John C. Futrall

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John Clinton Futrall (March 9, 1873 – September 12, 1939) was an American football coach and college administrator. He studied at Arkansas Industrial University, which later became the University of Arkansas, and he was the first head football coach for the Razorbacks, from 1894 to 1896, when the team’s mascot was the Cardinal. His coaching record was 5–2.

Futrall later became a professor of Latin and Greek. In 1914, after two years of interim presidents, he was chosen as the university president and guided the school for the next 25 years, until his death in 1939. His presidency is the longest in the university’s history.

During his time as president, Futrall faced a serious financial crisis and worked with Governor Charles H. Brough to secure state funding. He defended the university against efforts to move it to Little Rock, helped win official accreditation, and oversaw the construction of many Gothic-style buildings funded by bonds, including the engineering and agricultural buildings in 1926–1927. He also limited postgraduate study, leading to no doctoral programs during his lifetime even after the Graduate School was created in 1927.

A notable challenge came from the Bankers Agricultural revolt, which sought to control the College of Agriculture and its extension services. Futrall refused to allow this, and the university purchased land to support its programs while choosing a new dean loyal to the university.

Another major issue was a movement to relocate the university from Northwest Arkansas. Bills were introduced to move parts of the university to Russellville, but the efforts were defeated in 1924 and remained unsettled for a time, with the matter ultimately postponed in the Senate.

In 1938, Futrall helped establish a student union by charging a $2 annual fee. Memorial Hall, one of the buildings funded in part by the Public Works Administration, opened after his death. The building was named Futrall Memorial Hall in his honor, along with the completion of other facilities like the Home Economics Building and parts of Ozark Hall (then part of the university’s campus).

Futrall also helped create a student government, expand student activities, and found the School of Law. He died in an automobile accident on September 12, 1939, near West Fork, Arkansas, at age 66.