07 Sep 2025 501 Hometown Hall of Famers: Ron Calcagni

Posted at 4:22 PMh in Sports by

By David Grimes

Ron Calcagni is one of the winningest quarterbacks in University of Arkansas history, and in 1978, he led the team to a victory that will live forever in Razorback lore.

Calcagni was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 2015 as part of the 57th class, along with Dwight Adams, Pat Bradley, Leon Clements, Jack Fleck, Eldon Hawley, Carl Jackson, Stephen Jones, Stan Lee, Mike Malham Jr., Christy Smith and Bowden Wyatt.

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Calcagni had been a running back in high school before moving to quarterback as a senior. He was also a talented baseball player. He had committed to the University of Michigan but ultimately decided to become a Razorback.

As a true freshman in 1975, he saw some action as a backup, throwing for one touchdown. Arkansas finished 10-2 that season under Head Coach Frank Broyles. He named Calcagni the starting quarterback for the 1976 season. The Razorbacks got off to a hot start, going 5-1-1, but when Calcagni suffered a season-ending injury, the Hogs lost their final four games of the year.

Broyles retired following the 1976 season and was replaced by Lou Holtz. The Razorbacks fielded a very talented team in Holtz’s first year, featuring several other future ASHOF inductees, including Dan Hampton, Larry Jackson, Leotis Harris, Jimmy Walker and Ben Cowins.

Calcagni would earn first-team All-Southwest Conference honors in 1977, leading the Hogs to a regular season record of 10-1. The only blemish was a four-point loss to the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, who were led by Heisman Trophy-winning running back Earl Campbell. The Hogs ended the season ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and were matched up against No. 2-ranked Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl, played on Jan. 2. The Sooners were 10-1, with their only loss also coming to Texas.

Oklahoma was coached by Crossett native and former Razorback player and assistant coach Barry Switzer, who is also an ASHOF inductee. Switzer’s Sooners were a powerhouse, having won national championships in 1974 and 1975 and were poised to win another that Jan. 2. Earlier in the day, No. 1 Texas had been upset by Notre Dame, so an Oklahoma win would have bumped the Sooners up one spot in the polls to claim the national title.

TOP RIGHT: The Sports Illustrated college football preview issue featured Arkansas on the cover in 1978 and declared the team was No. 1 in the country with Ron Calcagni, Ben Cowins and Coach Lou Holtz leading them to victory. BOTTOM RIGHT: Calcagni led the Hogs in 1978 in a famous upset at the Orange Bowl when they defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 38-6.

A couple of weeks before the game, Holtz had suspended three players, including the team’s leading rusher. Oklahoma was a heavy favorite, but behind the steady hand of Calcagni, the Razorbacks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in program history.

The first score of the game came on a short run by Roland Sales, who was thrust into the starting running back spot due to the suspensions. Following an Oklahoma turnover, Calcagni ran in for a one-yard touchdown to put the Hogs up 14-0, and they never looked back. Arkansas won the game going away, 31-6, denying Oklahoma the national title. The Razorbacks ended up No. 3 in the final AP poll.

Coming into the 1978 season, hopes were high for the Hogs. They were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college football preview issue, which had Arkansas as the No. 1 team in the country. That cover featured Calcagni, Coach Holtz and Ben Cowins. Copies of this magazine are included in many Hog fans’ collections.

Calcagni was named a team captain for that 1978 season. The Razorbacks would end up going 9-2-1 with a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. That record was somewhat disappointing, given the preseason expectations, but a record most Hog fans would love to have today.

Calcagni went 25-4-2 as a starter and would finish his Razorback career with an equal number of 17 touchdowns rushing and 17 passing. He played three seasons in the Canadian Football League and later had a long career in coaching that included collegiate stops at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Houston. In 2009, he was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.

Calcagni has lived in Conway since 1999 and coached at Pulaski Heights Middle School for almost two decades. In February, he was named head coach of the Arkansas Storm, a new professional football team based out of Little Rock that will begin play in 2026.