Senator of Razorback Baseball

The Razorback family is mourning the loss of Ken Brock, longtime Razorback fan and founder of the Swatter’s Club, a group of passionate fans that helps support Razorback Baseball. Brock, 93, passed away on Sunday afternoon in Springdale.

“He was such a people person,” legendary Arkansas baseball coach Norm DeBriyn said. “He lived by the two great commandments, Love Thy God and Love They Neighbor. That is the way he lived his life.”

Brock was a loyal Razorback fan in all sports, but was a mainstay when it came to Razorback Baseball. It was an affiliation and longtime friendship that all began thanks to a phone call to DeBriyn looking for some help.

“My association with Ken began in 1979, we were going to Omaha for the first time and he called me to try and get two tickets,” DeBriyn said. “From that point on, we talked and became close friends. After a while he decided he would start a Dugout Club for fans. That is now what we know as the Swatters Club and has been a great addition. He did so much for our program from selling season tickets to whatever he could do to help someone. He was a Razorback through and through.”

Brock served as a team host for multiple NCAA Regionals at Baum Stadium and was always there to lend a helping hand in whatever way he could. His friendships throughout Northwest Arkansas and beyond helped Coach DeBriyn and then Coach Dave Van Horn connect with key members of the community.

“I called him the Senator because he was always politicking and he knew everybody,” DeBriyn said.
“He was the kind of person that would meet someone and then hang around and ask a second and then a third question. He wanted to get to know everyone. One day, I told him ‘You should be a Senator. That is what I’m going to call you.’ A few days later it had caught on, and someone came up to me and asked ‘Is he a state senator or from the House of Representatives?”

Although not an elected official, Brock was certainly a Razorback ambassador. His infectious personality made an impact on everyone he had a chance to meet. Last April during a Swatters Club meeting, Razorback Baseball had an opportunity to say thank you.

There at the club he founded, Coach DeBriyn and Coach Van Horn presented Brock with a crystal baseball recognizing his many contributions. Although he was standing alongside two bona fide Razorback coaching legends, this time the standing ovation was for a Senator, the Senator of Razorback Baseball Ken Brock.