The Brewer Clan

Introduction

The Brewer family roots are part of Big 8 and SWC college football history. Robert Brewer’s father was a quarterback for the Longhorns, and his Uncle played with Darrell Royal at Oklahoma. Robert says, “the Red River rivalry was a huge deal in my family and left an indelible impression on my childhood.” “One-half of the family was always upset after the game.

So, I have to cheat a little on this one because the Longhorn athletic gene is present in the Brewers, but Texas chose not to offer Robert’s son Charley Brewer a scholarship, so he led the Baylor Bears back to prominence.

Robert’s other son, Michael, signed with Texas Tech and then transferred to Virginia Tech to lead the team.

Charley Brewer SR.

In 1953  Brewer was promoted to the starting quarterback role. He started 16 games, won 9 and lost 6 with 1 tie.

After earning the starting job on the Longhorns freshman team in 1952 and leading them to three late-season victories, Brewer had a chance to compete for the varsity’s starting job in his sophomore year. In the 2nd game of the season, he carried the ball twice for two touchdowns and returned a punt 59 yards to set up a touchdown.  Brewer led the team to wins in 5 out of their next 6 games, including upsets of #11 SMU and #3 Baylor, and a share of the Southwest Conference Championship. He led the team that season in passing, kick-off return yards and punt return yards. Against Baylor, Brewer threw the game-winning touchdown pass, and against Texas A&M, perhaps Brewer’s best game, Brewer set up or scored all three touchdowns. Their only loss that season with Brewer as the starter resulted from a last-minute touchdown by co-champion Rice.

Brewer remained the starter in the 1954 season when the Longhorns started the season ranked #4 but struggled to a 4-5-1 record. Texas lost games to #1 Oklahoma, #2 Notre Dame, #12 Arkansas, and #20 Baylor.  Brewer ended the season with another spectacular game against Texas A&M, the first for Texas in the Paul “Bear” Bryant era, throwing for 121 yards – his career-high – and 2 touchdowns to win 22-13.

In 1998, Brewer was inducted into the Texas Football Hall of Fame in Waco.

George Brewer was a sooner who played football with Royal, but he helped the Horns win the NIT in basketball.

Lemons probably would never have seen—or even heard of—Branyan had it not been for George Brewer, a friend of Tyrone’s father and a former Sooner football teammate of Texas Athletic Director Darrell Royal. When Branyan was a sophomore at Cypress Junior College in California, Brewer wrote Royal about him, and Royal passed the letter on to Lemons. 

Abe had never heard of Branyan, but the letter sounded so interesting that he sought a more detailed evaluation from Tyrone’s junior-college coach. Lemons liked the coach’s report enough that he gave Branyan a scholarship sight unseen. Only then did he dispatch Assistant Coach Barry Dowd to check him out. 

Robert Brewer

Robert Brewer did not receive a Division I scholarship offer out of high school. In a self-deprecating moment in the book “Game of My Life” by Michael Pearle and Bill Frisbie, the comment is, ‘ with five-Oh time in the forty-yard sprint,” Robert was not high on the Division I recruiting list college coaches. The authors of the book said, “Brewer was not the prototypical quarterback. He had no arm strength, he didn’t have great size, and no, he didn’t have blazing speed.”

He realized that his dream of following his father’s footsteps to Texas was problematic. His father led the 1952 Westerners to a state championship, and he started for 3 years at Texas. Coach Akers tells Robert there is no scholarship available, but there would be a roster spot open if he walks-on.

https://www.texaslsn.org/robert-brewer

In the 8th game of his junior season, after the great quarterback Rick McIvor was hurt against Houston, Robert’s preparation, practice, and attitude paid dividends.

Leaving the locker room to start the second half of the Houston game, coach Akers says to Robert, “You’re in.” The speedster Herkie Wall jogs out of the tunnel onto the field, looks back at Brewer, and says, “you’re not the 2nd team quarterback anymore, so don’t play like it.” “Remember Brew Baby the Cream Always Rises to the Top.”

Robert’s Cotton Bowl

Texas won the 1982 Cotton Bowl 14-12. Robert Brewer was the MVP. 30 years before in the same stadium on the same day with the same score; his father was MVP in the high school state championship game.

Charley and Robert Brewer are the only Longhorn father and son tandem who have started for the Texas Longhorns.

Enter Robert Brewer’s sons- one should have been a Longhorn but started for Baylor, and the other was the starting quarterback for Virginia tech.

Charlie Brewer’s recruitment

Texas Football: Did you know the Longhorns didn’t offer Charlie Brewer?

by Andrew Miller1 year ago Follow @andrewmillerssc

Since the 2017 cycle ended, Texas football recruiting rolled with the very best programs in the entire country. The first full recruiting cycle for Herman on the Forty Acres was obviously not going to be great. He took over in December 2016, which never bodes well for National Signing Day, which comes around just two months later.

According to his 247Sports recruiting profile, Brewer was rated as the nation’s No. 826 2017 high school prospect and the No. 36 pro-style quarterback. Baylor was the best offer he received. The other six offers he received came from the SMU Mustangs, Bowling Green Falcons, Hawaii Mean Green, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, North Texas Mean Green, and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Not a single other Power Five offer.

Texas was actually one of three Power Five schools to apparently give Brewer a scout look. The other two were the Oregon Ducks and Virginia Tech Hokies.

Here’s what the 247Sports scouting report had to say for Brewer coming out of Lake Travis High School in Austin.

Brewer is the typical Lake Travis quarterback. Quite honestly it would be more of a surprise for a quarterback at that school to not be a division one talent. He has a very good arm and is accurate. he can get the ball where it needs to be and gets it out quickly. He is a better athlete than he probably gets credit for, but he is an effective runner who will not only pull the ball down at opportune times, but when he pulls it down he will make big plays and can score touchdowns. He has put together some impressive stats in high school and has the quick decision making ability that will allow him to do the same thing in college. He spreads the ball around to all of his weapons. Throws a tremendous deep ball.

It doesn’t make much sense for Texas to focus on a quarterback deciding between just SMU and Baylor. Brewer was originally an SMU commit and then decommitted to ultimately pledge and sign with Baylor.

Quarterback Michael Brewer 

Brewer graduated from Texas Tech. Because the NCAA allows players who complete their undergraduate degree to transfer without sitting out a year, he was immediately eligible at Virginia Tech with two years to play.

“Nothing is guaranteed. I’ve got to come in and earn it,” Brewer said. “But the coaches and I thought it was a good situation and a great opportunity.”

“Virginia Tech plays great defense. They need to get back going on offense again, and once that happens, you’ll have a chance to win a championship. And that’s the goal.”