Eugene Williams- “ he was always a great interview.”

Rene Ramirez played the role of a passer, catcher, and runner in 1957, leading the Longhorns in scoring and all-purpose yards. In 1958 he was the total Longhorn offense leader. In 1959 he was All SWC.

He was known as the “Gallop’n Gaucho” from Hebbronville, Texas. As a Longhorn, Rene wore this title with honor.

Larry Besaw “He was my favorite player when I was a kid. RIP.”

Renee Ramirez was Mr. Everything at Hebbronville High School, a star in four sports and graduating as valedictorian of his class. He starred as an end on playoff teams at Hebbronville in 1954 and 1955.

Latino Football Players from UT Austin’s History inspired journalists to share their athletic accomplishments in building the Longhorn brand and as part of Longhorn sports history. Rene Ramirez was All-Southwest Conference in 1959, and he was one of the first selections of the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League expansion draft in 1960 but did not pursue a football career. The link below shares the story of Latino Longhorns.

 LATINO LONGHORNS (squarespace.com) 

 The link https://youtu.be/VGlj1zA6YhM  shares the history of Rene in a video of when he was inducted into the Hall of Honor.

Frances Pearce- “He was my favorite player.”

Mike Capps– “Loved listening to Humble Oil Texas games as a kid. One of the first names burned into my skull was Rene Ramirez. So sorry to hear he’s gone.”

Tom Stephens remembers -” Rene’ was my first Longhorn hero. I never met him but wish I had. His exploits convinced me- at the tender age of 13- that UT was in my future. Back then we didn’t have a tv but on Saturdays I tuned in to the Humble Football Network to hear Kern Tips’ magical narrations of UT games.  It seemed like Tips called Ramirez’ name on virtually every play. One particular game I remember against Baylor, Tips’ described a 3rd and 2 play by Texas…”Third and two…Lackey takes the snap…hands it to Ramirez, and he…CASCADES over the Bayluh defense! First and ten, courtesy of the Gallopin’ Gaucho!” Kern Tips was the first person I can remember calling Rene by his famous nickname.

My most prized Longhorn artifact is a case-enclosed white football bearing the autographs of the 1958 team and coaches. Fittingly, Rene Ramirez’ signature is the boldest. 

RIP, Rene,

Tom Stephens

Rene Valdez- “My two older brothers named me after this fine man. Wish I could have had the honor in meeting with you. RIP Galloping Gaucho”

 Author David Flores: Remembering Coach Royal

“Ed Price recruited me so I wouldn’t play against Texas,” Ramirez said. “So from that standpoint, the best thing that happened to me was when Price left, and Coach Royal came in. He fired me up.”

Royal, only 32 when he was named to succeed Ed Price after the Longhorns’ 1-9 season in 1956, challenged Ramirez’s pride.

He left his mark on UT football as a two-way halfback from 1957-59, but there was a time in the spring before his sophomore season that he had serious doubts about his future with the Longhorns.

Not long after Texas completed spring training in 1957, new coach Darrell Royal summoned Ramirez to his office. In no uncertain terms, Royal told Ramirez that he had little chance of ever playing at UT and encouraged him to transfer to Texas A&I. “He said, ‘We’re not going to use you, but Gil Steinke wants you,'” Ramirez said, referring to the A&I coach.

Ramirez was buried so deep on the Longhorns’ depth chart that he had contemplated transferring, but he wasn’t about to let Royal know that.

“I told him, ‘Hey, I’m coming back,'” Ramirez said. “I thought to myself, ‘He’s not going to scare me off.’ What I respected about Coach Royal is that the last thing he told me before I left his office was, ‘If you come back, you’re going to be on the last team. But it’s up to you.’ He was testing me, and I wanted to prove him wrong.”

Ramirez became a starter at UT as a sophomore in 1957 and led the Longhorns with 544 all-purpose yards that season. UT finished 6-4-1 and earned a Sugar Bowl berth.

After going 7-3 in 1958, when Ramirez led the team in total offense, the Longhorns won a share of the Southwest Conference title in 1959 and finished 9-2.

Ramirez, 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds as a senior was an All-SWC pick in 1959.

Ramirez and Royal became good friends after Ramirez graduated from UT in 1961 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

“After all was said and done and after everything I went through, Coach Royal was like a guardian angel that was sent to me,” Ramirez said. “Royal was a very truthful individual. He didn’t pull any punches. He told it like it was. He was just a country kid, but a very smart country kid.”

Ramirez attended the memorial service for Royal on Nov. 13, where people from all walks of life gathered to honor one of college football’s iconic figures. In the days after Royal’s death, Ramirez dwells on the good times he shared with him.

“When I worked in Austin, I’d pick him up and take him to lunch one day every other week and sometimes once a week,” Ramirez said. “When I picked him up the first time, I figured he wanted to eat American food.

“I remember I asked him where he wanted to have lunch, and he asked me, ‘Where do you usually go?’ Well, I usually eat Mexican food. He told me that’s where he wanted to go, too. It got to where people at the restaurants I went to expected him to be with me.”

1958- Texas-OU

1958 was the year that Royal turned the Longhorn program around, starting with finally beating O.U. Rene threw the pass that led to a touchdown, which was followed by the first two-point play in College football history.

The game started out as a fierce defensive struggle. Royal had made good on his promise of turning the game back into a “bloodletting,” at least as far as the hitting was concerned. Neither team made a first down for the first 10 minutes of the contest. Then early in the 2nd quarter, Texas drew first blood. On fourth and four from the OU ten-yard line, the left-handed Ramirez took a pitch to the left, raised up, and hit George Blanch for the touchdown. Rene Ramirez gave Texas its first score on a trick play.