Cheerleaders

Cheerleading came into Vogue in the year 1895 among Football Fans. 

In the early years, Cheerleaders exuded “wholesome sexiness” when performing, but the media changed that to some extent starting in the 1960s. Looks vs. talent was the key element in the selection process. Colleges wanted 12 Farrah Fawcett more than a person with great spirit to galvanize the fans. Media chose to sexualize Cheerleaders in the world of sports.

1961

1963 Twirler Mimi Jannsen

1965

During the 1950s and early part of the 1960s, beautiful white women and white men dominated the cheerleading profile. The Rangerettes and Apache Belles were emblematic of the role of beautiful white women as the perfect support organization. Sports television executives exploited this beauty for decades.

1974

1987

Prepping for the game, cheerleaders talk about the pep rallies in the classroom and in the dorms. Cheerleaders know they are the spirit of the University and have obligations to the team players and the fans to entertain and raise the level of enthusiasm. This year’s cheerleaders placed 2nd at the National Cheerleaders Association.

1990’s

Cheerleading offers T.V. exposure, a great social life, and maybe even weight loss. Cheerleaders make lots of hard work look easy during game day. Training for the “job” starts in the summer attending competitive Cheerleading functions at Southwest Texas) Texas State University. Workouts are exhausting and prepping for games is time-consuming. Their goal is to enhance crowd participation and for them to dispaly their Longhorn spirit. When not preparing for a game, cheerleaders make public appearances at charity events and community service activities.

2007

2007- cheer and pom- pom – the main goal of the spirit program is to support and uphold the traditions of the university and it’s athletics. Cheer and pom pom think of themselves as ambassadors to the student body. It all boils down to the pom pom and cheerleaders keeping the notorious Texas spirit alive.

2008

The UT Pom Squad led by Aubrey Tidwell is composed of 22 women as part of the spirit campaign. Members of the Pom team encourage the crowd through dance using a combination of ballet, jazz, and hip-hop.

1955- The beginning of the Hook’em Horns sign.

1955 is the Beginning of Big Bertha and the Hook ’em Horns sign. Harley Clark (far right in photo) says he was inspired by a sign the Italians used that looked like a stylized longhorn with two protruding fingers representing the horns.

Many years later, he learned that this Italian gesture referred to the husband of an unfaithful wife.

Associated with the University of Texas athletic teams for over 30 years, Stephens began his career as a student trainer in 1967. In 1970, he assumed full-time duties as assistant to then-head trainer Frank Medina. After Medina suffered a stroke in 1978, Stephens took over the duties of head trainer and continued in that role until he retired in January 2000. While at Texas, he supervised or worked directly with all sports, working with hundreds of athletes, five head football coaches, five head basketball coaches, and other sports coaches. He worked with nine Longhorn teams that won national championships and was responsible for a strong student program that sent numerous qualified trainers into high school and college positions. Stephens has received numerous national and regional honors, including being selected to the All-American Football Foundation Hall of Honor, the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, and induction into the 2002 Bellville High School Hall of Fame.

Spanky says, “For 33 years, I worked for the finest university in the world,” and “ I know where my heart is, and I know I bleed Burnt Orange.” As a trainer, Spanky saw thousands of football, basketball, and baseball games. He attended 33 Texas  Relays and numerous College World Series. In fact, In 1975, Omaha’s Mayor made Coach Gus, Bethea, and Spanky honorary citizens of Omaha. He was there during some of the greatest years for the Longhorns in track, football, baseball, and tennis, Including the best college Tennis Tournament with the best 64 tennis players and hosting the USA-Russian Track meet

The Concussion Blog – Natasha’s Law and Spanky Stephens

In July 2001, Michael “Spanky” Stephens became the Executive Director for the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association after working 33 years at the University of Texas, the last 22 as the head athletic trainer. Spanky served 22 years on the governor-appointed Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and has served on numerous committees and focus groups within the NATA and State Government.

Spanky has spent years setting concussion protocols to protect high school athletes and provide the best health care for the players. His work continues, and the projects he is involved in will continue to improve young athletes’ health care. Anytime someone from an outside organization tries to change a system, they will be perceived as a threat to larger institutions. It took Spanky’s organization a while to convince the UIL and the High School Coaches Association that the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association was an advocate, not a threat to their sports, but the mission was accomplished.

Spanky Stephens was responsible for assembling the professionals to write Natasha’s Law. Spanky says, “Many do not realize that if a student continues to play with a concussion and receives a second head injury, there is a greater chance of severe brain damage or even death.”

“Natasha’s Law is just the beginning, and it has stimulated the need for more research,” Stephens said.

The Texas Governor signed the concussion legislation into law.

The highlights of Natasha’s Law include;

• Concussion Management Team

• Removal from Play

• Waiver and Graded Protocol to Return to Play

• Specific Education/Training for all HCP’s

• State-Wide Tracking/Logging of Concussions

Texas is the 21st state with enacted legislation.

David Andersons says about Spanky, “Spanky became my client at HillCo. during my first year with the lobbying firm in 2003. His work on the concussion legislation, Natasha’s Law, is a textbook case of how to take a good idea and make it the law.  The bill’s author was a first term member from Amarillo, Four Price. While he was a rookie then, Four is now one of the top members in the Legislature and he will tell you how important Spanky was with that bill and how much he learned about the legislative process as he worked on it. That bill became the model for many other states since 2011.

Spanky Stephens tells the story of the Billy Disch sign that said, “The Winning Tradition of the University of Texas will not be entrusted to the timid or the Weak. “

“In 1975, when the Longhorn baseball team moved from the old baseball field to Disch Falk, I found a sign back in an old storeroom in the old field where the ground keepers keep their rakes, lime to line the field and mowers. I took it with me and placed it in the new baseball locker room. Coach Bibb Falk( 1940-1967) the baseball coach who replaced Billy Disch (1911- 1939) came by for a tour and what a hilarious story that is…. Bibb Falk disliked everything about the new baseball facility – locker room, coach office, and showers, but when he saw the Billy Disch sign hanging in the new baseball facility, he raved about it, saying that sign also hung in Uncle Billy Disch’s locker room,” Spanky said.

“So, three days later, Falk brings three of his cronies down to show them the new facility. I was taken aback. Instead of voicing displeasure about the new baseball facility, he was raving about the great facility, but his proudest moment of the tour was the sign. He told them his story and reflected on the special memories of a special time in his life, and he was happy,” Spanky said.

As a final note, I know for a fact that Spanky Stephens was instrumental in convincing Coach Akers to include student managers and student trainers in the T-ring ceremony. Coach Akers thought it was such a good idea that he decided to make the T-ring presentation to managers and trainers retroactive.

James Cooke and David Anderson know a lot about the Statute of Limitations and taking game balls as SOUVENIRS. Please read the article with a sense of humor.

James Cooke was one of the Longhorn managers from 1967-69. During those years, James committed one of the most heinous and worst crimes in the history of college football.

Now that the statute of limitations has expired, Cooke admits that he stole the last game ball used in the 1969 Oklahoma game. He said the football is “used” but still branded with “University of Texas.” He now confesses that he has concealed a video showing the referee tossing the ball to Little Rail after Jack Mildred was tackled on the last play of the game.

“Texas was the home team in 1969, so I ran to the southeast corner of the field to make the switch,” Cooke said with remorse. He justifies his theft years after the fact by saying, “I kept the game ball (it was no big deal back then)… and I wanted it as a keepsake, not because I thought it had value to collectors. Nobody was collecting back then.”

If stealing the OU game ball was not bad enough, he also took the ball for the Navy game. I now know why. James chose to risk his reputation and a life sentence in jail for a second felony for something that has no economic value because he and Little Rail wanted to give the Navy ball to Jim Blaylock.

God rest his soul, but Jim Blaylock scared me more than Royal. James Cooke wanted to give the game ball to Mr. Blaylock because he knew Jim had a special heart, but for many of us on the team, the image shown is as close to a smiling heart as we ever saw. James now wants to atone for his sinful ways and donate the OU game ball last touched by the late great Jack Mildred to someone special or UT.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Spanky+Stephens+&view=detail&mid=58E5C061B9EF5A18BE2B58E5C061B9EF5A18BE2B&FORM=VIRE#

Speaking about atoning for past sins, I think it is time for all managers to purge their demons by visiting the deep crevices of their closets and making the football heritage of Texas whole again. Give back all those “lost” footballs through the decades, and maybe we can sell them to fund a new “T-room at the stadium. Every time I see Gary Mcintosh smile, I think the worst for many lost game balls. And then there is Juan Conde, who allegedly has the 1969 Big Shootout Arkansas game ball in his possession. I now call on Juan to return that ball to the University of Texas so it resides in glory in the pending new Hall of Honor.

Then there is David Anderson’s story that shows how Cooke’s days of infamous corruption infected the younger managers.

Anderson says, “James Cooke was two years ahead of me as a manager, but he served as a role model for the younger managers in many ways, particularly his adept handling of the OU game ball. My senior season was in 1972. UT beat Rice handily in Houston that year. As the game was about to end, the three senior managers, Bill (Sidney), Allison from Woodville, Barrett Gaus from Yoakum, and me, determined that we would expropriate the three Rice game balls when the final gun sounded.

We planned our move, executed it well, and arrived in the visitors’ locker room with one ball each. Remembering how James had passed the ball to Little Rail, I wrapped mine in my windbreaker, stepped out of the dressing room, and gave the windbreaker with the game ball hidden in it, to my girlfriend (and now wife of 45+ years). A few minutes later Coach Glen Swenson rounded up the three senior managers and told us in no uncertain terms that he wanted those three balls so he could return them to Rice.  All three of us expressed shock that he would think we had them, but he quickly located two in the area when the managers dressed. Coach Swenson pressed me about the third one, to which I replied quite truthfully, that I didn’t know where it was. That was the truth, as Jan and her friends had left the stadium and were somewhere between Houston and Austin, but I didn’t know exactly where. When I returned to Austin, I had the score and the date painted on the ball and now 47 years later, it sits on the shelf in my study, a few blocks from your house on Mesa Drive. Two Texas fullbacks ran for over 100 yards that night, with Roosevelt Leaks getting about 250 in the first half and Steve Fleming breaking the 100-year mark in the second half. Rice had no answer for the fullback dive that night!” End of David Anderson’s story

Alan Luskey and Brad Shearer friends for a lifetime

Harris Argo

In 2014, 25 years after starting the Greater Houston Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Honor with Danny Carrillo (another student trainer for the Horns), Mike Vara, Roy Don Wilson and Harris Argo were inducted into this Hall of Honor.

In the fall of 1975, Argo was student manager for Coaches Joe Howell and John Gabrisch. On the way to play Churchill, the coaches asked Harris if he wanted to be a student trainer: Argo said: “What’s a trainer?”

Argo was introduced to Coach Henry Birdwell, the Athletic Trainer at Holmes High school, and he gave Argo his first assignment: The Holmes Husky Girls Varsity Track team, yes he was hooked.

In 1977 Coach TR St.Charles arrived from Vandy. At some point in his first year, Coach TR asked Harris about his plans after high school. Harris responded that he wanted a business degree and an excellent job. TR said, “What about being an athletic trainer?” Argo, in the present reflecting on his life journey, says, “I might not have found my passion/career,” if he had not been asked that question.

Argo graduated from Holmes in 1979, and on his 18th birthday, he received a call from Michael “Spanky” Stephens, the Head Athletic Trainer at The University of Texas accepting me as a student trainer for the Longhorns. Argo had the honor/pleasure of working as a student trainer for Spanky Stephens and Eddie Day, the Assistant Athletic Trainer at The University of Texas from 1979-1984. He worked football for all five years and cross country and track for two years. From August 1984-1985, he was the Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Houston Gamblers of the U.S.F.L. under Roy Don Wilson.

From 1985-1991 he was the Athletic Trainer at Dulles H.S. in Sugar Land, where he had the pleasure of working with Piper Wagner, who, after graduating from Dulles, played Golf for the Horns. From 1991-2000 he worked in the Rehab department of Athletic, Orthopedics, and knee center for Mark Provenzano, MD. As of October 2018, he has worked with The Orthopedic Sports Clinic with Mark Provenzano, MD, Carl Palumbo, MD, Juan Bustos, MD, and Neil Badlani, MD. Hook ‘Em!

Harris

April 18, 2014 ·

Chris McComb

I still say my best job was $4.25/hour working for UT Football as a student equipment manager! It’s not the salary, but the experiences, lessons learned and the people you meet and learn with them with that make it special! That being said, I’m grateful for every opportunity and dear friends, colleagues, and, of course, the students and student/athletes I work with! We’ve all got to start somewhere!! Chris McComb

Juan Conde

Juan knows photo opportunities. Check it out from 0:00 to 1:11 on the attached link.

http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php?title=UT_vs._TCU_Football_and_Bauer_House_Tour

In 2009, when Coach Royal was still alive, he said to Juan Conde, “We are the only two left that were on all three national championship teams.” (1963, 1969, and 1970).

In 2018 Juan is the only one remaining.

Conde is behind President Nixon

In the early ’60s, Coach Royal assigned Conde to issue equipment to the incoming freshmen and take care of their everyday needs while Mr. Jim took care of the sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Conde followed the freshmen through the four years they were at Texas. He loved his job and made lifetime friends with all the football players.

As the assistant equipment manager, he was the attendant for many great players, including :

1 Heisman Trophy Winner – 1 Maxwell Award Winner- 2 Lombardi Award Winners

3 Outland Trophy Winners- 36 All Americans- 1 NFL Hall of Fame Member

10 College Football Hall of Fame Members- 8 Texas Sports Hall of Fame Winners

8 Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame Members- 25 Texas High School Hall of Fame Members

2 UPI Lineman of the Year

2015 Texas Football Letterman golf tournament at Circle C. (Left to right) Juan Conde, A.D,  Jim Hess,  Rodney Doutel, Jeff Crozier.

AND HE WAS PART OF SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GAMES IN LONGHORN FOOTBALL HISTORY INCLUDING :

1963-Texas 7, Baylor 0                                                         1963-Texas 28,Oklahoma 7

1964-Texas 28, Navy 6                                                         1965-Texas 21,Alabama 17

1968-Texas 26,Oklahoma 20                                               1969-Texas 15,Arkansas 14

1970-Texas 20,UCLA 17                                                       1970 Cotton Bowl-Texas 21,Notre Dame 17

1973-Texas 17,Alabama 13                                                    1977-Texas 13,Oklahoma 6

1977-Texas 57,Texas A&M 28                                              1982-Texas 14,Alabama 12

Coach Royal was not only about football, but he also liked to have fun. He loved country music.

Pictured from left to right – Darrell McCall; Hector Guerra; Louie Murrillo; Darrell Royal; Edith Royal; Juan Conde & Jerry Jeff Walker. We all had a fun night! Picture made at the Silver Dollar South – Circa 1980

The Dark side Of Juan Conde- Allegations that he stole the 1969 Big Shoot-out game. He defends himself but…..

5:08 pm Dec 6

“I do not have the 1969 Texas/Arkansas Shootout game ball,” Conde said. “As you recall, the weather in Arkansas on that particular day was miserable, cold, rainy, and some sleet. So, I had to replace many wet footballs with dry footballs. I placed the wet footballs in a duffle bag. So there were many game footballs used in the game. After the game, I took them to the locker room and placed them with the rest of the equipment. The thought never entered my mind about keeping a game ball, even though there were several. I was too excited about us winning the game. When we returned to Austin, Mr. Blaylock and I put all game equipment in the equipment room, including the wet game ball. That’s the last I saw them. Now, I wish I had kept one. Also, Bill Little, the Texas SID, for the longest time, though I had kept the plaque President Nixon presented to Coach Royal. I told him I didn’t have it. I told Bill I heard President Nixon, while holding the plaque in his hands, tell Coach Royal since the plaque had not been engraved yet he was taking it back to Washington to have it engraved. That’s the last time I saw it. And to think, of the twenty-plus years I was the assistant equipment manager, I could have amassed many collectible items pertaining to Texas Longhorn football, but unfortunately, I didn’t.”

Conde’s accomplishments remind all Longhorns that, in sports and far beyond, his contributions to Longhorn heritage shape the present and empower the future.

Hook’em!

I still say my best job was $4.25/hour working for UT Football as a student equipment manager! It’s not the salary but the experiences, lessons learned, and the people you meet and learn with them that make it special! That being said, I’m grateful for every opportunity and for dear friends, colleagues, and of course the students and student/athletes that I get to work with! We’ve all got to start somewhere!! Chris McComb

Rusty Coffee

Frank was a very special person to me and tried to help me improve my performance as an athlete while we were growing up in the locker rooms. His adoptive son, Randy, was a classmate at Brykerwoods Elementary, as we lived in the same neighborhood! I remember his neighbor had a pet lion, which was brought to my home on Northwood Road. Frank could be mean and tough, but he had a good heart that helped you. His wife was blonde and quiet, not an Indian.

To add depth to the History and Evolution of Conditioning and Weight Lifting for the Longhorns, some content and photos from the Stark Center site are used on the TLSN site. 

One of the Stark Center’s directives is to study the effect of kinesiology on athletes and sports.  For more information about the Stark Center, please visit us at 403 East 23rd Street, North End Zone, Suite 5.700, Austin, TX 78712. Their phone # is 512-471-4890, or you can visit their site at  http://www.starkcenter.org

4’10” Frank Medina joined Coach Bible’s staff in 1945 and for the next 32 years under 5 Longhorn coaches, he converted boys to men.

He was so well respected that he was selected as the head trainer for two U.S. Olympic teams.

Franks’s reputation received special notoriety during Royal’s tenure at Texas. Coach Royal and Frank Medina believed that football was not a sport for the weak-spirited.

In Coach Royal’s first year as head coach in 1957, DKR tells Medina to get the players in shape. Frank loved his job, but none of the players loved him doing his job. He drove the players hard during the infamous “Medina Sessions.” The survivors were “medina-ized” and made the team.

Unlike today’s players, Frank did not tolerate fat players during his years as Longhorn head trainer.

Frank had an infamous “fat farm” that he used in torturous ways to eliminate fat. Wind sprints carrying blocking dummies, running the stadium seats, exercising in the steam room, followed by 3- minute rounds of punching a bag were all part of the fat-burning routine. His favorite comment during these exercise sessions was:

“show me what you got son!”

Bill Little says in his book Stadium Stories “The most significant tributes to Frank Medina always are personal- a product of the mind. Because this is where he challenged you.” “As good as he was with the tape and the liniment, the rehab, and the exercise, the mind was where he did his best work. For the Longhorn football players with whom he worked, remembering Frank Median is highly personal because his relationship always came down to man to man.”

Jay Arnold who trained under Frank Medina says “At times I have wondered if the “Big Man Upstairs” (as Frank referred to Him) has chosen Frank to receive those who made it to Heaven by the ‘skin of their teeth’, and that I was in that category, and would once again have to endure another ‘Medina Session!”

Letter From Frank E. Medina

Dec. 19, 1973

Billy,

I recently found this letter from the venerable Frank E. Medina, our Trainer. It was sent to members of our Longhorn team at Christmas time, which was unusual. Normally, Frank sent letters pre-season and pre-spring training, letting us know what he expected from us during the season and during spring training. This was the only letter at Christmas time that I recall getting from Frank in my years at The University of Texas. And, frankly, the only one that I recall during my years, that extolled our team in such a manner. Perhaps other teams received such letters. Upon returning to campus on the day following Christmas to begin preparing for our January 1, 1974 Cotton Bowl game against Nebraska, I thanked Frank for his letter, while he was wrapping my ankles before practice. He replied, “Son, I am extremely proud of this group of men. You men have continued the winning tradition and this is our sixth Southwest Conference championship in a row. You men were picked number one in the preseason and lost the first game out of the box [Miami]. You did not quit. You rose as Champions….as a team….never quitting.”

I recall asking Frank the meaning of the word ‘epicedium’ that he uses in his letter. In his short sentence, staccato speech, Frank stated, “A funeral song…this team refused to die….refused to quit….would not give up son! I am proud of that. That is what we try to instill in our men here at The University of Texas.”

We lost the Cotton Bowl game. I was thankful I was graduating and wouldn’t be participating in the ‘Medina Drills’ that would begin in January of 1974 in preparation for spring training. As all of us know, Frank, his then 1st Assistant, Spanky Stephens, took all losses personally, but especially the Cotton Bowl losses. And their pre-spring training drills reflected such.

Below is Frank’s letter.

Respectfully, In Memory of Frank,

Jay L. Arnold

Melvin Pat Patterson

Herb Grey broke my leg, holding a dummy, on the first day of practice in 1952. It turned out to be a blessing. Mr. Medina took me under his wing and taught me how to be a trainer, which was a big help in my football coaching career. I received two coaching job offers when school districts called me and said Mr. Medina recommended me for the job; it’s yours. One year he tried to get me the trainer position at The U of Maine. Superman in my books

Dwight Jefferson, 1976-1978, shares a comment that Frank used often with Longhorn athletes. Frank made sure that all understood, “You have an opportunity to get an education at The University of Texas through your athletic ability.” Don’t blow it!

In 1972 Gary Shaw, a former Texas football player, writes a book called Meat on the Hoof, and he mentions the “Medina Sessions.” The author says that “cattle are treated better than the football players.” Most of the comments in his book are vindictive, exaggerated, and untrue. I know because I trained under Frank Medina. However, even after discounting Gary’s exaggerations, hitting a punching bag until I could no longer raise my arms was still painful.

During Coach Royal’s early years at Texas, the players were remarkably injury-free. Part of the reason was great conditioning, and the other reason was injury denial. Medina’s mental game that made players feel tiny was a screening mechanism for traffic to the training room. If they went into the training room, they better be hurt.

Medina made it known that he did not kiss boo-boos to make the pain go away as mommy did. His job was to heal legitimate injuries. The players got Medina’s message of no boo-boos allowed” in the training room, choosing to play hurt rather than enter Medina’s rehab program.

Frank, on occasion, to enhance the healing process, would drive the player miles from campus and tell him to walk back.

Frank Medina as Yoda

Frank had an unusual speech pattern that took liberties with the English language. The way he constructed his sentences and his cadence was Yoda-like long before the First Star Wars Movie.

I can still hear Yoda ( Frank Medina) making the following comments.

• The Player says, “I can’t believe it” and Medina says, “That is why you fail.”

• Frank says ” I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.”

• Frank’s philosophy “ Do, or do not. There is no try.” “You think Medina stops teaching just because his student does not want to hear? “A teacher Medina is. “

During the two years I tried out for football, Herb Gray accidentally broke my leg while I was holding a dummy. On the first day of practice, I developed a great friendship with Mr. Medina. At the time, I was also playing semi-pro baseball, running track, swimming, and doing competitive trampoline. Unfortunately, I broke both of my jaws early in my sophomore year. Mr. Medina told me, “Pat, we look for football players who are agile, mobile, and hostile; you’re too fragile—go play those other sports.”

The best part of our friendship was that as a high school football coach, I received three different calls offering me a job, and each one told me I didn’t need to interview because Mr. Medina had recommended me. He was a truly great gentleman to me.

Some Feedback By Some Of The Players During The Medina Years :

Ray Cunningham, the All American in the 120 yard high hurdles in the early ’60s, is quoted in the book Champions authored by Carlton Stowers and Wilbur Evans, saying that part of Medina’s reconditioning program after his leg injury was a “Medina-assigned” walk from Round Rock back to campus. Rumor has it that Ray met many fine people who were not afraid to pick-up hitchhikers wearing U.T. track clothes, so the walk back for conditioning could have been compromised.  If so- Ray never mentioned the ride home to Frank Medina.

Jim Moreno attended Harvard Medical school, but as a young man in high school, he received the required treatment from Frank Medina. Jim says, “ Frank took his hand, slapped the muscle, and pressed down and to the sides. I screamed with pain. Frank responded to the scream by saying, “didn’t know you were so feminine.” “From then on, I bit my tongue and kept quiet.”

Keith Moreland, defensive back, 1973: “When you’re in two-a-days, and the AstroTurf gets to 115-120 degrees; you really get to know the courage that human beings have; to be able to put up with all that and go through what you have to go through. In those days, Frank Medina gave no water breaks. The only thing you had was a frozen sliced orange. Boy, that orange looked pretty good most days.”

Coach Gustafson remembers a troubling situation when taskmaster Texas trainer Frank Medina approached Gus about baseball great Keith Moreland. Medina’s said, “I got a player who’s a little bit lazy.” “Keith Moreland won’t do anything I’m trying to get him to do. He’s always last in the line. He won’t run. He won’t do anything.” Medina suggested that Keith should be kicked off the team. Gus was shocked at Medina’s comment and responded, “Frank, “I can find another trainer. I can’t find another All-American third baseman.”

Glenn Blackwood, defensive back, 1976-1978, elaborates in more detail about the Longhorn Yoda. He says “You know what he was like? Darrell Royal was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Frank Medina was Yoda. This little guy was a piece of work. ‘Mr. Man. Come on, Mr. Man.’ Medina would say. He couldn’t remember our names, so he just called us all ‘Mr. Man.’ One time he had us run the religious relays. ‘I want the Baptists over here, the Methodists here….’ I’ve never seen anything like him”.

David Anderson also agrees with the Yoda comparison for Medina. David quotes Medina (Yoda) “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.”

“Judge me by my size, do you? HMM. And well you should not.”

Tom Stolhandske, defensive end, 1950-1952 says: “Frank Medina–the Little Indian–was our trainer. You didn’t want to go see him….if you got under his control for some kind of treatment, it was absolute horror. I’d walk into the training room and see somebody in the steam bath–locked in, pounding on the door, trying to get out.”

“If Frank put you in there for x minutes, you were going to stay in there for that amount of time, whether or not you passed out. He’d get you in the stadium and make you run to the top, some 70 or 80 rows, back and forth, back and forth…he’d give you the dummy to carry. I injured my ankle against Oklahoma…. We got back to Austin, and he said, ‘Come get some treatment.’ I said, ‘Frank, I didn’t hurt my ankle; I just thought I did. Tape it up.’ He wasn’t about to get me in that training room….”

Jack Collins, halfback, 1959-1961: “One week–the week of the OU game–I cut a class. And I remember having to run stadium steps with Frank Medina at 6:00 in the morning. I mean, I don’t care if you were a starter or what. You didn’t get by with that….I remember him taking some guys up to Round Rock and just letting them out of the car. They probably hitched a ride, but he wanted them to walk back to Austin to lose weight.”

  Jerry Sisemore says Frank’s favorite saying was, “What are you saving it for, son? What are you saving it for?’  We’d run the stadium steps and had to do it 10 times. It’s only 75 steps to the top of the stadium, and at first, we thought, ‘It’s probably a nice view up there.’ By the time we got to the eighth time, we were crying. We’d jump rope and punch the bag. This was off-season with Frank. After the workout, everyone else would go to dinner, and he’d get the fat boys in there with weight vests on. They’d do sit-ups with dumbbells, and he’d count to 500. ‘What are you saving it for, son? What are you saving it for?’ It was a gut-check.

My senior year against Baylor in Waco, I sprained my ankle–just ripped it right before halftime. Frank used about 6 rolls of tape on it. We were in the 3rd quarter when he finished taping it. Frank says, ‘Okay, I’ve wasted enough tape. What are you saving it for? I’m going to lock this door, Sisemore. Are you going to sit here locked in, or are you coming with me’? But if you go out there, you’re playing.’

He was that kind of guy. He could push you further than you wanted to go. I didn’t want to go back in, but I had no choice; I wasn’t getting locked in there. I knew he was just trying to push me. So I finally said, ‘Okay, push me. I’m in.’
Guys loved him; you knew where his heart was.

Bobby Mitchell said in the book Echos of Texas Football  that Medina ” was running people off”. “Medina was somewhat of a henchman.

Loyd Wainscott’s wife Barbara shares a memory of Frank Medina’s impact on Loyd’s life.

She says “Loyd loved Frank but he respected Medina Sessions! Frank decided Loyd gained too much weight his freshman year and when he sent him home for the summer he gave him strict instructions to “not eat anything white”. Loyd followed his instructions to the T. When he got back for two-a-days Coach Royal saw him and said “My God! Where did you spend the summer…in a concentration camp?!” and he put him on the scales. He had lost down to 197 lbs. Loyd told him what Frank had instructed and Coach yelled “FRANK!”…as Frank went scurrying around the corner, nowhere to be found. From then on Frank took Loyd under his wing to bring him back. He would take him into the backroom to tape his ankles where there was air conditioning and give him Mama Medina’s cookies and milk. He even gave me an interview for the school paper for my journalism requirements and gave me a hand-woven peasant purse from the old country. He had a very special place in Loyd’s heart, as I’m sure he did in many a Longhorn player.

Barbara Wainscott

Scott Palmer had his own experience with the “hike”.  Scott says that The “Sunday after the OU game in 1968 in which I had hurt my knee, he had me meet him at the stadium that morning. He had me dress in sweats, grab one of the weight vests, and took me out to the team hotel miles north of campus. I was then informed to look him up after I walked back to the stadium. I didn’t wear socks. After about five miles, I tried hitching a ride, and a player’s dad saw me and took me the rest of the way. To my surprise, by Monday my knee was better but not the blisters on my sockless feet. Genius, I guess.”

In Franks Bio housed at the Stark Center, there is an insightful point made about Medina. He was “never an advocate for heavy lifting; Medina played an important role in professionalizing the athletes’ conditioning program. In addition to starting the first off-season workouts at UT, he also introduced true physical therapy procedures to the UT athletic department. He also brought distinction to the university by serving on two Olympic teams, and he worked with athletes from a wide variety of sports.”

Frank passed away in 1989, but his contributions to Longhorn traditions remain a portal to the past that reminds Longhorn fans that heritage shapes the present and empowers the future. Frank Medina is a bridge-builder connecting the past with the present and the future.

Horns Up!!

Rey Moreno remembers Frank Medina conditioning drills

Granted, you football guys had it really tough, but we track guys had it tough also. When the Horns had a 6-4 record in 1965 after being ranked #1 early in the season, Royal said no bowl game. This freed up Frank Medina to put the track team through “Medina sessions” between Thanksgiving and Christmas break.

A workout would be: dressed in 2 pairs of sweats with a weight vest; we would run bottom to the top of Memorial Stadium stands about 15 times. We would then go under the stadium and jump rope, waiting to climb a 25 ft rope. After that, we would go into the football locker room with the heat turned up and do circuit training. Medina would stand on a bench with a whistle in his mouth, holding on both ends of a white towel around his neck. All you guys that played under Medina remember that pose. There would be barbells to do curls or presses, a push-up station with your feet on the bench, 20 lb weight behind your head to do sit-ups, and many similar exercises. Medina would blow the whistle, and you would start the exercise; he would blow it again after 2 minutes, and you would move to the next station. There was probably a 1 to 2-minute rest between stations. I thought the toughest was doing push-ups with feet on the bench and going down to the floor after being so hot and tired doing this non-stop exercise. Your world would spin when you stood up.

We were ready to go home at Christmas time.

Joe Samford from the 1973 recruiting class has some comments  about Medina’s second home

Billy – My wife and I recently stayed at this 100-year-old cabin on a bluff overlooking the North Shore of Lake Travis.  Very rustic, but very cool.

Very cool because it belonged to Frank Medina and now belongs to one of his daughters – Connie.  You can look it up on the Internet at “White Owl”

Frank Medinas  contributions to Longhorn traditions represents  a portal to the past that reminds Longhorn fans that heritage shapes the present and empowers the future.

Mr. Dale,
A friend of mine sent me a text today from your Longhorn Letterman email about the 1969 Texas vs Arkansas game.
In the article, there was a paragraph from Robin Sandlein who stated the game was dedicated to trainer Frank Medina who dedicated his life to the care and treatment of the athletes at Texas.
As a youngster, I recall sitting on the sidelines of the home games and watching some of the greats play some ( in my opinion ) of the best games in college football.
I would like the thank you for posting that article which touched me deeply because I am the youngest son of Frank Medina. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the players from those glory days, and it is always nice to hear them talk about my dad. He was a no-nonsense individual and a tough disciplinarian, and a lot of them said he was a tough job, but he made them into the men they are today.
Thanks for taking me back to my youth and the memories of Longhorn football.
Best Regards,
Lane Medina
Hook Em!

 Wally’s resume is too long to type. Check below and you will overwhelmed with the accomplishment of the this Longhorn swimmer.

Drop the word “pain” in the presence of an athlete, and indubitably a shudder or flash of recognition was stirred deep into the heart. Pain was a phenomenon that for centuries has gone hand-in-hand with competition.

For most athletes, mere participation in a sport requires an unavoidable physical and psychological confrontation with pain that could rarely be avoided. Moreover, every sport has its injuries, with the accompanying sensations rendering an athlete considerably less effective or even non-functional in competition. From the rough extreme of football, with the possibility of a muscle pull to spinal cord severance, to a speed and precision game such as tennis, where the elbow was particularly susceptible, it was a straightforward, crystal clear maxim: sports begat injury and injury begat pain.

Most athletes quickly grew accustomed to dealing with the pain inherent in their sport. But the effects on performance were highly diverse. An injury debilitation in one sport could have little or no impact on play in another athletic contest. For example, football players have been known to stay in battle with broken bones set shielded with devices designed for athletes by doctors. Patched and protected, participation could continue with little or no loss of effectiveness. Yet, in a game such as baseball, an intimidating pitcher or a powerful slugger might be worthless by a mere blister on the fingertip.

In a year filled with competitive ups and downs, many Longhorn athletes butted heads with the play-with-pain menace.  Diver Denise Christensen sustained a fractured vertebra in her lower back in 1981 which kept her out of training for nine months.  In her attempt to get back into shape, the pain was a major obstacle.  “It was hard to start doing things again,” she explained. “I was really cautious and somewhat afraid.”  As she progressed, it was pain that continued to cause her problems. “I never knew if I was overdoing it,” she said.  In spite of the pain, she just kept “testing it.” When the first meet rolled around, her main concern was blocking everything out, including the discomfort. “Because of the high level of competition, you must just block it out. You know if the dive is a good one, you won’t be hurt again,” Christensen said.

Bob Clary, a three-year letterman in track, grappled with minor but painful injuries over several seasons before bowing to their nagging presence. “Track is funny,” he said, “you can hardly play with even the slightest injury.  The level of competition is that close.”  Clary did what he could by slacking off during workouts to save himself for meets.  But in the long run, he couldn’t regain a full bill of health.  He summed it up very simply, saying “In track if you’re hurt, you shouldn’t be performing.” 

The Longhorn football team had its share of imposing physical performances in the face of extreme pain.  Placekicker Raul Allegre turned in one of his key outputs of the season after a considerable struggle just to make the game. Completely down with bronchitis before the Houston game, he spent the entire day resting in bed. However, as the game got underway, “I just forgot about it,” he said.  Allegre booted two crucial field goals enabling the Horns to gain a 14-14 tie.  He spent the next four days in the Student Health Center.

Athletes continued to compete in the face of pain because they despised the thought of sitting out or felt it was a part of the game. “You just suck it up,” said Rick McIvor, Longhorn quarterback.

Perhaps the most heart-breaking injuries of the year occurred to defensive lineman Kenneth Sims and key forward Mike Wacker.   Sims was out for the season and with his injury went all hopes for the Heisman Trophy.  After Wacker underwent crucial knee surgery, the previously undefeated basketball team skidded to a halt, dropping 11 of the last 13 games. 

Longhorn tailback Rodney Tate held a decidedly upbeat view on the haunting pain associated with athletics.  After suffering a severe thigh bruise against Texas Tech, he spent several days in the Student Health Center and then returned to action in considerable pain.  “The main thing is to forget about it,” he said. “The first time you get the ball, you’ll be thinking about it, but once you’ve been hit, you’ve got to get right up again.   To keep getting up after the knocks you’ve got to concentrate,” Tate said.

Rodney Tate’s attitude reflected a personal philosophy on life; “ To be successful, in football and in life, nothing is going to be easy.  Playing with pain is part of the game.”

Comments below were added by Billy Dale to expand on Pat Cosgrove’s article.

Why do athletes play with pain?

• In addition to Pat Cosgrove’s observation of how and why players play through the pain, I would like to add that the possibility of losing a starting position on the team is another key motivator to play hurt.

• There is an article on the TLSN site that deals with how some people just have a higher threshold of pain in their genes. Ragan Gennusa’s successful struggle to overcome pain is very inspiring.

• “ I don’t want the coaches to know they can get along without me.”

• There is a story told by author and former Longhorn football player R.E. Peppy Blount’s book titled Mamas, don’t let your babies grow to play Football which occurred during Coach Bible watch. Blount said the Bible never played injured players so many chose to play hurt and not tell him. In the 1938 game, Nelson Puett made a touchdown to defeat the Aggies. It was the only victory for the longhorns that year. Watching the films in a dark room the next day with the player’s Coach Bible criticized Puett for carrying the ball in the arm closest to the tacklers. Bible says “why didn’t you have the ball under the other arm?” Puett says “the other arm was broken.” Coach Bible shocked turned on the lights in the film room and there sat his halfback with his left arm in a sling.

 Recognition of a true Longhorn Legend! Last night, Gary Mcintosh represented Betty Grubbs’s family as she was honored by UT. Betty has donated a 7 figure amount to UT women’s athletics through the years.

Gary says,

“Yesterday I had the honor of representing my dear friend Betty Grubbs, who passed in Dec 2018 at the age of 100, plus six months. Betty and I sat next to each other for 43 baseball seasons at Disch Falk Field on the UT campus. She and Suzanne and I became such close, dear friends over the many years.

I was on the court as her family representative with Hall of Fame Longhorn basketball coach Jody Conradt, AD Chris Del Conte and Exec Asst AD Andrew Hamor, to honor Betty and announce her gift to primarily the Women’s Athletics program at UT. Betty, and her husband Homer were instrumental in helping the fledgling UT women’s program get started back in the days before the NCAA recognized women’s sports, before Title IX. We are now in the 52nd year of Title IX, I believe. Betty and Home went around Austin, promoting the women’s basketball program in the 1970s and 1980s, selling tickets and raising contributions for the program, which didn’t have major funding from any source back then. Coach Conradt speaks very highly of Betty and Homer’s amazing, never ending love for the women athletes, and she continued that support for decades. And Betty’s legacy will live forever.

The gifts, some for baseball and softball facilities on the campus, but primarily to endow scholarships for Longhorn women athletes will be her legacy to the programs she loved. One of the longest, if not the longest season ticket holders at UT in SIX sports! Betty’s gift is the largest scholarship endowment ever for women’s athletics at UT and the third largest gift to the women’s program in the history of UT!

I’m so proud, so blessed, to have been her friend, to have witnessed this amazing woman and what she did for so many people. As my late wife Suzanne Shepperd McIntosh said often, just by being around Betty, you knew you were treasured, you were loved, you were blessed. She had her own tv show early Saturday mornings to help seniors with filing for medicare, medicaid, social security and other needs and advice. She was volunteer of the year in Austin at about age 89, traveling all around the community and up to 100 miles away, providing that help to seniors in nursing homes, community centers, etc.

She earned a Masters degree from the Univ of Pittsburgh, was in the Waves during WWII, became a licensed pilot. She married her husband Homer in 1951 and they bought their home in Sunset Valley in 1952, where she lived until she passed. The week before she went into the hospital, she attended both her beloved Lady Longhorns volleyball and basketball games on the campus. Suzanne and I took her to watch the Horns football team that year for four of the home games. Two were too cold for her to go. But in her 35 yard line seat, she cheered on the Horns just as normal. And we celebrated her birthday the previous May in Disch Falk Field in what is now the Cliff Gustafson Pavilion.

Betty’s husband Homer passed away in about 1996. And her stepson Collins just passed away in the last two weeks. Her granddaughter Shannon survives her, but illness prevented her from joining us this weekend.

These pictures include a scoreboard recognition Saturday at Disch Falk, and scenes from the on court recognition yesterday, the game, and pictures with various of her close friends, who were part of her entourage… some who were travel companions, or who sat with us at baseball games and shared so many good times with her.

I will add other pictures and hopefully videos at some point as I receive them.”

1900—There was no great band of the Southwest. Music was a makeshift affair, so Dr. Eugne P. Schoch, a Chemistry professor and musician, in concert with Dr. H.E. Baxter, a local dentist, purchased two used drums and 12 used instruments for $150.

Officially, Baxter was the first band director, followed by Schoch. After five years, Schoch stepped down as director, but he continued to serve as a chaperone for the band. For the next seven years, the Longhorn Band was run by students.

1908 – Texas rooter staged an “interhalf parade” on the field. While the band played, the rooters used brooms to demonstrate “a clean sweep of Texas A&M resulting in a fight and stabbing of Texas student William Trenekmann.

By 1917, the Longhorn Band had 35 pieces.

In 1920 Regent Lutcher Stark presented the band with their first modern uniforms, of white serge with an orange stripe down the trousers’ side. The tunic front was orange silk.

1920

In 1921, Mr. Burnett “Blondie” Pharr became the director of the Longhorn Band. Pharr developed the young band and led it on tour through 17 states, performing at the Chicago World’s Fair, Madison Square Garden, and Washington, D.C. The process did not occur overnight, but slowly the band members lost discipline, and funding became scarce. So on game days, the band uniforms were no longer pristine, and the music sounded more like sounds played at an American Legion convention.

Colonel George E. Hurt became director of the “Show less Band of the Southwest” in 1936. Under his tenure, the Longhorn Band grew to over 200 members. Hurt brought military precision back to the band members’ band and a sense of pride of belonging to the band. While Colonel Hurt did a great job with discipline, enthusiasm to join the Longhorn band dwindled during his tenure.

After Col. Hurt suffered a stroke in 1949, Moton Crockett assumed the Longhorn Band’s directorship. Colonel D. Harold Byrd supplanted Lutcher Stark as the benefactor, giving away prizes to outstanding band members. He donated Big Bertha, the “world’s largest drum,” in 1954 and purchased new uniforms for band members when necessary.

Vincent R. DiNino 1955- 1975

DiNino is one of the very few who have been named honorary “T” men or football lettermen.

Vincent R. DiNino replaced Moton Crockett after he retired, and Dinio updated the music and uniforms of the Longhorn Band. New music included Jazz, popular songs, and show tunes. DiNino had the right formula for entertainment, and the band grew from 40 to 400 before he pared it down to 300.

DiNino’s time as director saw the introduction of many other traditions and characteristics of the band, such as the western-style uniforms, Big Flags Brigade, the Longhorn Alumni Band, and cowbells. DiNino oversaw the introduction of women into the band in a position besides majorette in 1956 and the integration of the band in 1962. The adoption of the moniker “Showband of the Southwest” also occurred during this time.

1963

In 1970 Dinino introduce the Wabash Cannonball, a Royal favorite. It is still a crowd favorite at half-time.

1975–2001

Tom C. Rhodes served as director of the band from 1975 to 1980. Glenn A. Richter, an alumnus of the University of Texas, returned to his alma mater as director of the Longhorn Band from 1980 to 1995. Paula Crider became director in 1995 and remained until 1999. Kevin Sedatole served as director for the short span from 1999 to 2001.

1977

2001–2010

Dr. Robert Carnochan assumed the directorship of the Longhorn Band in 2001. He served as director until 2015 when he left for a position as the Director of Bands at the University of Miami.

Dr. Scott Hanna became the 12th director of the Longhorn Band in 2015. Dr. Hanna had served as the band’s associate director for sixteen years before he was appointed director.

2012

https://sites.utexas.edu/longhornband/

2022 Big Bertha II

 Big Bertha II, Largest Bass Drum in the World, to Make Debut at Texas-Iowa State Game

Left: Big Bertha, 2021. Photo by Ralph Arveson. Right: Big Bertha II, shown at A&F Drum Co., October 2022. Photo by Steven Gunter.

AUSTIN, Texas — Big Bertha II, a new bass drum custom-built for the Longhorn Band at The University of Texas at Austin, will debut at the Oct. 15 football game between Texas and Iowa State University. After 100 years of service, the original Big Bertha will make her final appearance alongside Big Bertha II before entering the Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. Both drums will be on the field for the first and only time during the halftime show, which will feature the Longhorn Band alongside the Longhorn Alumni Band.

Then-Longhorn Band Director Moton Crockett presenting Big Bertha to incoming Director Vincent DiNino.

“We’re not saying goodbye to Big Bertha, but we felt like her centennial was the perfect time to honor her by moving her to the Hall of Fame,” said Longhorn Band Director Cliff Croomes. “We’re excited to introduce Big Bertha II to our fans and to have a new drum that this generation and future generations will be able to enjoy.”

A fan favorite, Big Bertha has a storied history with the Longhorn Band, and she plays a prominent ceremonial role in home football games. Big Bertha leads the Longhorn Band onto the field for football games, and she’s played during the national anthem and “The Eyes of Texas,” the university’s alma mater, and after the team scores. Big Bertha was named after the World War I-era German Big Bertha howitzer because of her sound and volume.

The original Big Bertha was commissioned by the University of Chicago in 1922, and then-Longhorn Band Director Moton Crockett purchased the drum for the Longhorn Band in 1954. Crockett refurbished the drum and presented it to incoming Longhorn Band Director Vincent DiNino in 1955.

In her more than 60 years at The University of Texas at Austin, Big Bertha has made countless appearances at football games. She traveled to the Rose Bowl, and in 2015, she was shipped overseas to London as part of the Longhorn Alumni Band appearance in the London New Year’s Day Parade. Big Bertha has appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and was the subject of the A&E show “Shipping Wars.”

Big Bertha II was built in Austin this past year by local business A&F Drum Co. The new drum will measure just over 9.5 feet in diameter and will be 55 inches wide. (By contrast, the original Big Bertha is 8 feet in diameter and 41 inches wide.) The drum was manufactured with a proprietary material with aluminum, and it will be wired with an internal mic system that will allow it to wirelessly connect to the stadium sound system. Big Bertha II will be the largest bass drum in the world and will play the lowest note ever on a bass drum.

Credit: Steven Gunter, Pearlsnap Photography.

“Bertha is loud. Big Bertha II will be cacophonous,” Croomes said. “I’m honored to be a part of this transition as we honor our history and plan for our future.”

The purchase of Big Bertha II was made possible by the generosity of donors to the Big Bertha Centennial Campaign, including Dennis and Louise Griffith, Brien, Anne Smith, and Lisa Hannusch.

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Tags: Arts, Butler School of Music, College of Fine Arts

Link to the 2023 Big 12 OSU and Texas game is below.

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrjSVQDRjiD8&data=05%7C02%7C%7C42be166dd90940637fc108dbfa6d93b9%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638379120778025304%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yRvp6kD57a%2FkC1Z78mC5J0%2Fqw8UzEr3b7uj%2FRMJEbNs%3D&reserved=0

HISTORY OF TEXAS TRAINERS AND MANAGERS 1960-2014

Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP)

2014- Tina Bonci Excellence In Athletic Training Scholarship

Tina Bonci was instrumental in maintaining and promoting the health of female student athletes. She entered the HOH in 2013; she is an inductee in the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame; and in 2009 she is recognized  as the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer.

Tribute to Tina

2015

Heidi is an associate Athletic Trainer and works with the women’s basketball team

Basketball Managers

2014 Pending

2013 Pending

2012 Pending

2011 Pending

2010

2009

June 18, 2009  The Littlest Longhorn-jessica yanta no photo

Bill Little, Texas Media Relations

OMAHA, Neb. — She’s been mistaken for one of the player’s little sisters, or one of the coaches’ kids. She weighs something less than 100 pounds, can stretch to 5-feet-2, and she does have eyes of gun-metal blue.

But those who know the recently graduated Longhorn student Baseball trainer will give you one piece of advice: Don’t mess with Jessica Yanta.

As the Longhorns practiced on their second off-day, waiting for Friday night’s bracket championship game, Jessica and three student managers — the unsung heroes of any team — put in another day’s work as well. Jessica, along with brothers Travis and Tyler Wright and John Mardirosian, are part of a small army of support staff students who spend a lot of time and effort working with every sport at Texas, earning degrees and going out to make a difference in the world, just as they have for the coaches and athletes whom they have served.

Jessica has won the “Pride” award for the best GPA in the program for three straight years, during which time she has served as a student trainer for Volleyball, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Track and Field, club soccer, Spring Football and, finally this spring, Baseball.

Conquering an image is not always easy, so Jessica just used her competitiveness to overcome a self-admitted serious case of shyness when she first got into the program. It was one of those deals where the goal was worth the price of overcoming the fear, which, ironically, is something that Augie Garrido stresses to his team.

“At first I had to act confident, even if I wasn’t,” Jessica says. “Fake it `til you make it. But it got better and better when the athletes began to understand that I knew what I was doing, and they began to listen to me.”

That was a skill learned early, because life as a triplet proved both interesting and challenging for the three little girls whose parents were both teachers.

“I just enjoy working with the combination of athletics and competition, where people are motivated to get better,” she says.

Inspiration is a word that seems to come to mind when you consider Jessica, and all of those students who have worked as trainers and managers with Longhorn athletics for many, many years. Among their number are doctors, corporate executives, lawyers, Marine officers, and many of those who chose to work as trainers continue to do just that in professional sports, high school sports and colleges.

Jessica, a female trainer working with men’s sports, is part of a growing number of women in the profession. And for the old timers at Texas, there is also a particular irony in the power of somebody her size. One of the pioneers of athletics training, a man who worked with Olympic teams and became a legend at The University of Texas, was a Cherokee Indian named Frank Medina.

Like Jessica, he bravely came into a field where the athletes with whom he worked were a lot bigger than he was. But with his mind and his wisdom, he won their confidence.

And by the way, he was five feet tall, two inches shorter than Jessica.

2008

Inducted into the HOH in 2008

Becky  Bludau Marshall graduated from UT in 1973 and was hired as Southwest Texas State athletic trainer. She is the first full-time trainer for UT women’s athletics, served on the U.S. National Women’s basketball team, and was a college basketball official.

Names will be added as I find them

Team Managers
Mitch Adams, Kathleen Baker, Andres Campos-Delgado, Jake Frederick, Anthony Gigli, Colter Harless, Jamie Jackson, Robert Lawrence, John Mardirosian, Chris Mudge, Daniel Pittsford, Chris Quinn, Tres Segler, Zachary Struck, Scott Weatherford, Will Weaver, Travis Wright, Coleman Yates

Athletic Trainers
Whitney Anders, Lizzie Baker, Teryl Boland, Jillian Brigle, Mary Buckner, Adriana Cantu, Rachel Craddock, Kristina Creinin, Kassi Johnson, Brody Lawhon, Kara Miller, Derica Nealy, Danny Oh, Sarah Petry, Taryn Price, Diana Ramirez, Mallory Sitzman, Jessica Yanta*

2007 pending

2006 pending

2005

2005 Big 12 Championship sideline: Darren Damewood was one the first managers to hold cards for players on the field… Darren’s responsibility was offense personnel # for the Texas defense.

Mark Walters is a former strength and conditioning coach who was blessed to have worked for 3 years under Augie Garrido, and on the staff that won the 2005 College World Series. Mark, as member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, contributed to the innovative team of coaches that led to the success that Longhorn student athletes had both on and off of the field

All years with no content are pending information

2004

2003

2002

2002 volleyball Elizabeth Quiniam manager

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

Keith Stephenson 1996-98, student trainer

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1990-1991

Trainers are the backbone of UT sports programs providing help and encouragement to players. Student trainers work 40 hours weekly, are CPR certified, and attend all practices. Athletes respect the trainer’s skills and sometimes lean on the trainer for support prior to a game. Jim Glean a physical education senior says, “They really make you feel like you’re part of the team. And whenever they win, they make us feel like we were a part of the win.”

Before the first workout, the Student trainers learn first aid, handling stretchers, and how to treat spinal injuries on the field. Preparation for practice and games takes at least 6 hours a day. After practice, the trainers start the rehabilitation treatments such as deep massage, ultrasound, ice, and whirlpool treatment, and clean up the minor injuries incurred on the field. Slideshow below :

Tec Gray is the equipment manager (no photos)

1990- Spanky Stephens

Chris Samuels says of Spanky and the year of WIT (Whatever it takes) to reverse the decline of Texas football in 1988 and 1989. “Spanky never babied us when we were injured, and he worked hard to get us back on the field, but we didn’t know he was such a tough coach.” In 1990 was not only the trainer but he did his share of motivating the players in the areas of strength and conditioning. “Spanky , take it easy, can we rest this set?” “There was no break. Spanky was a “Jekyll and Hyde”.

1989

TOP SONG

1988- The silent partners

An integral part of Texas’ success is student managers and trainers. Working behind the scenes, both groups keep the teams organized and the athletes healthy. All are respected members of the team with a job to complete taking care of logistics and care for the athletes.

1987

1986

1985

1984

1983

Mike Korth ( pending photo)

Bill Little commentary: A tree is gone

Aug. 15, 2012

Bill Little,Texas Media Relations

The news, for many, wouldn’t matter. But for those to whom it mattered, it will matter a lot.

Mike Korth died Wednesday morning. He wasn’t a legendary athlete, or a coach whose teams won a bunch of games. He never made a lot of money, and for almost a third of his life of 49 years he bravely battled a disease that would kill him.

The reason Mike Korth is important is that he represents dozens of employees in Texas athletics who go about their business every day, toiling – not for the fame or the glory or the money – but because of a commitment to excellence and a loyalty that transcends most other things.

Mike Korth was special because he drew his energy from the people. He loved being Mike Korth. From the athletes to the staff to the cheerleaders to anyone who came his way, he worked – not for The University – but for human kind.

A native of Rockdale, Mike came to The University from Blinn Junior College in the early 1980s. He earned a letter as a track manager and began working part-time for the athletics department. That was 29 years ago. For the next 15 years, every time anybody needed anything done around the athletics department, the simple answer was “call Korth.” Need something assembled (instructions not included)? Call Korth. Need somebody to stay late to turn on the stadium lights for a TV shoot? Call Korth. Errands, work detail, organization? Call Korth.

As his indomitable spirit passes to another dimension, you have to figure God needed somebody to take charge of miracles. That is how we saw him. You ask, and you knew it would be done.

It was soon after Mack Brown became the Texas head football coach in the spring of 1998 that Mike was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They told him he had six months to live. That was 14 years ago. It is safe to say that no one ever fought harder to live than Mike Korth. Every so often, there would be another setback, and yet, there he would be, perhaps walking more slowly, but always on the job.

When the cancer took much of his eyesight and made it unsafe to drive, Mike rode the bus to St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital to see his friend and my son David Little as David fought through the effects of a stroke four years ago.

And still there was always the greeting:

“How ya doin’ Mike?”

“Just fine, sir.”

By the end, he needed a cane and his brisk walk had become a shuffle. His once-athletic frame was showing the effects of long years of serious medication.

In 2009, Mike was recognized as the honorary referee at the Texas Relays. Last fall, he was inducted into the Rockdale Sports Hall of Honor in his home town. Those were nice, but Mike Korth’s reward was more likely seeing young people happy. To that, he would flash an impish smile and politely move on to the next challenge.

As I said at the beginning of this, the reason Mike is significant is that he is a reflection of so many, many people who serve in the same way every single day. Our late, great friend Dick Dozier, who with his wife Marian owned every Taco Bell as far as the eye could see from Austin, always lived by a motto of “Here to Serve.”

Those who worked with Mike and those who knew him understand that. He was part of an era here in the athletics department that included so many young people who came here as a way station on life’s journey and stayed and kept working because this is a hard place to say goodbye to. Following in their footsteps are dozens of young college graduates who are just starting out in this profession of college athletics, determined to keep this athletics department on the cutting edge of the future, while preserving the great tradition which is inbred within us all.

They, like Mike, do not have the high profile of some of us. But it is their energy, and their commitment, that creates what this university stands for. Universities are not made of bricks and mortar. They are made of people. There are over 12,000 staff workers at UT who are not at the level of administrators or professors, but who bust their tails every day to do their job well.

I have told this story before, but when I was a kid growing up in Winters, Texas, I had returned home from college in Austin for the summer. I went with my Dad to what I remember as being the best fishing hole in Runnels County, and as we approached the creek, you couldn’t help but notice that the giant pecan tree which had shaded the bank was gone – a victim of age and a storm.

And yet as I stood there and looked at the scene from a distance, I could still see that tree, hanging like a portrait in the hallways of the mind.

So it will be with Mike Korth. In so many ways, he will always be there. On patrol, looking for the next job to do. And behind him will be all those who have followed…determined to live a life where pride is reflected in a job well done, and gratification came, not for what somebody did for you, but from what you did for others.

1982

Derrl Ohnheiser Athletic Trainer 79-82 B

1981

Jerry Gray (1981-1984) “I guess when I think of my time at The University of Texas, I look at the people who made a difference for me and have become great friends. One o them is Larry Falk, who was our equipment manager ….. Lary doesn’t get a lot of notice, but he works every day to make that place better, and he takes pride in what he does. ….the kind of guy you know you can always count on. “ Larry is top row first on the left in the second photo.

05.27.2021 | T-Association

Long-time UT Athletics staffer Larry Falk passes away

Falk served 33 years at UT and was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2013.

AUSTIN, Texas — Larry Falk, a long-time University of Texas Athletics Department staffer and Texas Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, passed away on Wednesday in Austin. Falk was 58 years old.

Falk served a total of 33 years on the Forty Acres (1981-2014). He began as a football student manager and earned “T” letters as an undergraduate in 1983 and 1984. Falk went on to work for one year as an assistant equipment manager before assuming the responsibility of equipment manager in 1986.

Falk held that position through the 1990 season before transitioning into the UT Athletics facilities department in 1991. He served as operations manager until his promotion to Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Operations in 2007. Falk remained in that role until retiring in 2014.

A key cog in the operations and management of two of the Longhorns traditional annual events – the Red River Showdown and Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays – Falk accompanied the Texas Football teams to 22 bowl games and was the point person on travel for the Texas Baseball team to 10 College World Series appearances. He also served as tournament director for nearly 20 NCAA Baseball regionals and super regionals in Austin and was a 20-year assistant director of the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Falk, a native of Dallas, was born on October 10, 1962.

1980

Barton Couch 79-81 manager

TOP SONG 1980

1979

1978

Rey Moreno

1977

Student Manager – Paul Parker (track

1976

1976-

Student Manager- Terry Little (track)

I grew up watching Coach Royal and Texas football.

Many opinions on who is the most value player on the field- Qb or running back, maybe even the middle LB.

No, mvp is the manager controlling the cable wire to Coach Royals headset. He would move in any direction and often turn in circles looking for certain players. It was a challenge in laying out just the right amount of wire. Last thing you wanted was Coach Royal on ground with his feet in the air on national tv.

Enjoy your football this weekend, but a shout out to all those working in background making everything look easy.

Rey Moreno

1975-

Student Manager- Ray Moreno (track)

1974-

• Allen David 1974-78

• Jay Fenly 1975-1978

• Mark Lord 76-80

• Mark Brooks Trainer 76-79. Got to work under Frank Medina and Spanky Stephens

• Bruce Dumler Athletic Trainer 76-80. Worked under Frank Medina and Spanky Stephens.

• Student Manager- David Ray (track)

1973-

Student Manager – David Ray (track)

1972-

Conde, Fox, Anderson, Simmons, Bob Kay, Denius, Trainers- Johnson, Wheat, Gayne, Kirschner

 Student Manager – Art Taylor (track)

1971-

1971- Student Manager – Gordon Olhausen; Glen Sefcik

1970

1969

1969- Student Manager – John Hargis, III; Elton Archer

James Cooke , Paul Hobbs football managers

1968

Donald Frank Goldman mgr. track

Student Manager – John Hargis, III;

1967

Jeff Doenges – football manager

Student Manager – Gordon Lakey; Phil Fleckman

1966

Women intramural Managers 1966-1971

Mens- Student Manager – Gordon Lakey; Phil Fleckman

Jay Ward- football

1965-1967

 Student Manager – Gordon Lakey; Marlin Blake

 Jay Ward had the best of both worlds: he was a trainer under Frank
Medina for the 1963 (and 1964) teams, then got to be “senior manager”
under Coach Royal twice, in 1965 and 1966.

Lane Zunker was the senior football manager.

1964

Mike Gray- mgr. track

Student Manager – Gordon Lakey;

1963

Student Manager – Danny Gardner; Dan Fleckman

1962

Student Manager – Ralph Knebel;

1961

1960

 1962

Need dates on all the pictures below

1960’S

Comments from Spanky Stephens about Coach Bibb Falk.

 As a student and later on when I become full time Bibb and I would sit and talk during inner squad games. Truly one of the most interesting person in my life. He worked out and steamed everyday. I got him a key to the locks so he could park under the stadium and always stopped by my office to talk on his way back to his car. When Discharge-Falk was built I was getting the training room clean for the start of the season and Bibb showed up wanting a tour. Now that story of his tour and the next day when he brought four of his buddies that watched stocks daily together with him for a tour he was given to them. Classic Bibb as he didn’t like all the new changes when I gave his tour to him but during his tour he gave he ranted and raved to them about the new locker room and coaches offices. Now Bibb was not afraid to use some non church adjectives any where. The story of those two days is still today one of my favorite to tell.

The Cowboys, in the early days, were not all wealthy. The Cowboys were supposed to wear chaps, but many could not afford them, so many wore chaps made of linoleum that resembled leather. Finally, in 1938 Foreman of the Cowboys, Joe R. Greenhill, procured a loan to dress all the Cowboys in leather chaps, and the organization paid the loan off in time.

Heart Surgeon Denton Cooly, in 1939, became a Cowboy. He said, “ I was invited to become a cowboy, which was considered quite an honor”…. In my day, a hot cattle brand was applied to the chest, leaving a scar still clearly visible 40 years later.” The branding was the final event in the initiation hazing for the Cowboys members, and the Cowboys chanted

“this my friend, is the UT.”

The branding was a source of pride for each member. It was a badge of honor “, particularly when strutted around Barton Springs without a shirt.”

COWBOYS- The Guardian of Smokey

In 1953 Smokey the Cannon was born to offset the power of the O.U. Rugnecks canon. Smokey was built by UT’s mechanic’s engineering laboratory, but all was not well with young engineers building canons. The original smokey is at the bottom of Town lake compliments of an Aggie prank.

The Twice Smokey was almost excommunicated. The first came after a shot close to the stand in 1954 exploded inside the barrel, which brought a complaint from a woman who said she suffered temporary deafness and a burn hole in her dress from the blast. Smokey underwent an overhaul to accommodate a double-barrel 10- gauge shotgun for the 1955 season. That did not work, so Smokey converted to a 12 gauge blank.

Smokey III is a replica of a Civil War cannon; it is 6 feet tall and 10 feet long weighing 1000 pounds.

In 1966 the SWC faculty committee outlawed all cannons for league games. The SWC reinstated cannons at football games in 1969!

When Coach Royal takes over, he has several immediate issues to overcome. In Jenna Hays McEachern’s book DKR- The Royal Scrapbook, she notes that Logan Wilson, the University of Texas president,  informs Coach Royal that all freshmen will have to pass an entrance exam.   In the book Oklahoma vs Texas, Robert Heard elaborates on Jenna’s point by saying President Logan Wilson is not particularly fond of Longhorn football usurping Academia. Hence, he passes a new rule that requires all students to pass an entrance exam before admission. Up to this point in time, It is the toughest admission standard for a state school in college sports history. In 1957 23.5 percent of the student body was on scholastic probation.

Royal has no problem with the new directive from UT and decides to hire a full-time academic counselor instead of a football recruiting director.  Coach Royal says “We don’t need another ‘ get ’em here’ coach: we need a ‘keep ’em here coach,” and that is what Royal accomplished. Out of 48 members of the 1969 team, 45 graduated.

Lan Hewlett

Royal said I don’t need another assistant coach and I need is a “keep them here” Coach, so Texas hired Lan Hewlett as the first “brain coach”  in college sports. His official title was Academic Counselor.

Lan said, “I feel our boys are college students first and athletes second, and I’m sort of the catalyst trying to get an athlete and his professor close together without getting used up in the process.” Texas is the first University in NCAA history to have a full-time “brain coach” Adding an Academic Counselor is one of Coach Royal’s finest legacies, and  Jenna McEachern states in her book DKR The Royal Scrapbook that “80% of the lettermen during the Royal years graduated”.  In Jenna McEachern’s book 100 things, she states that  45 of 48 players on the 1963 team graduated, and The team’s GPA was higher than the student body GPA average.  

1982-1984

Ken McLeland

From 1982 to 1984, I tutored Chemistry and Biology and was in charge of the tutors….I can remember going into this job, I thought I was going to be running into some “out of control egos”….well, nothing was further from the truth. Since I was there every night for tutoring, I got to know almost everyone, and they were the nicest group of guys you could possibly assemble. This group included Todd Dodge, Jeff Ward, John Telchik, Edwin Simmons, Mossy Cade, Rick McIvor, and Richard Peavey….etc. The Defense was perhaps the best Texas ever put together. On October 22, 1983, we beat SMU 15-12 in Cowboy Stadium in Irving and remained undefeated and number 2 in the nation behind Nebraska. I spent October 23rd studying all day and made it to Jester to start the tutoring a little before 7 pm….I turned the corner to walk down a very long hallway to the tutoring rooms and could see a bunch of guys at the very end by the tutoring rooms….then, they disappeared….I got the rooms, and there was the entire team crammed in the rooms with a huge birthday cake and ice cream to surprise me for my 30th birthday….I can remember thinking to myself….”LIFE will be downhill from this moment”….a HUGE memory in my life….