Arkansas fans have had their love affairs over the years, from Wild Bill Clinton to Bobby P. But let me reference another love affair..

Gus "The Bus" Malzahn

For some time, I've wondered why Arkansas fans have such an obsession with Gus and Auburn. Anytime he is brought up in conversation, Arkansas fans never have anything good to say about him. But do they really hate Gus and have they always felt that way?

Looking for answers, I took a look back in time when Gus left Fayetteville for Tulsa, never to return to coach there again.

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Tale of Two Programs

Malzahn energizes Tulsa, leaves Arkansas fans devastated

Jan. 16, 2007
By Jean Neuberger
Special to CSTV.com

It happened in the blink of a hurricane eye.

Gus Malzahn, the celebrated high school coach turned offensive coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks, abruptly resigned, deciding to head west down the Cherokee Turnpike to direct the offense at Tulsa.

For the Golden Hurricane, the arrival of Malzahn ranks as one of the most high profile hirings ever for an assistant coach. Malzahn, who was Rivals.com's 2006 Coordinator of the Year, will receive a three year contract worth $176,000 per year, matching the salary he was receiving while at Arkansas.

Meanwhile, the loss of Malzahn sent a wave of outrage through Arkansas, mostly directed at Houston Nutt. A KFSM online poll showed that 90 percent of Arkansas fans felt that Malzahn's departure would leave a significant negative impact on the program.

Many Razorback fans credit Malzahn with the turnaround of the football team this season, as they went 10-4 with a SEC West title and featured aHeisman Trophy runner-up in McFadden. Malzahn's "Wildcat" formation, where McFadden lined up behind center and took the snaps, was widely successful, and was being implemented at other college programs such asCalifornia, who used it in their Holiday Bowl win over Texas A&M. His trick plays, most notably "Woody," used in a 27-10 win over Auburn, sent defensive coordinators into fits and brought new energy into what was a vanilla Razorback offensive attack.

"In his first season as a coach at the collegiate level, he was an integral part of a team that won 10 games and won an SEC Western Division championship," said Nutt. "I wish him nothing but the best both personally and professionally as he takes on his new role."

Comments from Arkansas fans:

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I will be sad to see Gus go. We all know he was responsible for any and all creativity this past year.

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Wait until Gus moves up soon to head coach, Tulsa or elsewhere, and with his offense slips up on people and wins a national title.

That was somewhat prophetic.. lol

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This is a SAD SAD day in razorback football. Frank and Houston, doing everything they can to RUN the program in the ground. There is a problem at Arkansas and it'll never be fixed until Broyles is gone. Good Luck Gus! Maybe we can finish 6-5, another avg year that we RUN, RUN, PASS, PUNT at Arkansas pre-Gus. *SIGH*

This post was edited on 10/21/16 at 7:01 pm