What Robken Did for Hogwild Band, Arkansas Basketball Should Be Honored

He knew exactly when to have his band bring the heat and jack up the energy in the arena. When Razorbacks fans needed to be tipped over the edge into a frenzy, he would take off literally running around Barnhill getting people excited, although he admittedly accidentally ran into the women’s bathroom on a wrong turn the first time he tried it.

Former Arkansas basketball coach Eddie Sutton had the idea to weaponize the band in the late ’70s, and when Robken came along with his first true responsibilities as an assistant band director, Sutton brought him under his wing.

He made it a point to teach Robken all he could about basketball and clued him in on keys to watch for that would signal when he needed the band to control the energy. For instance, if Sutton took off his jacket, that was a communication to Robken to get fans as whipped up as possible because he was going to get a technical if necessary to get the energy he felt he needed in the building.

Robken took his duties seriously and made it a point to communicate with the student section. When he noticed they would get rowdy during timeouts, but then immediately die off once the game resumed, he made it his mission to goad those students into keeping the energy up once play resumed.

The result was a nightmare atmosphere coming out of timeouts that resulted in turnovers and massive runs where Southwest Conference teams were swallowed whole. The energy he created became the standard at Arkansas and it’s why Bud Walton looks uncontrollably wild in the early days of its existence.

Robken left right before the arena opened to go to his alma mater, Louisiana Tech, where he was band director for three decades. However, his legacy carried on for many years afterward.

Even random mid-week games against no-name opponents were packed out and wild as could be. However, without him there to keep things pushing forward, the atmosphere changed.

Then, things changed further in the game presentation everywhere as a whole, generating a situation even Robken says he couldn’t have overcome. The need to do presentations during breaks and commercial plugs slowly pushed the band into the background in arenas across the college basketball landscape.

Eventually, DJs with canned music got shoehorned in, taking the unique sound and feel of a place like Arkansas and making it feel as uninspiring and generic as the next arena that could afford speakers. The in-game experience became hollow, disconnecting fans emotionally on a deeper level from the university and its basketball program.

It’s why social media explodes every game with people complaining about the in-game experience. They pine for the authentic atmosphere and energy Robken created so Razorbacks basketball can once again truly be Razorbacks basketball.

He hasn’t set foot in an Arkansas arena since before Nolan Richardson won his national championship. Still, even though he’s still alive and kicking in Conway, Robken’s spirit still haunts the program.

It’s time to honor him both at a game and in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. What’s more, it’s time to honor him for a full season by restoring the Hogwild Band to its former glory, prominence and influence so the new generations can know what it was like when sports and the arts combined to make something magical all those years ago.

All thanks to a coach and a Hall of Fame worthy band director who cared about Arkansas and its fans.