The Hogs are Not Called, Calipari Shares Familiar Phrases with Arkansas Fans

John Calipari made his first public appearance in Fayetteville on Wednesday as the Arkansas head basketball coach. Coach Cal shared a few phrases we’ve heard before and sidestepped the Razorbacks’ signature salute at Bud Walton Arena.

A few hundred fans were in the stands for the celebration of Arkansas basketball. Instead of immediately hosting a press conference, this was a simple Q&A to speak directly to the fans. He opened with a joke. “I have never gotten that kind of greeting in this building.”

That played well. His ejection in 2020 was memorable, but that line wasn’t as good as the haymaker he prepared for the biggest crowd-pop of the night.

“Kentucky’s the bluest of blue. There’s only a few schools like that and I hate to tell you, Arkansas is one of them,” Calipari said.

The fans in the stands ate it up. They ate up a few more quotes, but before I share those, something else happened that was a stunner.

College programs have various traditions that may seem silly to some. USC’s is a simple hand gesture for “Fight On.” The rallying cry for Arkansas fans is a collective Calling of the Hogs. The “Woo Pig Sooie!” might sound kind of cool when thousands do it, but it’s always awkward at introductory press conferences. Bobby Petrino taught us that.

We were waiting for the moment when Calipari was coerced into Calling the Hogs. In a shocking twist, he left the stage before the Hogs could squeal.

The DISRESPECT for the Calling of the Hogs is SHOCKING. pic.twitter.com/SUevFCIBYM

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) April 10, 2024

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Kentucky Fans Heard Calipari Say This Before

The initial 30-minute conversation with Arkansas fans was the Cal Comedy Hour at Bud Walton Arena. He talked about his connections to the program. He cracked jokes, particularly about a former Razorback who played for him with the Nets. As you might expect, he also dipped back into his bag of Cal-isms.

“I’m not that guy that has a magic wand,” is a direct quote from both his Kentucky and Arkansas introductory press conferences.

There was another line that was similar to the message Kentucky fans heard from Calipari 15 years ago in Lexington.

“One more thing. I’m always going to be a player’s first coach. I’m sorry. It’s about the players,” he said. “I know. For some reason, people think you can’t really be a coach that wants to win if you’re about the players. No, you can do both.”

Before you know it, Arkansas will be tweaking and Calipari will be reminding Razorback fans that his players don’t poop ice cream.