Echoes from the Past

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 1:02 AM CDT Comment 30 comments

I came to Texas with high football expectations.

Sky high expectations. I didn't know much about urban living nor what the university was really all about. Through all the cultural shock, the one expectation was that I was going to see some great football up close and personal. Realistic? I thought so.

After the great teams of '61 (10-1) and '62 (9-1-1) had put Texas in the mix for the national championship, the Horns had used a vicious defense to power their way to their first national championship in 1963. That defense forced three shut outs (Tulane, Baylor and TCU), five games with single digit scoring, including Navy in the Cotton Bowl, and only Arkansas and aTm scored the high of 13 points. Grand total for the season for points allowed: 71. Great D centered around Tommy Nobis.

In 1964, a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to #8 Arkansas at Memorial Stadium knocked the Horns out of #1 but they would not lose another game, defeating Bear Bryant, Joe Willie Namath and 'Bama for a rousing start to 1965.

DRK and the Horns went 40-3-1 coming into '65, so I wasn't alone in my expectations. With Nobis coming back for his senior year and great recruiting classes coming off the national championship, it seems preordained that greatness would follow.

Greatness would never happen over the next three years. There were tumultuous times in the nation apart from football, but for the football faithful there was first disappointment, then shock and bitterness, and then cynicism.

1965 started off with three rainy games. It actually rained - more like Houston drizzle most of the time -for 21 days in a row, a record for Austin. I saw more umbrellas than I'd ever seen in my life, more than I would ever see again. But the Horns won, beating Tulane, Tech and Indiana to rise to #1 in the nation. Then we whipped OU 19-0 and the future looked so bright. Time to kick some ass.

Disaster in the HIlls

The Horns went to #3 Arkansas for a nationally televised game. In the single luckiest game I've ever seen (only via TV), the Hogs grabbed a mid-air fumble to go 60+ for a TD and would also grab a muffed punt for another cheapie. The Horns fought back valiantly, but lost 27-24. Never, ever trust the Hogs. Ever.

That was such a black moment - you could see it in everyone's eyes on campus. That single game was where the great decline started and would carry through '66 and '67 seasons. The next week the Horns lost to Rice, 20-17, then got whacked by SMU, 31-14, and finally two weeks later fell to TCU, 25-10. They would rebound to beat the Aggies but would go no where. What started so great had turned into disaster.

1966 would get no better, losing to USC in the opener, 10-6 and then OU (18-9), Arkansas, 12-7, and SMU, 13-12. The close wins all went the other way, but the Horns won three straight to end the season and went to the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston and defeated Mississippi, 19-0, in one of the most well-played games I had seen all season.

The national press perked up a little and, in a fit of optimism, ranked Texas # 5 going into 1967, their first national ranking since mid-*65. However, in the opener the Horns lost to #7 SC in LA, 17-13, then fell to Tech the next week, 19-13, to fall out of the rankings altogether. Two weeks, bada boom, bada bing. Back to the pack.

The team did fight back, winning six in a row, including a 9-7 win over OU. But the season ended with two horrible losses. The first was to TCU, 24-17, in the absolutely worst game I've ever seen in Austin; no spirit, no competitiveness, no luck, absolutely predictable on offense. Texas' two TDs came on long runs by Chris Gilbert, the second for 96 yards which is still the record from scrimmage. The small crowd of about 45k didn't even notice until he was 30-40 yards from the goal line (he was on the Texas sideline, so he was shielded somewhat). But that was it, two plays which accounted for most of the yardage. No offense aside from the big plays, a problem that was apparent the last several years, with an increasingly vulnerable defense.

On Thanksgiving Day, Texas lost to A&M, 10-7. The loss was the first ever to the aggies for Royal, just like the loss to OU in '66 was his first since his debut season in 1957. A line had been crossed. The past had faded. The future seemed bleak.

It was perplexing. Texas had some great recruiting classes, including the '65 class with Bill Bradley and Chris Gilbert. And the recruiting hauls would continue in '66 and '67, but the Horns were getting no production from all those 'great players' and, in fact, were becoming more mediocre each season.

What the hell was going on? Royal was being challenged in ways he had never been before. The wolves were howling. The confidence of alumni and regular fans fell to new lows that hadn't been seen since Royal came on board. The '63 championship was still a point of pride but suddenly ancient history. Sound familiar?

A New Beginning

The Horns had averaged only 18.6 points per game in '67 and it smelled like slow death to the now cynical fans. At the end of the season, Royal asked his OC, Emory Bellard to design an offense to take advantage of all the talented running backs the Horns had accumulated. DKR had always been defensively oriented and really never had a bad D. But offense became worse and worse. So they'd gone after more offensive players but the wing-T offense had become stale, not just at Texas but across the nation.

Bellard had heard about an offense near Ft. Worth when he was at Breckenridge, the Monnig T, created by junior high coach Spud Cason to move the fullback up closer to the line to get him into the play quicker. And Bellard had been an assistant coach to Ox Emerson down at Alice, where Emerson had moved a guard into the fullback position to get a running start at the line to created better blocks.

Bellard came up with his refinement, using parts of Bill Yeoman's and Homer's Rice's veer offense, a take off on the earlier belly series my HS team had even run in the early 60s. The Horns had watched A&M run an option offense when it had beat Alabama in the Cotton Bowl that year.

Change was in the air. And if you can't beat 'em... Bellard's creation, the formation and the blocking, gave the Horns a half-a-person to a whole-person advantage at the point of attack and forced teams to defend the whole field all the time. It put tremendous pressure on the D, not so different from the modern spread offenses.

The wishbone didn't start well in 1968, even though the rumors of the new offense had pushed Texas to a #4 ranking. Houston, ranked #11 with RB Paul Gibson really putting on a show, wound up tying Texas, 20-20. Then the Horns turned fumble fingered at Tech, losing the ball every way possible and lost 31-22. QB Bill Bradley was moved to receiver and then to safety, and a youngster named James Street took over for good. Texas whipped Oklahoma State 31-3 and then faced OU, with both teams unranked.

This was the pivotal game in wishbone history. Texas trailed 20-19, and got the ball back in the shadow of their own goal with just over 2 minutes left. Many of the OU fans had left the Cotton Bowl, but all us Texas fans were there and just screaming our butts off.

Strangely enough, the drive started with three straight jump passes to Pete Lammons, which gained about 25 yards. I don't ever remember any Texas coach ever using such a sequence again. But that third jump pass just was so unexpected it totally shook up OU. Texas had no problem working down the field, getting more aggressive as they went. And once in the red zone, Steve Worster ran through holes that, from my vantage point in the northwest corner down low, were just enormous. Texas scored and won, 26-20.

The rest, as they say, is history. All those great recruiting classes turned to gold on both sides of the ball. The Horns found the winning touch, found their luck and would storm to a couple of NCs and the longest winning streak in the school's history. That didn't diminish how long those three mediocre years seemed to me, just like the last two have been an agony for you younger Horns. But it made the wait seem worth it all.

Back to the Present

Change does not come easily. Time is a spiral in terms of humans. While it may seem to repeat, it never does so in the same manner. What happened exactly 40 years ago this season won't be repeated in the same manner. There are so many situational similarities, though, that I felt this would be of some value.

The chances of the current Horns finding a new variant on offense is slim; that bone has been thoroughly chewed, and I would expect only minor changes.

The Horns score plenty of points and with better execution will continue to do so. It's the defense which has slipped.

What can be created are new defensive variants, because right now the spread is gaining dominance in college football and is ripe for some defensive catch-up. The pros can stop the spread, and they do it with speed, with pressure on the QB and man-to-man at the corners. So, this is about personnel and scheme, with timing and attack.

The Horns aren't the only one searching for answers, but they are in the upper echelon of teams with the athletes and the speed to find the answer. It may not be easy but the opportunity is there this season. Of course, '68 led to '69 and '70. And remember, patience is always a virtue.

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Whatever...

Fire Mack and Greg. Muschamp for HC/DC and Applewhite for OC.

I wonder if Royal would have been around to win those 1.5 more MNCs if the Internet had existed back then.

.gp whills

by Horn Brain on Aug 11, 2008 1:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The net would have been steaming, for sure.

Royal went from hero of the century to goat in three years. It was very much like Mack after the aTm game last year. I wonder if DKR gave him some fatherly advice.

And if Mack makes another run, I’d expect he’ll retire. What you note might exactly fall into place.

I intuitively feel a lot of coaches circling like sharks, especially if it goes bad.

And thanks. I think I’m gonna reverse the Fulmer Report for the top 25.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 2:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fulmer Cup?

Or is there some document called the Fulmer Report?

If so, I’d like to hope that it’s some sort of Defcon 1 plan created by SEC higher ups on how to contain the “Fulminator” in the event Tennessee should ever run out of spare ribs and bone suckin’ sauce.

by learned hand on Aug 11, 2008 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope. Same net item. But the other sounds good.

I sorta use Report as a snap shot of the ride to the Cup. We still got a few weeks before the season starts, so Georgia has no guarantees of winning it. Out-in-the-world Georgia ain’t doing too well, either.

If there is such a thing as a power index rating, Georgia oughta be down a few notches. Distraction and overcompensation can be definite negative factors, or, in less hypothetical circles, bad luck on the road.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Funny how one game can change everything.

Like the ‘65 piggie game (2 years before I was born), I thing the the ‘84 ou game sent us into a 14 year tailspin. A rainy game that we were lucky to tie. Except ‘90, we had a hard time getting to .500.

Great post.

by Bevoboy94 on Aug 11, 2008 7:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Um, awesome.

by billyzane on Aug 11, 2008 8:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great article

Glad to know there’s someone around here older than me! (My first game was USC in ‘66.) Something worth mentioning is that part of the problem in the late 60’s and early 70’s was the slowness in integrating the team. Julius Whittier did not arrive until ‘70 and even when Rosie Leaks came in ‘74, there were still very few black players on the team. A big reason we got beat by SMU in 1966 was Jerry Levias running wild all over us.

BTW: As a recall, Bradley finished out ‘68 at wide receiver and moved to safety the next year.

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Aug 11, 2008 10:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You know. you're right about Bradley.

I don’t remember him doing much at receiver. When he came in, freshmen couldn’t play varsity ball. They actually had a freshman team for the new recruits, but that was a mess. Walk-ons were necessary to even make two teams because classes were not recruited evenly for all positions. That was soon dropped and the redshirt system came in at some point soon after. Two platoon football was new then and the NCAA was adjusting to the new dynamic. (I realize my history on that is not exact; maybe good for a later post.)

Texas did lag in recruiting black players while OU made it a point to do so, which Switzer explains in detail in his book. That was one of the elements which allowed OU to become dominant in the region after ‘71. Levias made a big impact; so did early players like Bubba Smith, from Orange and played in Beaumont, going to Michigan State. And Texas A&I in the same period as the early wishbone sent 11 players to the pros in one season. There was a tremendous amount of talent with little of it going to Texas.

BTW the SMU game where Levias caught the winning TD against aTm in the final seconds was one of the great games in that period.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

re: Texas A&I

I was lucky enough to grow up in Kingsville and see years of Javelina football. The option attack with big fullback and fast running back just killed. I am certainly no theorist, so why doesn’t that system get used anymore?

Brown Control to Major Applewhite...

by bfaut86 on Aug 11, 2008 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

People came up with effective defenses for it.

The ‘bone went through different permutations, like the flex bone, both by Bellard at A&M and Mississippi St. and by others who picked it up. OU added serious speed to it. But defenses caught up with it and learned to just kill the QB by forcing him to run; by taking away the run and forcing the pass by overloading and blitzing, in general, by forcing the wishbone to do things it did not do well. Which is what you try to do to any offense.

If all four backs were a serious thread, the ‘bone could be a killer. But a lot of teams didn’t have that kind of depth.

Bellard has said that if you take one person out of a backfield, you lose 50% of your deception. That’s if you break the bone. But it is also true if one of your players rarely carries the ball. So, many teams didn’t have the ability to carry the threat of deception and were more easily defensed.

Pro teams only adopted a few goal line plays. They recognized that at their level, they would be sacrificing their QB, both short and long term.

Then. the passing revolution kicked off and the ‘bone was history. The teams who run it now are rare. They know that teams have to actually spend a lot of practice time just becoming acquainted with defensing them, to get down some of the reactive skills necessary to stop it. It’s a pain in the butt for DCs not because it can’t be stopped but because they don’t have the amount of time to teach it in a week. So teams that run it have an advantage. No major teams run it now. But some of the formations – and some of the logic – show up in the modern game. Forcing defenses to cover the field both horizontally and vertically is the same objective in modern offenses.

I’d like to see Texas come out in that formation every so often just to screw with opposing DCs. They actually have a few times but motion out of it. Just a teaser. I want them to run it a few times.

Bellard would have loved to have the backfield of James Brown, Ricky Williams, Shad Mitchell and Priest Holmes. Now that’s a threatening wishbone backfield everywhere on the field.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 7:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Triple option

A lot of teams decided to commit the MLB to stopping the fullback belly plan and the DE/OLB to stopping the pitch. This left the QB to cut inside and soon enough the wear and tear caught up to him.

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Aug 12, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw those A&I teams

FB Don Hardeman was a No. 1 NFL pick; at the small college level, he was a beast. RB Larry Collins was a major-college TB running with Hardeman and a stud option QB, plus 5 teammates who were NFL draftees; Collins went about No. 3 in the NFL draft. QB Richard Ritchie was an option/veer magician who, in addition to the running talent, had a future NFL receiver in Glenn Starks to open up the passing game. From Wikipedia:
“The Javelinas . . .had successive records of 13-0, 12-0, 13-0 . . . winning the NAIA Division I championships three years. Ritchie’s record as a starting quarterback was 39-0. The 1975 team played the dedication game for Aloha Stadium in Honolulu and beat Hawaii 43-0. The 1976 team played exhibition games in France, Austria, and Germany.” Ritchie coached under Fred Akers in the late ‘70s at UT, was later an offensive coordinator at Tech or NT. Major college coaches estimated the ‘75 and ‘76 A&I teams could have played competitively (mid pack) in the SWC of that era.
The option worked because it hit heavy-footed, I-formation style defenses with quickness and deception. It stopped working when defense began employing OLBs and safeties with greater speed and, as someone else pointed out, when defenses began loading up on the RBs and treating the QB like a rag doll.
But a well-run option(A&I at its level, UH under Bill Yeoman, Nebraska when Osborne was a young head coach) was a treat to watch.

by edsp on Aug 11, 2008 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

bradley

He moved to WR after the ‘68 debacle at Tech, as Street took over (last loss before the 30-game winning streak). Think he caught a TD pass against Oklahoma State the very next week. Ended up at safety by midseason and, if memory serves, picked off about 3 passes against Edd Hargett of A&M to end the season. Bradley was a senior in ‘68.

by edsp on Aug 11, 2008 3:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

BRADLEY

No big deal, but Bradley’s last year was ‘68. He was moved to receiver first, as you mentioned, and later to safety as we weren’t using him much on offense.

by Longhorn90 on Aug 11, 2008 10:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Old times not forgotten

‘63 was my brother’s freshman year. ‘66 was mine. I felt sort of cheated, until ~~Moses~~ James Street led us from the wilderness. The 30 game winning streak was certainly the best of times. The ending of it is why I still hate Notre Dame.
As I recall, it took DKR a couple of years to start whipping OU, but maybe ‘66 was his first loss. I do recall hearing him refer to 6-4 as a losing season at Texas.

by Longhorn in Canada on Aug 11, 2008 10:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

DKR did lose his first game to OU in '57

I just corrected that. I keep thinking he came in ‘58 but it was ‘57. Thanks. I double check but sometimes presumptions jump up to bite your ass. Glad we have a few old timers to put things in perspective and make corrections.

I do recall that quote, too. Today the equivalent record, 7-5, would be considered a losing season. There certainly would be plenty of howling here.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kristynik and Bradley

Great post, Whills!!

As a high school kid growing up in Austin, before attending UT in the glory days of the 30 game win streak (topped by the 1969 victories over Arkansas and ND), I remember watching almost all the games you have recreated.

Two outstanding memories:
1. The futile 2 point conversion pass attempt by “Marvelous Marvin” Kristynik at the end of the ‘64 Arkansas game. I had to endure the disgusting “Pig Sooey” yelled by my English teacher who was seated right behind me.

2. Bill Bradley’s 3 pass interceptions against the Ags in 1968…a taste of his future career as an NFL safety. As I recall, that was the first time in my memory of painted (orange) endzones and the longhorn at the center of the field.

I think your comparing the current situation to the mid 1960’s is correct. Mack, the defensive coaches, and the team need to be aggressive and innovative, especially defensively.

by pchorn on Aug 11, 2008 1:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't remember the orange EZ

but I do remember the longhorn at the center of the field. Glad you enjoyed the post.

As noted below, that was four INTs by Bradley, still the single game record.

Kristynik and RB Tommy Ford were smallish football players. VY probably has more natural talent in one leg than both of them together, but damn they were tough football players. They did the best with what they had. These were team players of the first order.

I met Ford a few years ago at a track meet I covered. He used to run many track meets all over the state, a much revered figure wherever he went. He was a character unto himself. But I was surprised how small he was but his eyes still had a twinkle in ‘em.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great post whills,

Though if Muschamp pulls an Emory Ballard, loses his mind and goes Aggro, I will pop a blood vessel.

Being raised by Aggies/Raiders I’ve missed out on quite a bit of UT lore that isn’t readily availabe in the histories. But I do have an anecdote some of the older BON’ers might enjoy about DKR’s first season in 1957. My dad was a sophomore at A&M, Bear Bryant was the coach, and John David Crow was wrapping up his Heisman trophy season.

It was well known that Bear was flirting with the idea of returning to “mama”, but it looked like he would go out in style. They were riding the number one in the country, and felt sure it would be an MNC year. The wheels had started shaking on the A&M bandwagon after a loss to Rice (back when Rice was respectable). Then DKR brought his first team in and won a squeaker at college station, thus ensuring that not only would A&M not win the MNC, they also wouldn’t win the conference, or beat Texas. Bear failed to meet any Aggie goals for the season. Then a bowl game loss iced the cake. DKR had helped drive a stake through one of the best shots A&M would have at an MNC for decades.

That offseason A&M lost arguably the greatest coach of all time, a Heisman trophy running back, and Texas looked to be on the rebound after some punching bag time under Price. Fortunes reversed with Texas under DKR and Bear at Bama and generally stayed that way until Akers left UT. I was a junior at UT before my dad could say the name Darrell Royal without flinching, and he certainly wasn’t the only Ag from that time. My uncles, who had the misfortune of being on the A&M campus for the next 20ish years, and still can’t speak his name without swearing.

After going through that, I’d love for them to see A&M put things together and win it all, since they managed to be genuinely congratulatory in January of ‘05. Then I see some brainwashed agro who refuses to capitalize “Texas” and start to reconsider…

by learned hand on Aug 11, 2008 3:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You be knockin' on wood when you say that.

Thanks for the kind words.

I frankly think the aggies will start well and get better until their depth plays out. If they avoid injuries, they could be much better than people are projecting but I just don’t think they have the defense to make it too far. Next year’s recruiting will be really important to them.

Royal really tattooed the agros, 17-3 overall, with two of those losses at the very end. I can’t tell you how much fun I had with them; it was the heyday of “wait ‘til next year.”

You know Texas did that to aTm in, I think ‘38 or ‘39, when they were undefeated and looking at a MNC. Make ‘em cry.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shaking out the cobwebs

How odd, whills. You and I were frosh at UT the same year. Remember the damn rain, since I walked everywhere, and sitting in front of Diron Talbert’s older brother as some lout hollered at how badly Diron was playing. Charlie (Diron’s brother) was kept from getting physical by his wife or girlfriend.

However, I don’t see the parallels to the mid-60s and the current “state of the program” at all.

THE mid-’60s collapse consisted of a long string of close losses combined with DKR’s reluctance to move away from one-platoon ball and the loss of virtually his entire coaching staff to head-coaching jobs or coordinators’ roles. By 1968, assistants like Emory Bellard (and maybe Fred Akers, but he may have come a year or two later) were in their first or second years. Texas’ recruiting slipped in 1965-66 as DKR’s original staff of assistants, who in those days were recruiting many more kids than they do today, were replaced by new hires. The ‘67 recruiting class (along with 2002 the best in school history) started the rebuilding, but in those days freshmen couldn’t play on varsity. Something like 7-8 members of the ‘67 haul were (true) sophomore starters on the ‘68 team that finished No. 3 nationally.

TODAY’s “sag” isn’t one. Finishing 13th and 10th in the final polls, as has been the case the last two seasons, is a million miles from three straight 6-4 seasons (1965-67, not counting a bowl win in ‘66). It’s true there were calls for a coaching change at that time. And those who speculate on the impact of the Internet making this a different world are SO right. MB can’t go 7-5 three years in a row and stay around.
But he hasn’t. And won’t.

by edsp on Aug 11, 2008 3:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wasn't really comparing "state of the program"

but noting the similar lags after championships. Same sort of lag happened in the mid-70s, too. Each is different, with different causes.

Texas offense the last two years has been in the Top 10 ever at Texas despite all the criticism leveled. That’s why I said I don’t have much problem with it. You gotta keep up in college football and, like the current generations of information, time moves fast in terms of adapting to the competition and to your players. You sit still for two years and you get antiquated. That’ s what I see happening on defense to some degree. We got pegged. I noted that many of those losses in the 60s were close, but then games were closer in general. Texas lost its edge. And 6-4 is a far cry from 10-win seasons.

You’re right about the new assistants and Royal’s reluctance to change. Fred came about the time of Bellard, who came in ‘67.

My concept of the ‘65 class may have been overblown by the hype surrounding Bradley. It was incredible but may have been a bit of a cover for the lack of depth.

And I have a Talbot story. Boy, no one messed with those guys. Had a friend, a gymnast who lived at Moore Hill, a very entertaining person who came straight from the streets of northern New Jersey. Diron decided one night he was his lil yankee buddy. Came in, grabbed him under one arm and just walked out with him. He yelled he had to study and Diron said no, you’re going drinking. And drink they did many times. My friend had hell making it out of that first year. There was no refusing Diron.

They were also the featured fighters in the great riot in Gregory Gym against the aggies in the early 60s.

Legend had the Talbot brothers at mid-floor, back-to-back, with aggies stacked up like cordwood about waist high and more a comin’. Seems like there had been bad blood between the football players and the agros had come over in force under the west bucket, right by the Texas athletes. One thing led to another and a wild west bar-style fight broke out and engulfed the whole baskeball floor.

The game not only stopped but Wally Pryor allegedly had to twice get on the PA to get the fighters to move from one end to another so the injured could be removed. By ‘65 they still had a ton of cops surrounding the floor whenever the aggies visited.

It was in asking about all those cops for just that one game – very unusual for the time – that I came to find out from someone who was an eyewitness. I’ve heard this since in several forms but I don’t think there’s any official acknowledgment of it in the record.

I doubt if any charges were ever made. Of course, in our time, such an outburst would win us permanent notation on the Fulmer Cup.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

One suggested answer

for Mack. based on the glorious past. Convince DKR to take on the position of Assistant Head Coach – Deciding when to go for 2. Then, instead of looking at a silly chart and making bad decisions about 2 point conversions, he could just ask ~~God~~ DKR, and always get the right answer.
Remember the 1969 “Game of the Century”? Down 14-0, we score a TD, and go for (and make) a 2-pointer. As I recall, the expert broadcasters were confused as to why we tried it. Darrell patiently explained after the game that if we had missed it, we would still have had a chance to tie if we scored again. Since we made it, all we had to do after the second TD was kick the PAT to win. If we had kicked the PAT after the first score, we would have faced the decision to try to tie (see: Ara Parseghian) or risk it all by going for 2 after the second score. Note this was long before the days of tie-breakers. A tie was like kissing your sister, a saying that the Hog fans never could understand.

by Longhorn in Canada on Aug 11, 2008 5:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Royal always worked out his situations

So did Parseghian and the best coaches of his era. Just one of those preparatory things you did.

I always found Royal to be a very detailed planner and always critically involved in the game planning. He was a smart football coach despite his homespun manner and casual relationship to the press – and a master of the sound bite.

He was the real 40-year-old man who never had to raise his voice. More coaches than Mack can take some lessons in press relations from him.

Of course, Switzer never got into throat-grabbing distance, either.

by whills on Aug 11, 2008 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Smart move by Switzer

not to get into throat-grabbing distance. At least in Texas, no jury would have convicted Darrell of anything but justifiable homicide.

The reference to Ara was in respect to his decision to go for the tie when #1 ranked Notre Dame played #2 Michigan State, and Ara settled for the tie. As ND retained their #1 ranking, you can’t say he didn’t make the right move, but he did take a lot of grief for his decision.

by Longhorn in Canada on Aug 12, 2008 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Missed one

What I meant to add was: DKR was not just a smart coach, but one of the smartest ever. As Dan Jenkins (a TCU fan, by the way) said: I feel like I know as much about football as the next man, as long as the next man is not Darrell Royal.

by Longhorn in Canada on Aug 12, 2008 12:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice. I love the Jenkins quote.

Coaches who were QBs have an advantage, if they use it, to have a powerful understanding of the game.

It is somewhat ironic that he concentrated so much on defense, but when it came to play calling, big play calling, he was amazing. His players had to execute it, which they didn’t always do, but if they did, the payoff was there. That’s the most your team can expect.

DKR on the sidelines was always an asset imho.

We’ve had some coaches that you couldn’t say that about.

by whills on Aug 12, 2008 12:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That tie pissed off a lot of fans, including myself.

and I felt all the shit he caught was justified.

It seemed like a failure of nerve; football fans like the Boise State alternative.

You got a shot, take it. The game’s about winning.

by whills on Aug 12, 2008 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

I was being politically correct. Shame on me. You can say Ara made the wrong call, because it was a chickenshit call. It pissed me off at the time, too. If you’re supposed to be the #1 team, then prove it.

by Longhorn in Canada on Aug 12, 2008 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Texas-Arkansas 1969: Most significant game ever

Here’s an account I found on the web:

Shortly after arriving in Arkansas that Friday, Royal noticed a sign in front of a church: “Darrell Royal, Cast not thy steers before swine.”

“I had hoped God would be neutral,” Royal cracked.

Nixon and an entourage that included Sen. William J. Fulbright, an Arkansas Democrat and leading opponent to the Vietnam War, and future president George H.W. Bush, then a Texas congressman, arrived in Fayetteville in a cold, dreary mix of rain and sleet.

“But nobody seemed to notice,” Akers said of the weather.

Nixon and a group of anti-war protestors on a hillside next to the stadium watched Arkansas lead, 14-0, through three quarters. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Street dropped back to pass, then unable to find an open receiver, scrambled 42 yards for a touchdown. On the bus ride to the game Royal, determined to avoid a tie, surprised Street with his plan to go for the two-point conversion after Texas’ first touchdown. Just as Royal planned, Street dove into end zone off left guard on the point-after to make it 14-8.

Texas still trailed, facing fourth-and-3 from its own 43 with 4:47 remaining when Royal called time out. Royal was only half-joking when he said, “only three things can happen when you pass and two of them are bad.” But feeling the game and the national title slipping away, he decided to roll the dice a second time.

“I didn’t pick up anything,” Royal said. “I looked at the clock and we’re behind, we weren’t moving the ball. We had been confused with their defensive (scheme) all day. I just felt it was time to gamble.”

“Right 53 Veer pass,” Royal shouted at Street. The play was a deep pattern throw to the tight end. The play wasn’t in the Texas game plan package.

“Are you sure that’s the call you want?” Street said.

“Damn right I’m sure!” Royal snapped.

As Royal’s assistants continued to argue against the call, Street returned to the huddle, where the play received a similar reaction.

”’Is he out of his (expletive) mind?’ Is what we were thinking,” recalled Worster, who had 94 yards on 25 carries.

Tight end Randy Peschel broke down the sideline, then panicked when he looked back for the ball.

“I thought I’m never going to catch it, that it’s way over my head,” Peschel said. “I kept running and then I saw two pairs of (defenders) hands and the ball just kind of dropped over their finger tips. It was a perfect throw.”

Street’s pass safely in his hands, Peschel landed on the cold, soaked turf at the Arkansas 13. After Koy picked up 11 yards, Bertelsen scored. Happy Feller’s point-after kick put Texas up for good, 15-14, with 3:58 left.

“What convinced me that Texas deserves that is the fact that you won a tough one,” Nixon said in the Longhorn locker room handing Royal a presidential national championships plaque – forgetting about undefeated Penn State in the process “For a team to be behind 14-0 and then not to lose its cool and go on to win, that proves you deserve to be No. 1 and that’s what you are!”

Texas radio personality Cactus Pryor turned to a friend and said “President Nixon just proclaimed Texas No. 1 and the state of Pennsylvania Democrat.”

Penn State coach Joe Paterno never forgot the slight.

“How could President Nixon know so much about college football in 1969, and so little about Watergate in 1983,” Paterno said in a 2003 interview.

The following Tuesday, Steinmark decided to get his left leg X-rayed. The exam revealed a large tumor near his hip. Steinmark had bone cancer. Three days later his left leg was amputated.

“It was devastating,” Worster said. “It really made us question everything. How could God make that move? It really threw us into a tailspin, confused a lot of us. I questioned it a lot. It just made no sense.”

Texas recovered to beat Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl. Royal gave Steinmark the game ball. Steinmark died in June 1971.

It would be another 10 years before the historical significance of the Longhorns national championship would sink in.

“I guess we never realized or thought about it,” Peschel said. “But you’d hear that we were the last all-white team to win and you’d think for a moment and then think ‘Hey, that’s right.’ All you have to do is look at our team picture.”

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Aug 12, 2008 10:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs