Seven bowl games, three Southeastern Conference Western Division titles and an average of more than seven wins per season � that’s what Houston Nutt has accomplished in nine years as the head coach at Arkansas.

Going into his 10th season in Fayetteville, he is the second-longest tenured coach in the SEC. His seven bowl bids rank fourth in the league over the last nine years, and tie for first among the schools in the Western Division.

Under Nutt, the Razorbacks are 47-15 at home, which ties for the second-most home victories in the SEC since 1998.

The 2006 SEC Coach of the Year has recorded 14 victories over ranked opponents, including the 27-10 win at No. 2 Auburn last year. He has 17 victories while the Hogs have been ranked.

Nutt, who also earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2001 and in 1998 was the Division I-A Coach of the Year by The Sporting News, has guided Arkansas to three final national rankings, including a final ranking of No. 15 in 2006.

Over the last nine years, Arkansas has gone 67-44, including 38-34 in SEC play.

In the previous eight years, prior to Nutt’s arrival, Arkansas was 38-51 with two bowl bids. In UA’s first six years in the Southeastern Conference (1992-97), the Razorbacks totaled 19 league victories.

Since then, Nutt has led the Hogs to four nine-win seasons, including a 10-4 mark in 2006, and SEC Western Division championships in 1998, 2002 and 2006. The Razorbacks have earned trips to the Citrus (1999), Cotton (2000 & 2002), Las Vegas (2000), Music City (2002), Independence (2003) and Capital One (2006) bowls.

Nutt and his staff have produced 12 All-America selections, 52 All-SEC selections, a Doak Walker Award winner (Darren McFadden, 2006) a Heisman Trophy runner-up (McFadden, 2006), a finalist for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award (Shawn Andrews, 2003), and a finalist for the Rimington Trophy (Jonathan Luigs, 2006).

Arkansas has had 70 games televised since 1998, an average of almost eight per season. UA has also averaged more than one All-American, more than seven All-SEC selections and more than seven victories per season.

In the eight years prior to Nutt’s arrival, the Hogs appeared on television 36 times, an average of 4.5 games per year. In UA’s first six seasons in the SEC, the Razorbacks averaged three All-SEC picks and had no All-Americans.

Under Nutt, Arkansas has led the SEC in rushing four of the last five years and ranked among the nation’s top 15 four times. Arkansas has also ranked among the NCAA’s top 30 in rushing defense three times, in passing defense twice and in total defense four times.

Nutt’s teams have recorded three of the top seven season rushing totals, five of the top nine season passing totals, the top three total offensive averages, four of the top seven season scoring totals and the top six touchdown passing seasons in school history.

In the classroom, 145 Razorbacks have been named to the SEC’s Academic Honor Roll during Nutt’s tenure.

Nutt is only the third head coach in UA history to lead the Hogs to bowl games in each of his first six seasons. Nutt joins former UA coaches Lou Holtz and Ken Hatfield in accomplishing that feat. Holtz led the Hogs to six straight bowl games from 1977-82 and Hatfield remains the winningest coach by percentage in UA history.

Nutt has turned Arkansas into a fertile recruiting ground for NFL scouts as evidenced by the 27 NFL Draft selections since 1998. In 2004 alone, six former Razorbacks heard their name called in the NFL Draft, including first-round selections Shawn Andrews (Philadelphia Eagles) and Ahmad “Batman” Carroll (Green Bay Packers). Quarterback Matt Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars) made it three Razorback first-round draft picks in two seasons when he was taken with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Three more former Hogs signed with NFL teams in 2006, and in 2007, a total of 13 Razorbacks signed professionally, including four draft picks and nine free agents. Defensive end Jamaal Anderson (Atlanta Falcons) went in the first round, giving Arkansas four first-rounders in the last four years. Overall, 35 Razorbacks have signed professionally with NFL clubs over the last four years.

Nutt has also enhanced the academic success of his players with dozens of student-athletes graduating before their athletic eligibility has expired and the 145 SEC Academic Honor Roll selections. Last year, 35 Razorbacks were named to UA’s Lon Farrell Academic Honor Roll (3.0 grade point average or better), another 35 were named to UA’s Hard Working Hogs award list (30 or more hours earned) with 12 making the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Success is nothing new to the Little Rock, Ark., native. Nutt has compiled a career record of 103-66 (.609) in 14 seasons as a head coach including stops at Murray State, Boise State and Arkansas.

When Nutt was introduced as the 29th head coach in the history of University of Arkansas football on Dec. 10, 1997, it would have been difficult for anyone to envision the immediate, positive impact that he would have on a program, a university and a state.

Taking the reins of a proud program that had faltered in back-to-back 4-7 seasons, Nutt faced the daunting task of restoring the excitement and passion that had been a part of Razorback football for decades.

Nutt has made an immeasurable impact on the Razorback football program, but his commitment to enhance the football program is not limited to the playing field. Nutt yearns to create a family atmosphere for the student-athletes who choose to come to Arkansas. While his on-field accomplishments speak for themselves, it is his investment in the lives of his players that sets him apart.

He and his staff personally monitor class attendance and visit players in their apartments and dormitory rooms at night. Nutt consistently makes decisions with the best interests of his program and student-athletes in mind. While wins and losses are easily calculated, it is Nutt’s commitment to the academic success of his student-athletes that will continue to pay dividends for years to come.

His philosophy has proven to be a recipe for success in the rough and tumble world of SEC football. Once courted by Frank Broyles as a star quarterback out of Little Rock’s Central High School, the optimism of Nutt’s tenure can be calculated in large part by the expansion and renovation of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Hogs’ on-campus home was expanded from 51,000 to 72,000 in time for the 2001 season.

Nutt first thrilled Hog fans when, as a high school senior, he signed with Broyles over Paul “Bear” Bryant and Alabama. The current UA head coach was the last player to sign a letter of intent to play for Broyles before the legendary coach retired after the 1976 season.

With Ron Calcagni sidelined by an injury, Nutt started four games as a true freshman in 1976. He also lettered for Arkansas’ basketball team that year, a squad that finished 26-2 and won the Southwest Conference championship with a perfect 16-0 league mark under Coach Eddie Sutton.

Recruited as a drop-back passer, Nutt spent the 1977 season as a backup in the option-oriented offense instituted by Lou Holtz, Broyles’ successor at the helm of the UA football program. He decided to transfer to Oklahoma State where he redshirted and then played two years at quarterback for the Cowboys. He also spent two seasons with the OSU basketball program. Nutt earned his degree in physical education in 1981. Following his graduation, Nutt remained at OSU as a graduate assistant for head coach Jimmy Johnson.

In 1983 he returned to Arkansas as a graduate assistant under Holtz. His first full-time position came at Arkansas State in the spring of 1984, but Nutt never worked a game in Jonesboro. Instead, Nutt returned to Oklahoma State, this time to be a receivers coach, in August of 1984.

He remained in Stillwater for six seasons, working extensively with quarterbacks and receivers. He was named offensive coordinator late in the 1989 season. Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders and All-American Thurman Thomas both played for the Cowboys during Nutt’s tenure.

Nutt made the trek back to Fayetteville in 1990 to serve as wide receivers coach under Jack Crowe. Despite the Hogs’ struggles during his three seasons on campus, Nutt quickly gained a reputation as an aggressive recruiter while he was establishing excellent relationships with high school coaches in Arkansas.

Murray State recognized his abilities and hired him as head coach in 1993. Nutt guided the Racers to steady progress with 4-7 and 5-6 marks in his first two seasons. In 1995 the program took off.

The Racers went 11-1 in 1995 and won the Ohio Valley Conference with a perfect 8-0 mark. They scored a school-record 421 points and had the most improved record in NCAA Division I-AA football. Their league championship was the school’s first since 1986. Nutt was named OVC Coach of the Year and The Sports Network/Eddie Robinson National Division I-AA Coach of the Year.

In 1996 the Racers posted an 11-2 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in winning their second consecutive league title. MSU won its first I-AA playoff game in school history while eclipsing the school scoring record set just the season before. Nutt was again named OVC and Regional Coach of the Year.

Nutt’s accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed. Boise State, in just its second season of Division I-A football, called on Nutt to take over a fledgling program that was coming off a dismal 2-10 record. In fact, Sports Illustrated rated Boise State 112th out of 112 teams in Division I-A football.

With what most observers agreed was a limited talent pool, Nutt managed to guide the Broncos to a 5-6 record in his first campaign. Nutt’s squad held a lead against Wisconsin in the final minute of play at Madison, Wis., before the Badgers escaped with a win. The Broncos did, however, upset archrival Idaho on its own home field to end the 1997 season.

After a successful season at Boise State, Nutt found himself in the running for the top job at Arkansas. The first candidate interviewed, he waited a week to learn his fate before hearing the job was his.

Since the day he arrived in Fayetteville, he has taken the state by storm. As he recruited student-athletes, he also re-recruited fans who had grown apathetic during a listless decade of Hog football. A solid support base had remained even through the down years, but many who had stayed away were rejuvenated by Nutt’s enthusiasm.

Fans were not the only ones attracted to Nutt’s refreshing approach. Picked to finish last in the SEC West, the Razorbacks exploded out of the gates, winning their first eight games. Arkansas had top-ranked Tennessee on the ropes at Knoxville, Tenn., before an untimely fumble allowed the Volunteers to escape on the way to a national championship.

The Razorbacks finished 9-3 and won a share of the SEC Western Division title. The Hogs made their first ever trip to the Florida Citrus Bowl and concluded the season with their first top 20 poll finish (16th) in nine seasons. For his efforts, Nutt was named Football News’ National Coach of the Year.

In 1999 the Razorbacks became the Western Division favorite because of an unusually large senior class. The Hogs had trouble on the road throughout the campaign, but finished in the manner of legends, defeating No. 3 Tennessee and No. 12 Mississippi State on consecutive weekends to earn a spot opposite long-time rival Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Nutt’s well-prepared team handed the Longhorns a 27-6 defeat in front of a packed house that included more than 40,000 cardinal-clad Hog fans. For the first time in its illustrious history, Texas was held to negative rushing yards. Once again the Hogs finished in the top 20 in the final polls, and Nutt’s status in the eyes of Razorback fans was raised to an even higher level.

In the 2000 campaign, Nutt faced his toughest challenge yet taking on a daunting schedule without the services of the top career passer (Clint Stoerner) and receiver (Anthony Lucas) in school history. From literally the first day of workouts, Nutt and the Razorbacks faced more than their fair share of adversity and injuries. Nine players were lost for the season to injury, including the top three tailbacks listed on the preseason depth chart. In addition, dozens of other players missed practice and game time with various ailments.

Despite all the misfortune and distractions, Nutt rallied his team to back-to-back wins over No. 13 Mississippi State and No. 24 LSU to secure yet another winning regular season and a bowl game.

In 2001, the Razorbacks stumbled to a 1-3 start, including three-straight losses in league play. Nutt and the Hogs rebounded to win six of their final seven regular-season games, including wins over conference divisional leaders in consecutive contests. Arkansas topped No. 9 South Carolina, 10-7, before downing No. 17 Auburn, 42-17. The Hogs won their way back to Dallas for a New Year’s Day meeting with defending national champion Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

The 2002 season started impressively with convincing wins over Boise State and South Florida. After a home loss to Alabama and a road defeat at the hands of Tennessee in six overtimes, the Razorbacks’ hopes for a division title looked bleak, but once again Nutt rallied his team down the stretch. Five straight wins, including road conference wins at South Carolina and Mississippi State, gave the Hogs a chance for a share of the SEC Western Division crown. Trailing nationally-ranked LSU with less than a minute to play, quarterback Matt Jones found DeCori Birmingham in the back of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown pass, a share of the SEC Western Division title and a ticket to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Ga. Arkansas made its second appearance in the league championship game and capped its season in the Music City Bowl.

The Razorbacks wasted little time getting noticed in 2003. Arkansas topped No. 5 Texas, 38-28, in a nationally televised showdown at Austin in the second game of the season. Arkansas vaulted into the national polls at No. 14, marking the highest debut of any team since the poll was expanded to 25 teams in 1989. Two weeks later, Arkansas rallied for a 34-31 double-overtime win at Alabama to keep the momentum going. After suffering a trio of heartbreaking conference games, Arkansas salvaged its season with a historic 71-63 seven-overtime win at Kentucky. The Hogs tied their own NCAA record for overtime periods set in 2001. The memorable win ignited a streak that saw the Razorbacks win four of their last five games including a 27-14 win over Missouri in the Independence Bowl.

Arkansas mounted another late-season run in 2004 before coming up just shy of extending its bowl streak to a school record seven-consecutive seasons. A win over Alabama in the conference opener got things started, but a brutal road slate took its toll in the middle of the campaign. Behind quarterback Matt Jones the Hogs rallied to win back-to-back games against Ole Miss and Mississippi State before falling to LSU in the season finale.

With a new quarterback, the Razorbacks missed out on a bowl bid in 2005, but showed great improvement down the stretch. UA led the SEC in rushing for the third time in four years, won two of its last three and suffered its last three losses by a combined nine points.

The Hogs were back in business in 2006. After a season-opening loss, Arkansas reeled off 10 straight wins, including wins over No. 2 Auburn, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 22 Alabama, and won the Western Division title. UA had chances to win but came up short against No. 4 Florida in the SEC Championship game, 38-28, and in the Capital One Bowl against No. 6 Wisconsin, 17-14. Darren McFadden led the SEC and set a school record by running for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award as the country’s top tailback and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Nutt was named SEC Coach of the Year by the SEC coaches, the Associated Press, and the Little Rock and Atlanta touchdown clubs. Also a national coach of the year finalist, away from the field he was recognized as the 2006 Easter Seals Arkansan of the Year.

Nutt is quick to credit his upbringing for laying the foundation for his success. His parents, the late Houston Sr. and Emogene, spent 35 years teaching young people at the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock. His father, a 2001 inductee into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, also served as athletic director and head basketball coach.

The oldest of four Nutt boys, Houston is not the only family member carrying on his father’s coaching legacy. Dickey is the head basketball coach at Arkansas State while Danny was the Razorbacks’ running backs coach from 1998-2006. Dennis is an assistant basketball coach at Coastal Carolina. The Nutt coaching foursome was featured in an article in Sports Illustrated in 1999.

The head coach at Arkansas has proven true to his family’s rich coaching heritage: a heritage that is centered on commitment, enthusiasm and a passion for people. He has impacted his players’ lives and has revitalized a tradition-rich program in the process.

Born Oct. 14, 1957, Nutt and his wife Diana, who also graduated from Oklahoma State, have four children: Houston III, twins Hailey and Hanna, and Haven.