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By: Molly O’Mara
Razorback sophomore Scott MacPherson is no stranger to success and the traditions that stem from triumph and withstand the test of time. A legend in the Texas high school track and field record books, MacPherson chose Arkansas to help pave the way for the rest of what is expected to be a storied running career.
“I was looking at other schools but as soon as I came on my visit here and met with Coach (head coach John McDonnell), I knew this was the place for me,” MacPherson said. “There is not a better coach in the country; there is not a better program in the country. The best facilities in the world are right here. If you want to be the best you have to train with the best. Running with them everyday, something is bound to rub off.”
While his freshman campaign got off to a rocky start with redshirting the cross country season and having a less then stellar track season, MacPherson attributes the shaky season to experience and feels that having one year of collegiate running under his belt has prepared him for the next three years of competition.
“It was kind of like getting hit in the gut (making the transition to college from running at the high school level),” the Plano native explained. “I went from winning most races in high school by a minute or so and having a very successful career and then I came (to Fayetteville) and was just getting trashed in workouts. I wouldn’t even finish an easy run up at the top. It was very hard mentally and physically. My body was drained from school and training and the new environment. So was my head.”
Luckily for McDonnell and the rest of the Razorback track squad, MacPherson had a clear idea of what he needed to do in order to keep his career on track.
“I just had to stay positive and be patient,” MacPherson added. “Those are the two things that made me or broke me for this year and luckily I was able to do both.”
MacPherson wasn’t on his own during his first year on The Hill. He had the most successful coach in collegiate athletic history behind him in McDonnell. There was a mutual trust between the legend and the rookie.
“I knew that it was just a matter of time before Coach Mac’s program would set in,” MacPherson said. “I knew coming in that this was the place where I would be the best runner I can be. I knew it was just a matter of time.”
MacPherson wasn’t alone in the transition from high school competition to collegiate athletics. He was a member of typically-heralded Arkansas recruiting class that included fellow distance harriers Kenny Cormier and Chris Barnicle.
“(Freshmen year) was a big learning experience and it was really nice to have the other freshmen that we did and we could lean on each other,” MacPherson explained. “We all had good races last year but then again we all had tough races last year. The entire year was a learning experience. It was like running around the track with your jaw dropped, amazed at how good these guys are. It’s a different level and eventually I’ll be there but right now I just have to keep my head on straight, work hard and it will happen for me.”
Things started to come around for MacPherson when the 2006 cross country season was in full swing. He steadily improved every week and his strength aided him in dominating the trails. He capped off the season earning the first All-America honor of his career. For many Hog runners, garnering All-America accolades means sitting under the needle to get a running Razorback tattoo.
“I think it was the first step of many,” MacPherson recalled of earning All-America status. “I knew if I ever got a tattoo, the first one I would want would be the Razorback. I heard the story and the myth behind (getting a Razorback tattoo after earning All-America honors) and it’s just such a cool story and it has such a special meaning. I was really excited when I found out I made All-American.”
It’s more then just ink to MacPherson. To him, it is pride, carrying on traditions and doing Arkansas proud.
“Now I can run shoulders a little higher, head a little higher,” MacPherson said. “Even if I have a bad race I can walk off the track knowing I have (the Razorback) on my arm and I think it gives me a lot more confidence going into some situations, knowing that I have that accolade.”
MacPherson is one of many that have earned All-America honors while wearing the Cardinal and White. There are 179 Razorbacks with 638 All-America honors to their credit and MacPherson is honored to be a part of that group.
“Sometimes during workouts or races, I’ll look up and see Arkansas on the wall or look ahead of me in a workout and just start counting national champions and All-Americans,” MacPherson added. “I think to myself ‘I’m really doing it, this is where I’m supposed to be, this is what I’m supposed to do and it’s really happening.’ It’s all coming together and the next three or four years should be something special.”
History and tradition have always been a part of the 2005 Texas Relays’ Outstanding Male Athlete and four-time Texas state champion’s life. Though his name still resides in the Texas high school record books, his new goals include tackling the Arkansas record books and keeping the tradition alive that he so deeply respects and admires.
“I think it was before the SEC Championships where we all ran amazingly,” Macpherson explained. “We all mentioned to each other ‘we have to run like Razorbacks today’. There is a tradition here. It’s in the air that we breathe; it’s in the trails where we run. The soil that we run on everyday and the trees, they all have stories of great runners and national champions and Olympians and we are part of that. It’s more then putting on a uniform and having a Hog on your arm.”
MacPherson does proudly sport that Razorback on his arm but for him its deeper, a source of strength in a chaotic environment and reason to keep going.
“The history that comes with being a Razorback, it’s pretty special and I’m happy to be a part of it,” MacPherson said. “I know that all these guys, when they put on that white top and red shorts, something changes about most of them. They aren’t that goofy guy in the lockerroom anymore. They are ready to run, ready to run like Razorbacks.”
MacPherson and the running Razorbacks will return to the track when they host the Razorback Invitational, Jan. 19-20, at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
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