second phase of improvements will address the need for security cameras in the stadium and improved locker rooms for home teams and officials.

Two separate feasibility studies - one by the Razorbacks and one commissioned by the Parks department - have suggested War Memorial Stadium is in need of up to $27 million in restorations to remain usable long term.

Last October, former UA athletics director Jeff Long gave a 39-slide PowerPoint presentation to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and individual university trustees about the football team's past and future at the stadium. During his presentation, Long said the stadium needs between $4.85 million and $10 million in renovations to satisfy changing demands of fans and TV partners, and to potentially address minimum playing standards discussed by the SEC.

Long was fired without cause less than one month later.

“I think the powers that be made a decision and a decision that they thought was in the best interest,” Long said Thursday during an interview on the Morning Rush radio show. “My thought was I wanted to have a decision that was in the best interest of the student-athlete, the best interest of the program and the best interest of the university.

“That decision has been made, so I hope Razorback fans across the state will support the decision. Come out and most importantly support the young men playing the game of football, wearing the red and white, wearing the Razorbacks on their chest. I just hope our fans will come back and support these young men because they’re incredible people.”

In his almost 10 years as athletics director, Long never took a public position on the Razorbacks playing at War Memorial Stadium, but he did oversee a pair of changes to the contract between the two parties that significantly limited the stadium's influence in Arkansas' home football schedule.

In 2008, the Razorbacks extended an agreement with War Memorial by two years in order not to have to play three games in a season at the stadium, as was required two more times. In 2013, the parties extended the contract again to limit Arkansas' number of games in Little Rock to one per year, including three seasons without a conference game between 2014-18.

Arkansas' game against Ole Miss in October will be the first SEC game at the stadium in four years. Between 1992-2014, the Razorbacks played 31 total SEC games in Little Rock, including at least one each season.

The Razorbacks' past three games in Little Rock have been against nonconference opponents Toledo, Alcorn State and Florida A&M.

The Parks department's commissioned report stated War Memorial was in need of up to $17 million in "critical" renovations that needed to be addressed within three years, and "non-critical" to be addressed within five years. It addressed needs related to storage and food-service areas that it described as "antiquated and significantly undersized." It also recommended the change to the stadium's field turf, which is scheduled for 2019.

The study stated most stadiums outlive their usefulness after 45 years.

Arkansas has played at least one game in Little Rock every year since the 1930s. Before War Memorial Stadium opened, the Razorbacks played each year at what is now Quigley-Cox Stadium on the campus of Little Rock Central High School.

Games in Little Rock have been credited with generating statewide support for the Razorbacks before the population boom in Northwest Arkansas where the campus is located, but they have also been a lightning rod topic among the fan base for the better part of two decades as the Razorbacks have multiple times renegotiated contracts to play fewer games at War Memorial.

"I know there is a perception out there - I've heard about it often since I became chancellor two-and-a-half years ago - and that's that the perception is the university only serves Northwest Arkansas," Steinmetz said. "I want to ensure you that's not the case. We are here for all of Arkansas."

In 2000, the Razorbacks restructured their contract with War Memorial to play two games - one conference and one nonconference - 11 times, and three games - two nonconference and one conference - four times during a 15-season period. Arkansas had played as many as four games in Little Rock as recently as 1996.

Arkansas has significantly renovated its on-campus stadium twice since then. In 2001, a $100 million renovation added around 21,000 seats and increased the on-campus capacity to a figure greater than War Memorial for the first time.

The stadium this year is undergoing a $160 million renovation that will be completed in time for the Razorbacks' Sept. 1 opener against Eastern Illinois and will increase capacity to 76,412.

Because Arkansas is considered the home team for the neutral-site game against Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, in odd-numbered years, the Razorbacks will only have two SEC on-campus games in 2019. Games scheduled to be played in Fayetteville in 2019 include Portland State, Colorado State, San Jose State, Auburn, Western Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Arkansas is the only major college football team that plays home games each year in two locations. Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State ended their practice of playing home games in large regional cities Birmingham, Ala., and Jackson, Miss., between 1990 and 2003.

Kevin Crass, chairman of the War Memorial Stadium commission, said he was “excited and grateful” for the tradition of playing in Little Rock to continue.

“Sometimes we sell ourselves short with the uniqueness of playing games in Little Rock,” Crass said. “Where Jackson and Birmingham have failed, Little Rock has thrived and survived, and we have a lot of people to thank for that.”

Information for this article was contributed by Rachel Herzog in Little Rock