A Sons Pride – Craig Muennink shares his story about his dad who started for Coach Royal during the 1956-1960 era – Including the Syracuse Game.
Jerry was the 6’1″, 210 lbs center who played high school in Hondo, Texas.
Lettering at Texas in 1957, 1958, 1959 Senior Season wearing jersey #63. In 1959 his team finished with a 9-2 record and loss to Syracuse in the 1969 Cotton Bowl. . That 1959 squad was Darrell Royal’s first great Texas team — SWC co‑champions, Cotton Bowl appearance, and the beginning of the Royal era’s national rise.
Muennink is one of those classic Royal‑era trench players — tough, rural, but technically sharp and extremely physical. He fits the archetype of the South Texas grinder that Royal loved- disciplined, durable, team‑first, willing to play through pain.
Players like Muennink formed the backbone of the team, making it possible in the mid‑60s to attract national championship caliber players like Nobis, Culpepper, and Halsell.
