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The following letter, denoted in burnt orange, is informational only, not an endorsement by TLSN, even though necessary for an objective study of brain trauma.
The DKR Research Fund has granted UT Southwestern $500,000 to administer a questionnaire and cognitive test to former student-athletes over 50 who played in any NCAA scholarship sport (men and women) from any university but who did not play professionally.
I am passing the following comments to each of you because our Coach would want me to do so. The questionnaire part of the study was objective and non-threatening, but the reflection in the cognitive test mirror was not kind to me.
The test reminded me I am 73 years old and not so sharp anymore. Some are due to age, but some could be because I was knocked unconscious three times in football games and on other occasions, hit so hard that I zigzagged my way back to the huddle instead of returning in a straight line.
This is information that the study needs, but I did not enjoy the process. So make your own decision.
Blessing to All!
Billy Dale
Proud member of the 1967 Longhorn football recruiting class.
Coach Royal may be gone, but he is still building bridges for athletes through the organization founded in his honor, The Darrell K Royal Research Fund. One of the fund’s primary goals is to increase national awareness of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The DKR Fund board of directors and president Debbie Hanna recently announced a $500,000grant and multi-year commitment to the highly-respected UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute to conduct the CollegeLevel Aging Athlete Study (CLEAATS). A study focused on later-life brain wellness in college male and female athletes that have played contact and non-contact sports. Through the DKR Fund, Royal is once again building a bridge “to helpyouth whose feet must pass this way.”
Not just a study of football, if you are at least 50 years of age, male or female and played at least one (1) semester of a NCAA or NAIA sport BUT, most importantly, did not play a professional sport, DKR needs your help! The half-million-dollar grant funds a study that hopefully will uncover and address controllable issues enhancing the lives of present and future athletes as they compete in contact and collision activities.
Participants in this study will complete an online survey and a brief telephone interview about their athletic participation history and their current wellness, mood, and cognition. I have done so, and it took 30 minutes to complete the confidential and anonymous questionnaire. Your name will be converted to a number.
Let us live vicariously through Royal’s bridge-building legacy and band behind CLEAATS in hope that we can positively transform the future of college sports.
IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.
Dear Darrell K Royal Fund Members,
Today, we celebrate the 100th birthday of Darrell K Royal, a hardscrabble kid from Hollis, Oklahoma, who rose from poverty and a meager job shining shoes to attain iconic status as one of the best football coaches in history. According to Mack Brown, “he might have been the best coach ever in any sport, not just college football.”
In celebration of Coach’s centennial birthday, the DKR Fund is launching the 100 Years of DKR video series campaign on the organization’s social media platforms. This video series will honor and preserve the legacy of Coach Royal, who achieved a 167-47-5 record, sixteen bowl victories, and eleven Southwest Conference titles at UT.
We will dedicate the next year to celebrating Coach Royal’s legacy through the lens of 100 individuals who knew or have been impacted by him. This effort aims to raise awareness of the DKR Fund and highlight how Darrell K Royal’s legendary status continues to impact lives today. We hope you share our pride in this effort and join us in celebrating Coach’s 100th birthday by sharing a 30 to 60-second video about the impact of his legacy and how it continues to live on each day.
If you are interested in participating in the video series, please contact Lesley Ford at lesley@theprboutique.com. Feel free to share multiple videos with our team to select the best quality to showcase on the DKR Fund social media platforms. Please send all videos to Lesley or contact her directly with questions at 512.363.5160.
Best regards,
The Darrell K Royal Research Fund
TLSN is an independent organization celebrating Longhorn Sports History and assisting qualifying Horns who need temporary financial assistance. The TLSN website and newsletter are free, educational, historical, and insightful, sharing Longhorn sports history through the eyes of those who created it.
TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.
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