321. Doug Case: Taking the Baton
The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly
Sport & Story
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 January 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, we sit down with Doug Case, the new head coach of Arkansas men's track and field, to get to know the man taking the baton from longtime leader Chris Bucknam. After 18 years as Bucknam's top assistant, Case steps into the head role with deep roots in one of the most successful programs in college track history.
Over his career, Case has helped develop Olympic gold medalists, World Champions, Bowerman Award winners, and NCAA title holders, and now he shares how he plans to build forward while honoring the legacy of Razorback track and field. We talk about his vision for the program, how he's navigating the rapidly changing college athletics landscape, and why work ethic and loyalty have been central to his coaching journey.
Plus, Doug gives us a peek behind the curtain—including a surprising, lesser-known talent that's helped him succeed at the highest level of the sport.
A thoughtful, revealing conversation with one of the most respected minds in track and field as he begins a new chapter in Fayetteville.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Well, I was just told that I'm the third coach in like 40 years at Arkansas, you know, so no pressure. |
| 0:07.3 | One of them being John McDonald and Chris Buckham. |
| 0:10.8 | And it's kind of funny. |
| 0:12.5 | I never really, my whole life I hadn't said I'm trying to be a head coach type thing. |
| 0:17.0 | That was never something that I planned, you know, wasn't something that I really said that was what I have to do to accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish and be a good coach. |
| 0:26.6 | But I think in the process of doing those things, you, you know, you reap the benefits sometime and that's where I am now. |
| 0:34.6 | And I'm excited about it. I think we can keep this thing rolling and like I said before I'm not trying to change the world here with the way we do things. |
| 0:45.3 | You know, it's not an overhaul by any means. |
| 0:47.3 | It's keep this thing running on the tracks and if we do that, we're going to be successful. |
| 1:03.8 | Welcome into the hog pot. |
| 1:09.8 | I'm Bow Mattingly, and this episode is made possible by our friends at South by Northwest Hospitality. |
| 1:16.5 | Arkansas Men's Track and Field has a new head coach, Doug Case, who has handed the baton from Chris Bucknell after being his assistant for 18 years. |
| 1:20.6 | From a technical standpoint, he's the best coach I've ever known. |
| 1:26.1 | While specializing in sprints and hurdles, he developed numerous gold medal Olympians, |
| 1:31.3 | world champions, Bowerman winners, and NCAA title holders. |
| 1:36.3 | If you're a good evaluator of a student athlete or athleticism, whatever it may be, you can succeed. |
| 1:42.3 | And I want to assure you, Doug was not given the position. |
| 1:46.3 | He earned the position. He earned it over the past 18 years as a loyal assistant and associate head |
| 1:52.5 | coach at the University of Arkansas. He earned it by being a part of the fabric of the continued |
| 1:57.2 | success of our track and field program. He earned it because he truly understands |
| 2:02.0 | what it means to be the head track and field coach at the University of Arkansas and the |
| 2:06.3 | expectations and pressures that come with that. His loyalty, patience, and work ethic are something |
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