Dan Hampton

Bio

A 1978 First Team All-America selection by the American Football Coaches Association, Dan Hampton logged 98 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss during his senior campaign. He was named the Southwest Conference (SWC) Defensive Player of the Year, also earning First Team All-SWC honors and recognition as the outstanding SWC Player of the Year from the Houston Post. Hampton was a Second Team All-SWC selection in his junior season, and he posted 70 tackles, including eight for loss. In 1976, as a sophomore, Hampton made 48 tackles (2 for loss) and recovered two fumbles. As a freshman, he had 21 tackles, including 4 for loss. In his career, he amassed a total of 237 tackles (126 unassisted) with 32 being behind the line of scrimmage and recovered six fumbles. Arkansas went 35-10-2 during his tenure in Fayetteville. Hampton played for Hall of Fame coaches Frank Broyles (who was the head coach) and Jimmy Johnson (the defensive coordinator who recruited him) during his first two seasons with the Razorbacks. As a freshman, he helped the Razorbacks to a share of the SWC title, a 31-10 victory over Georgia in the 1976 Cotton Bowl and a No. 7 AP ranking. The Razorback defense played a key role in the bowl game, preventing a Bulldog first down from the second quarter until late in the fourth. Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz replaced Broyles as the head coach in 1977, and the Razorbacks went 11-1, beating Oklahoma 31-6 in the Orange Bowl to claim a No. 3 AP ranking. During his senior season, Arkansas tallied a 9-2-1 record, playing UCLA to a 10-10 tie in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 11 AP ranking. Hampton helped the defense sack UCLA QB Steve Bukich eight times in the bowl game.

Career Highlights

• 1978 All-Conference
• 1978 Conference Defensive Player of the Year
• 1978 First Team All-America