Rey Monreno and Dana LeDuc called me and said Track Coach and head recruiter Coach James Blackwood has passed away.

Blackwood kicked off his college coaching career in 1972 at the University of Texas, serving as an assistant track and field/cross country coach for the Longhorns. His teams produced multiple All-Americans and won 13 Southwest Conference Championships. Over his 12 years as an assistant, UT placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships 11 times. In 1985, he took on the role of recruiting coordinator for Texas football, helping the Longhorns secure a Southwest Conference title and three bowl appearances. During his tenure, 25 of his recruits went on to play in the NFL.

TLSN has set up a celebration page for James at https://texaslsn.org/coach-james-blackwood-has-passed-away/. If you would like to add photos are comments in remembrance of Coach Blackwoods days as a Longhorn, please send to Billydale1@gmail.com and I will post.

HORNS UP!

Update on Jordan Shipley

Jordans wife, Sunny, says, "Because I know so many are praying, I wanted to let you know that we left the hospital. I still can't believe it," "We have a hard and long journey ahead but you can guarantee he and I will carry it with joy and praise," she added. She also expressed appreciation for the outpouring of support her husband has received in recent weeks, saying there is "no amount of words that will be sufficient to express the gratitude I feel of our friends, family, community and complete strangers."

Jordan Shipley's father, Bob, has asked if anyone is inclined to send notes of well wishes please use the address below. Jordan Shipley | c/o Airy Mount | 1819 E. Polk St. | Burnet, TX 78611 IMPORTANT!! PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO VISIT JORDAN AT THIS ADDRESS!!! The family needs privacy!!

Update on Tony Jeffery's health status

In November 2025, Tony Jeffery suffered a stroke. Not having insurance, his friends started a GoFundMe account and raised substantial funds for his rehab. Separately, TLSN sent Tony, through his sister, a $10,000 grant raised from donors to the TLSN 501(c)(3). Here is Tony's sister, Dr. Rhonda Sneed's, update on Tony. "I pray all is well with you today! Thank you, Billy, and TLSN for the generous donation! Tony is getting better day by day. His legs are getting stronger, and he is now walking with a cane! His arm has gained some movement, and we are still believing God for his hand to gain movement. He is going to Physical therapy twice a week on Monday and Thursday. Occupational therapy twice a week on Monday and Wednesday. We are using the TLSN donation to pay for all of his outpatient therapy. Rhonda

No need to reply to this message with any comments. The goal isn’t to seek praise, but to share the just cause and TLSN's mission to help those who qualify for assistance when tragedy strikes.

It has been a long journey for members of the Longhorn men's tennis team to Wimbledon.

The first trip to Wimbledon was Wilmer Allison — 1931 Wimbledon Men’s Doubles Champion. This stood as the only Wimbledon title in doubles by a Longhorn for nearly a century. Then in 2025 history repeated itself with Longhorn Lloyd Glasspool and his partner winning the Wimbledon doubles championship.

Photos below are Wilmer Allison in 1930 as a Longhorn, and with his double partner
John Van Ryn at Wimbledon.

The set of photos below shows the 2015 Longhorn national champions Søren Hess-Olesen on the left and Lloyd Glasspool on the right, and a 2025 photo of Longhorn Lloyd Glasspool on the right alongside his teammate Julian Cash celebrating their Wimbledon victory.

In 1914 the Texas Mascot was a dog named "Pig"

1914 was also the year that U.T. administrators chose to define the role of Longhorn athletes at a education first institution.

Here is the athletes role as described by U.T.

“Athletics have a just place in a university. For the preservation of health for physical development, for the creation of Esprit decor, the development of self-restraint and moral character. As soon as athletes fail to serve these ends, athletics is doomed, and there is no ground on which to justify their cultivation.”

“They cannot serve these purposes if teams are made-up of extensions and fine athletes who are induced to enter the university a few days before a game and leave it immediately after. Bonafide students will soon cease to work for places on the team when they know they are liable to be supplanted at the last minute by a virtual outsider.”

“To think that such a student is a bona fide student is a mistake and shows a lack of proper athletic standards and appreciation of the real meaning of athletics. The authorities should determine that our athlete’s lyrics shall be pure and wholesome, and we'll watch over them more carefully, but it finally rests with the student body to hold for themselves a high standard and not tolerate even the slightest suspicion of professionalism.”

...... "It can be truthfully said that we are remarkably free from actual professional players by students outsiders that’s only purpose is “to brace up a weak team”. “The cinema is in favor of pure athletics participated solely by representative" (loyal) " students.”

Photo below is the 1914 football team wrapped in the Texas Brand blanket.

In 2026, it is clear that collegiate sports have drifted far from the player values of pre-NIL and pre-portal days. Most fans, myself included, now accept the idea of bringing in mercenary athletes to boost team strength. Still, it’s a little disheartening to me to watch player loyalty to a university fade

As a former Longhorn football player on two national championship teams, my burnt orange pride stems from spending 4 years at the same university with room and board, a free education, and $10 in laundry money that I used to buy beer. I made lifelong friends, focused on my education, and developed a foxhole mentality with my teammates, forging unbreakable bonds of lifelong respect. A respect earned, not given.

But I now realize and accept that my old-school beliefs are outdated. In 2026 athletes are primarily focused on building their brand. Long term player loyalty to team and school just isn’t a big part of college sports anymore.

It is what it is, and I’ve made peace with the new NIL and portal system. I am a realist not a dreamer. Staying competitive in today’s college sports environment means Texas has to be proactive, offering top salaries to draw talent—and UT’s leadership deserves credit for skillfully steering through this new era.

The new motto for college athletes is

Money Drives and Fans Arrive

Fans have always run the show in college sports, and the NIL and the portal have only fueled their interaction, interest, and excitement for the game. Buying a winning team isn’t a violation anymore—it’s the new formula for success.

Honestly, I think the energy and fan enthusiasm are stronger now than before NIL. In my 76 trips around the sun, starting at age 10, I can’t recall a game with more entertainment value or a louder, more electric crowd than the 2025 Texas vs. Texas A&M showdown—even topping the USC vs. Texas National Championship game. Watching NIL and the portal turn Indiana from a struggling team into an undefeated national champion, along with the unmatched excitement from its fans, is something truly unmatched in college sports history. In fact, the fan energy during the 2025 football season playoffs was absolutely off the charts for many universities. I’m now a believer in the new dynamics of college sports. While athletes are mercenaries—guns for hire—with little loyalty to their universities, the fans appear more loyal and devoted than ever, and the energy they bring to each game is truly remarkable. Horns up! Billy Dale

Herkie Walls

Hercules Walls excelled in both track and football. He was a loyal Longhorn who used his skills, determination, and strong work ethic to elevate the Longhorn brand. He was a consensus All-Southwest Conference split end and a member of the 1980 Olympic team. At the 1980 Southwest Texas Indoor Track and Field Championship, he won the 60-yard dash, finishing ahead of Curtis Dickey and Carl Lewis.

Herkie also knew how to lift his teammates’ spirits. During the 1981 Houston game, when Rick McIvor was injured late in the first half, Coach Akers told walk-on Robert Brewer he’d be starting the second half. Sensing Robert’s nerves, Herkie gave him a boost before kickoff, saying, “Remember Brew Baby—cream always rises to the top.” And it did—Brew Baby wrapped up his career with an impressive 13 wins and just 2 losses.

After firing Coach Lemons A.D. Dodds says about new basketball hire "Bob Weltlich is one of the best coaches in the country. ... "There is no doubt he will create a winner."

Dodds wanted a basketball coach who aligned better with the athletic department’s long-term vision, and Lemons just didn’t fit the bill. UT had grown tired of his loud outbursts, his occasional embarrassment of Texas leadership with his sense of humor, his temperament, and his refusal to enforce team discipline off the court. So, Dodds let Lemons go and brought in Weltlich, which turned out to be one of his biggest mistakes as athletic director.

Dodds learned quickly that Lemons was a cult favorite among fans, players, and the press, who loved his sharp, quotable one-liners , his sense of humor, and his coaching style.

In reflection, the great coach that Dodds hired after Lemons never really stood a chance to recruit great athletes in his early years at Texas. I’m not even sure the fans and media would have welcomed Tom Penders right away if he had taken over for Lemons coaching position instead of Weltlich.

Weltlich's record from 1983 to 1988 was 77-98

In 1981 at Ole Miss, Coach Weltlich earned the title of SEC Coach of the Year, and the next year he led the U.S. National Team to a Silver Medal. With those accomplishments under his belt, Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds decided in 1983 to part ways with Abe Lemons and bring Weltlich on board.

How could a Coach of the Year in the SEC and Olympic coach lose his coaching skills at Texas so quickly? The truth is, he didn’t lose his skills! The issue was that fans, players, and the media favored Lemons’ coaching style and sense of humor over all the positive qualities Bob Weltlich brought to Texas.

When it came to coaching philosophy, Bob Weltlich and Abe Lemmons had little in common. The Texas players Weltlich inherited loved Abe Lemmons because he was not a disciplinarian. Weltlich believed in strict discipline. The players enjoyed Abe's exciting, fast-paced offense. Bob Weltlich's offense was slow-paced. The players enjoyed Abe Lemons' pliable enforcement of UT's academic standards. Weltlich believed in grades before sports. The players rejoiced at Coach Lemons' refusal to enforce lights-out rules in the dorms. Weltlich enforced lights out. Abe thought it was the student-athlete's responsibility to control their own lives. Bob Weltlich knew that 19 and 20-year-old boys needed monitoring. Abe allowed his athletes to intermingle with donors at special events. Bob did not.

Then there were the Longhorn fans who publicly derided Weltlich's years at Texas. Fans called Erwin Center the Hum Drum; composed an unflattering book titled "Six Years With Weltlich"; started rumors that the Weltlich players were not interested in beginning a "Let 's-Win-For Bob" Rally; and gave him the name "Kaiser Bob".

Weltlich's first year was so tough that he had to recruit seven walk-ons to join the five lettermen who stayed on the team. Of those five, only Bill Wendlandt and Carlton Cooper finished the season. It’s surprising he managed to win any games his first year.

In his second year, his depth chart was so weak that he had to recruit a cheerleader to play in some games.

Year after year, Bob Weltlich found himself weathering criticism from all sides. Early on, he had trouble drawing top high school talent, but by the end of his tenure at Texas, he was close to turning the program around. In 1985 he earned SWC Coach of the Year honors and in 1986 he tied for the SWC championship.

Texas released Weltlich on March 15, 1988, after six seasons in Austin. The move came despite a late surge that included an NIT appearance, Weltlich named SWC coach of the year in 1985, a share of the 1986 Southwest Conference title, and Weltlich’s signing of standout recruits Lance Blanks, Travis Mays, and Joey Wright—dubbed the BMW—as Longhorns. Like Lemons before him, Coach Weltlich was released, and Coach Tom Penders was brought in, building some of his most successful years at Texas on the foundation of Weltlich’s recruits.

For the rest of Bob Weltlich story visit https://texaslsn.org/weltlich1983-1988/

No TLSN Board member receives compensation for services rendered. Donations are used to assist those who qualify for financial assistance and building the history of all Longhorn sports at https://texaslsn.org .

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1/23/2026 newsletter volume 10 newsletter #2