FAYETTEVILLE - Back in 1960 Frank Sinatra sang, “Love is lovelier the second time around.”
Seems today various Arkansas Razorbacks fans croon the same tune.
Just not in perfect harmony. Their variations of “Second Time Around” sing the same affection for different people.
Bobby Petrino, Gus Malzahn and Houston Nutt, all former Razorbacks football coaches, all have segments pining for their Arkansas second time around. Arkansas’ old Land of Opportunity motto resurrects with the Razorbacks head coaching vacancy gaping by last Sunday’s firing of Chad Morris.
Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. leads Arkansas’ 2019 season finales as interim head coach since last Sunday as athletic director Hunter Yurachek nationally searches for a permanent head coach.
Some say forget the national search and go back to the future.
Nutt head coached the Razorbacks from 1998-2007.
Petrino head coached them from 2008 into the 2012 spring.
Malzahn was their offensive coordinator in 2006 and previously a state high school champion coach at Springdale and Shiloh Christian.
All achieved major success in Arkansas. All are bogged by baggage likely making a second time around less feasible than their backers believe.
Despite the 10-3, 11-2 finish to his Arkansas four seasons, Petrino never should have been Arkansas-hired in the first place. He certainly should not be Arkansas hired again.
Petrino’s lack of character manifested his first Louisville head coaching go round. He surreptitiously interviewed for his former Auburn boss Tommy Tuberville’s Auburn job with Tuberville still on the job.
Arkansas hired him anyway. Hire a skunk and you’d better stay on him lest he stink up the place. Fired former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long timidly never crossed Petrino until Petrino publicly crossed an irrevocable line.
Remember it wasn’t the extramarital affair revealed from his motorcycle wreck that fired Bobby Petrino. It was putting his mistress on the UA football support staff payroll for an advertised job that drew far more qualified applicants.
Such conduct at public universities gets most anyone fired anywhere and nearly cinch unlikely to be rehired.
Louisville did and pays a $14 million buyout consequence firing Petrino in 2018.
Nutt and Malzahn, from their Arkansas SEC Champion West yet soap opera 2006 season of discord as head coach and offensive coordinator, divided detractors from each camp with some still unlikely to embrace the other.
Enriching his Auburn coaching contract because of Arkansas interest then telling the UA no before the UA hired Morris, Malzahn soured some even in his vocal but dwindled Arkansas cult.
Nutt and his natural Arkansas-born enthusiasm rallied the Razorbacks his first go-round. He would be the best of the three rallying a losing program and its fan base.
But enough in that fan base ran Nutt off after 10 years in 2007. Some likely would yearn running him off again.
Badly as Arkansas needs Arkansas success of the Nutt, Malzahn and Petrino pasts, Arkansas’ future seems apt to include none of the above in tune to sing a second time around.