[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the whole Hog Sports podcast.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: And now here's your host, Matt Jones.
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Today with the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club, we'll have a conversation with longtime Razorback employee Kevin Traynor. But first, a word from Kendall King.
[00:00:13] Speaker C: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kendall King, Soapbox and Shopcart. Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas. Through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented professionals, we showcase our best. We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are Design.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Kevin Trainor, now with the Arkansas Alumni association, spent over 30 years with Razorback athletics. Here's our Q and A with him today at the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club. Hey, so you mentioned the last few months. Yeah. You're usually behind the scenes. What's it been like seeing your name in the stories?
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's a great question. You know, I was well aware and I live obviously the Razorbacks are very high profile and with that I'm around some high profile folks having been there for a long time, used to kind of living in that. But yeah, so it was, it was a little different that I wasn't. That I was part of the story versus helping, you know, help helping the media and helping get out the story of the Razorbacks. But I think it just speaks to, it's not really about me. I think it's speaks to the passion for the Razorbacks and what it means to this state.
But as I said, it's been overwhelming, just the outreach and again, I still, most of my emails start now with dear Kevin, congratulations on the new job. I know you don't work in athletics, but you know, so no, it's been an amazing journey. But yeah, that was a little different being out front like that.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: You kind of got to get away from it. Right. You were in Ireland.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So Ellie, who's here with me today, she studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland for two months as part of the University of Arkansas program.
She thinks it's to further her education. Little does she know that it was for her mom to get a free trip to Ireland or not free, but give us an excuse. So. But no, Ellie did an amazing job. And so literally right as this transition happened, we left, went two weeks into Dublin, Ireland, which is a beautiful place, recommended if you haven't been there. But yeah, that added. We had just gotten home from the College World Series. So yeah, that added to a little bit different timeline this summer.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: You're still keeping your toe in athletics. I mean, you mentioned all the boards that you're on, College baseball Hall of Fame. You did the SEC media days. I assume you continue to do stuff for the sec, maybe Final four playoffs.
What's different?
Like, how is it different when you're not in athletics every day, but you're still in athletics in some capacity?
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Sure. No, that's great. And I was visiting with some folks beforehand. You know, one of the things that I'm grateful to the university for is when we talked about my role here at the Alumni association, they said, kevin, we want you to do those things. We want you to be a part. You represent the University of Arkansas. And I always, whether it's at SEC football, media day, fortunate to work college football, national championship game, the final four, other events, I'm always wearing that Razorback with me, whether, whether I'm working with some teams that we compete with from time to time.
But it's really been an opportunity. So that was important to me. It was important to me to continue to get to do that. And so it's really nice to be able to have that touch. You know, I was, I was joking. I was at the game last week probably a little bit earlier than I would have gone if I were with athletics, and that's with the Alumni Association. We were meeting with our friends, our board members.
So Razorback athletics will continue and athletics in general will continue to be a big part of what I do and who I am, just in a different way.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: I was having lunch with somebody this summer and they said, do you think we can get Kevin Traynor? It was somebody who works in one of these big corporations up here. And it goes to show that you're qualified to do any number of things. Why did you think the Alumni association was the best spot for you?
[00:04:14] Speaker B: Yeah, no, and again, it was. It was great. People reached out with, with such support.
I think just because of what I mentioned earlier, I think the investment that I've made in the university, the friends that I have in this room, the friends I have around the state, what, what I've invested in this place, this is our home.
You know, I like Coach Broles, I was not from Arkansas, but I embraced Arkansas and Arkansas has embraced me in an incred.
And so, you know, it was important to do that. It was also important we get a half price discount if you're working for the U of A. And LA has two more years. So that didn't hurt either. But no, it was important to.
Like I said, it's a way to stay connected with all those that have been a part of the university in a new way. And listen, I've been at both football games. We continue to work with athletics. I think there's a benefit for both athletics and both for the campus that I have some knowledge in both those venues and can help integrate those dealings as well.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: I think it goes without saying that while unfortunate, there's no hard feelings about what happened this summer.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, a lot of people ask me that, certainly not how I would have chosen it to end.
But how could I be upset about 30amazing years, the opportunities that I've had?
College athletics is at a pivotal point right now. It is.
I hope we can find our way through it.
And it's difficult. So when you build. When you help build a house for 30 years, why would you trash it on the way out? It's just not.
I love the folks at Razorback athletics. I want. I want all of our coaches to win. I want our programs to be successful.
That is something that I'm here just supporting them in a different way. I went to volleyball the other night. Coach Watson was one of the coaches that I worked with. Dave Van Horn, I worked with for 15 years. I'm going to be there. I'm going to be cheering them on. It's just going to be in my role with the Alumni association.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: So you mentioned college sports is at a pivotal time. Everybody focuses on rev share house settlement, these things. Are there other things that are happening, though, that maybe are not so much on our radar that you, having worked in the. That environment, can see on the horizon?
[00:06:35] Speaker B: Sure. You know, and for good reason. A lot of those issues come to the forefront, probably a little more inside baseball, if you will, is the whole governance, what role the NCAA will play, what role the new csc, the NIL components are doing, the continued jockeying between the SEC and the Big Ten and really other conferences and what that looks like. So there's always something going on again for the first, I'd say 25 years of those 30, there were always things that changed. But I can easily say in the last three years there was more transition across the college space. But yes, I think what happened in college athletics is for so long, the pendulum was over here. It was not. We didn't adapt with the change. Why? There were so many schools. Not everyone had the resources to do what an Arkansas could do, to do what an Alabama could do. And so things got held back and we weren't making the change and the progression that college athletics needed. What happened? The courts got involved and now all of a sudden the pendulum went all the way over to this other side. And so what I think what we're trying to do in college athletics is find a happy medium.
Whether that's a one transfer portal window, whether that's a controlled actual nil rather than just pay for play.
All of those issues are. But again, there's also the need we'll continue to see conference realignment. It happens all the time. And so there's a lot going on in that space right now.
[00:08:12] Speaker A: In a lot of the changes that are happening in departments right now, it is people who work in communications. Those are some of the jobs that are getting eliminated.
Do you think athletic departments understand how important messaging is? And do you think that I wonder maybe just kind of what your thoughts are as it relates to that as we move forward?
[00:08:35] Speaker B: Well, I can tell you one of the things that I enjoyed most about my role in communications with Razorback athletics is I really felt like it wasn't me, but my position. I joke that I could send the state into a tizzy with one email, right?
Because people love the program, they love the Razorbacks, and it's really rewarding to work in something that people care so passionately about.
But I think with that, as things change, there's a lot of unknown. But I think what hasn't changed is the importance of connecting to our fans, connecting to the people of Arkansas, the university. I had the pleasure to travel with all the three athletic directors I mentioned and a lot of coaches. And one of my favorite things was just to sit back and watch them react to these individuals. Because the University of Arkansas and the Razorbacks are bigger than one person. They're bigger than a group of people. What they represent to the state is impactful. And so I think communicating with the fan base, communicating.
And this goes for the university as well. We've got to do a great job of communicating, keeping that dialogue going because that connectiveness and is what really drives everything that we do.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: There's a big story right now about War Memorial and the governor.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: I wasn't aware of that.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Read the paper. You'll see it.
If you were sitting in your old chair, how would you advise?
Like, what would the discussions be in terms of walking what is a very delicate line, this conversation?
[00:10:11] Speaker B: Sure. Well, I won't have to come up with talking points. I think Hunter's speaking on Monday in Little Rock, so I'll just watch.
No, you know this has been, this is a uniquely Arkansas challenge. And I say challenge because it is something that is so deeply rooted in our state.
When I first arrived on campus, we played more games in Little Rock than we did on campus here in Fayetteville. There is no questioning the history and the contribution that all parts of the state have played in building this program.
You know, the things we say. It was a great atmosphere on Saturday, was there, there was a lot of excitement.
I think was encouraged that the governor came out and said, hey, we need to have that dialogue. Because I do think there the dialogue needs to include not only the nostalgia and the history of the games in War Memorial, but for it to be great for the entire state of Arkansas. It has to be great for all those that are involved. And I think it's easy to forego.
No one likes to talk about the revenue issue or that sort of thing. But if we want the University of Arkansas to be strong and we want to compete against LSU and Alabama, we need to make it where the University of Arkansas can be that signature program in the state, give back to the state. But we don't need to put our program at risk of not competing in other areas. And so I think, I think there's some momentum there. Hopefully there's be some discussions of how we can serve both the state and those opportunities. But also make sure that the coaches and the raise your back program is getting what they need to compete. Not just that week, but but in the weeks in the sports.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: More from our conversation with Kevin Trainor in just a moment. But first, another word from Kendall King.
[00:12:07] Speaker C: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kendall king Soapbox and ShopCart. Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas. Through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented professionals, we showcase our best.
We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are Design.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Hey, welcome back. Want to tell you about our friends at Bentonville Glass. They've been serving their community since 1971. Committed, professional, versatile. If you're looking for a quality leader in northwest Arkansas or looking for skilled craftsmanship, look no further than Bentonville Glass for all your glass market needs with the highest quality products. You can come by and find them now at 507 South Main in Bentonville or online at bentonvilleglass.com Back to our conversation now with Kevin Trainor at the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club.
Do you Think this conversation feels different than it has in the past because to me it does feel different than the last time that these conversations arose.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's always been. I think people can understand the arguments and the issues here, but this is a heart issue too. I mean this is a people care and love.
I love when we go to Central Arkansas. It's a great opportunity. When as part of the baseball program went down that was always sold out. It was a special. And so there's a special connection. And so to your point, how do we stay connected with those in the state, but also realizing that there are really some real challenges related to and related to support how the athletic department needs to raise money that's not coming from state funding, that's, you know, that's self generated revenues and so putting them in a position where they can succeed while also helping the state.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: I want to talk for a second about why people loved him so much. In our profession in media, Kevin was always the one who would steer us in the right direction if he could see we were going in the wrong direction. And his name didn't always have to be included in the story. We say, you know, you might want to go this way instead. Don't know that you're going down the right path. And then about 20 years ago, I was sitting in a college classroom and he was the speaker and he made a statement that has always stuck with me. He said, you've got a job to do and we've got a job to do. And sometimes those jobs are not going to see eye to eye. But it doesn't mean that it has to be personal. We can still be professional about it. We can still have a good working relationship. And that's something that's always stuck with me. I wonder just how did you. Where did this philosophy come from? Because not everybody that works in your old profession now, not everybody's like that. Where did this come from?
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Well, you know, athletics is, it's competitive, right? And it's us against them. And sometimes I think people can get caught up in that and make it us against them in all different respects.
Fortunately for the University of Arkansas, I have had zero impact on the outcome of any game. And 30 plus years, that's fortunate for us. So, you know, really the greatest thing is the interest, the passion. And we have a wonderful base of media that have covered whether it's working with Orville Henry and Nate Allen and Jim Bailey and Harry King and people from the past and watching the generations come through Clay Henry and working through those years, and they help tell the story of Razorback athletics. And so is it always a controlled narrative that perhaps is always to our liking. But again, once again, Coach Bruells had a great perspective on that, that if they were riding and talking about the Razorbacks, that was good for the Razorbacks. And it's when they don't care and when there's apathy that we have problems. So I've always seen it as an opportunity to help and to assist with that.
And again, there have times where we've had conversations where I said, I just can't help you. And you've respected that. I've respected you when we had that. But it just never had to be personal.
I don't see it that way because friendships and relationships last a lot longer than whatever issue it was, whatever challenge it was at the time. And. And I think that's been the key.
[00:16:30] Speaker A: I want to ask you about a few different stories real quick, one a little bit more somber. You mentioned today being the anniversary of September 11th. There was conversation, and you were part of this conversation about how soon is too soon to restart sporting events after that happened. What do you remember about those conversations?
[00:16:46] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I remember it vividly. Our oldest daughter, Emma, was just a few months old. Ruth was home with her. And. And we had a TV in our office, which was kind of a big deal then. You didn't have a lot of TVs around.
And I remember just getting ready. It was a normal game week. I think we had North Texas that week and getting ready for that. And of course, the first plane hit. And so you just.
One of the things you learn in working in that environment is there's always something going on. You're always moving on to the next thing, always concentrating. And I just remember when it became apparent that it was more than an accident that, you know, certainly the first thing is you felt great empathy for those that were directly impacted.
I do. You know, there was the fear of perhaps who's next in athletics? You're trying to find out where everyone is because obviously they shut down all air traffic. And I know that we had.
Although I wasn't working on the women's sports at that time, there were a number of women's teams that were out and about. They had to get home. So there's some logistical things. But yeah, as things started to clear, I think the leadership of the SEC was trying to get in touch with the White House and initially had gotten some recommendations that they wanted them to go on. They wanted to play and go on as normal and we need to show that we're moving on. So it was a fairly controversial stance at that point. The SEC initially announced they would maintain their games that week and then after, after some time there was a decision that they would cancel, which I think was, was the right call.
But you know, it offers perspective of what was going on. But I remember that day Coach Rolls was in watching the TV screen with us and yeah, how quickly something that is happening across the country impacted sports. And I remember we rescheduled, rescheduled game. I think we played Weber State later on that year. I knew we were going to win when they came out through a paper mache tunnel like you see at the high school game or the junior high game that I used to run out when I was running out.
But it was, you know, it was an impact. I was glad that we were able to play, but it wasn't the right time to play that weekend.
[00:19:14] Speaker A: I want to ask you a couple of quick stories. Getting Rose Richardson through Secret Service after the national championship game.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: So as a senior student assistant, I had an opportunity to travel with the men's basketball team and pretty good year to do it. 93, 94. Right.
And so I was in Charlotte, North Carolina. We're playing Duke, obviously the excitement. And after a championship there's a lot to be done. There's a lot to do. And so I was assigned getting Rose Richardson, Coach Richardson's late wife, to the locker room.
And so I very diligently went and got Rose Richardson, finally got through the crowd, got to the hallway and I was met by Secret Service.
Well, obviously President Bill Clinton was there.
He was in the locker room. They had shut off the hallway. Well, I was very upset because my job was to get Mrs. Richardson to the locker room. And I said, you've got to let us through.
This is Coach Richardson's wife. She must get to the locker room. And the Secret Service agent said, okay, she can go.
And she went.
So I did my job, but there I was standing in the hallway, never got to the locker room until after the President left.
But all in all, that was my job to get her to the. Didn't say anything about me getting to the locker room, but I got the job done. And that was certainly a memorable night.
[00:20:41] Speaker A: One more basketball story, you drove Dana Altman's getaway car.
[00:20:48] Speaker B: So at that time we had hired Coach Altman, brought him to Budwalton arena and many of you know that story where we brought him.
He had flown in from Creighton where He had let his team and let his 15 year old daughter know that they were moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas.
I've had a couple 15 year old daughters telling them, you're moving in junior high school. Not the greatest conversation to have, I'm sure.
He got to Fayetteville, we hired him and the next morning I was driving him, I picked him up in the car, was driving him to Budwalton arena for his first day of work.
Dropped him off, said, good luck, introduced him to a couple people, said, if you need anything, call me. Went back up to the Borough Center. An hour and a half later, the chancellor calls me and said, you need to get down to Bud Walton Arena. I said, well, what's going on? Said, well, things aren't going well and you need to get back down there.
So I went back down there. Coach Altman's a very shy and reserved person. You probably recall because he didn't put on the hat. That's right. And he didn't put on the hat in the press conference. But he went down. And it became pretty apparent shortly after that that he was not going to be around long. He had begun to rethink his decision.
Was harder to leave Creighton than he thought.
And so it became very clear that he was.
It was only a matter of time before he would be departing.
So the rest of that day was kind of a blur. In fact, I don't go in that conference room anymore. But late in the day, it was time to take him to the airport and we held a press conference on a patch of grass outside the loading dock of Budwalton Arena. I got in his courtesy car, drove him to the airport, and I drove his courtesy car more than he did. He didn't ever drive it.
We got to Drake Field.
They'd given me the code to come out on the tarmac. The Creighton plane was going to land and pick him up and take him back to Creighton. We pull inside and he looked at me and he said, kevin, I'm really sorry this happened.
I'm embarrassed, but if you just want to let me out here, the plane will be here in a minute.
And I thought, I said, well, Coach, I know you're sorry, I know you're embarrassed. I said, but I'm going to stay with you. I said, you're my head coach at least for another 15 minutes.
And he looked up and kind of smiled a little bit.
And about five minutes later the plane landed.
He got out and did not see Coach Altman again or run into him until this past College World Series. I flew commercially into Omaha. I was mentioned. I was the College Sports Communicators president. I was there. I land in Omaha, go to get my bags. It's 12:45am I look over at the baggage carousel and who do I see? Dana Altman at the carousel. And I went over and I introduced myself and I said, kevin Trenor, University of Arkansas, said the last time we were at the airport together, you were packing up to go back to Craze.
And he kind of hung his head and I just said, coach, hey, we followed your career. You've done a marvelous job. He went to Oregon, has done a great job. But I never thought I'd see Coach Altman again. But I did see him at the airport this time again. So that kind of brought a closure to that story.
[00:24:20] Speaker A: That's great, Kevin. You tell great stories. We appreciate you being here.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
[00:24:24] Speaker A: All right.
We appreciate you being with us today. We'll be back in studio tomorrow. Taylor McGregor from ESPN, a U of A grad. She's going to be on the call on ESPN this weekend when the Razorbacks play Ole Miss. We'll talk to her. We'll also give you our weekend predictions. Hope to see you there or on our
[email protected]. have a great day, everybody.
