I thought that I remember the "Sweathoggs" was an acronym for the type of class that Mr. Kotter taught. Does anyone remember what that acronym stood for?

:) Nope, Sweathogs was not an acronym for the Remedial Academic Students. It was just a nickname, I'd sure like to know who came up with the name.

Gabe Kaplan himself. The "Sweathogs" were originally a part of his stand-up act during the early '70s(actually a reminensce, like Bill Cosby's "Fat Albert" routines..), where Epstein, Horshack, and Barbarino were Kaplan's classmates back in the sixties.

When producer Sol Saks offered Kaplan the opportunity to turn his Sweathogs into a sitcom, they decided that Kaplan, who was too old to play a teenager, would be the teacher, a former Sweathog himself, educating a new generation...hence "Welcome Back, Kotter".

(Note: I am unsure if Freddy "Boom-Boom" Washington was in Mr. Kaplan's original routines or not, as it's been years since I heard them. Anyone else out there have a clue?):confused: