Update 9-19-2025
A football story close to my heart!
A Personal Football Story - The GOAT of Arkansas Football Seasons, and Mystery Photo Update
I only had a few years with my father-in-law. He was a college football star on what must have been the most successful college football season in Arkansas sports history. He passed away in December 1973, two years after Susan and I married and a few short days after his first grandson was born.
His name was John B. “Bud” Mobley. My friend Dr. Tom DeBlack and I have spent a lot of time researching the stories Bud could have told. DeBlack and I have become good friends, and we still enjoy researching the teams my father-in-law played on. Last week, I stepped away from my baseball history theme to write the story of the undefeated 1945 Wonder Boys football team.
The tale of one of Arkansas’ most amazing college football teams ran as a feature in Only in Arkansas. If you missed it, please visit this link and return to the football season of 80 years ago. The “Greatest Generation” returned home from WWII to produce a legendary football season and make college football history.
1945 Wonder Boys Only in Arkansas
Dr. DeBlack, who wrote the comprehensive history of Arkansas Tech published in 2016, has another amazing story coming soon about an epic season and an earlier team with an Arkansas Tech connection. Look for the story of the “Arkansas Football Travelers” in a coming edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
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Not surprisingly, two baseball history scholars, Caleb Hardwick and Jim Rasco, successfully identified the September Mystery Photo. Below is the unaltered photo that should trigger some new, correct guesses.
