I guess it comes with, uh, …experience. Number of years tromping around the graying granite planet, aka the big blue marble.

I’ll see some old footage of James Street dashing for the Arkansas end zone, Archie Manning sprinting out in that gangly, loose-legged way before he accelerates…maybe I’ll see that famous old clip of Elvis, windmilling one arm while giving the crowd a dead-leg. Or I’ll see Earl Campbell, stomping and stiff-arming his way through and over terrified defenders.

My response is no longer to jump up in glee. It is to get instantly choked up. If, that is, I am alone, and alone, therefore, with my reflections. Seeing those moments in time is seeing the snapshots of our own lives, like somehow watching game film of our own life and times.

It is seeing one’s own past telescoped in an instant, slightly comforted by the keen take of author William Faulkner, who opined that “The past is not dead. It’s not even past.”

The Mississippian’s musing provides some comfort and reassurance during, shall we say, the fourth quarter. Even so, it promotes, rather than prevents, more involuntary welling of the eyes.

It happened again over the weekend, watching a Paul McCartney documentary, “Man On The Run.” It focuses on Paul’s long, winding road, post-Beatles, with his first solo project, the self-titled McCartney album that produced the amazing “Maybe I’m Amazed” and proceeds through the Wings decade. Seeing and hearing was, for me, like a time-travel from high school through college, on to covering Longhorn football for KVET Radio and navigating both calm and roiling seas getting through this thing we call life. And I thought, fondly, of how personal the arrival of Texas Football magazine was each July of my youth.

Dave Campbell’s “bible of the state’s football,” long before his own name was stamped, possessively, on the cover, was keenly anticipated by this Longhorn fanatic as a kid, then teen, then collegian.

The year 1960 had brought me the life changer that came in the form of attending three home football games for the Texas Longhorns. I was seven and I was smitten.

That same calendar year also brought the inaugural issue of Texas Football, featuring UT star Jack Collins on its first cover. Somehow, though, I had missed it on the newsstand.

But by summertime ’61, things had changed. As third grade awaited on the horizon, I was now not just an avid Texas fan, I was a voracious reader.

That copy featured UT’s Jimmy Saxton along with Ronnie Bull of Baylor and Arkansas star Lance Alworth on its cover. The season preview, the upcoming sophomore feature (UT’s was on big Scott Appleton of Brady), the Saxton story and so much more. I learned about blue-chippers in recruiting, the ’61 signing class that would go 30-2-1 as varsity men…I learned a lot. And I memorized the three-deep UT roster, looking up hometowns on the Texas road map when Daddy and I weren’t discussing them. As a native son, UT grad and South Texas oilman who had criss-crossed the Lone Star State, my father was a matchless source of all I wanted to talk about and learn.

I read and re-read every page of that magazine, even the junk about UT’s conference foes. Politically incorrect comedian Dennis Miller, years later, would describe someone’s copy of the Kama Sutra as having “more dog ears than a bad Korean buffet.” That magazine was utilized for years, as I would check back on the high school derring-do of prospects who became Longhorns. Mr. Dave Campbell had created a heckuva resource.

In July ’62, it stung my just-turned-nine-years-old heart when TCU quarterback Sonny Gibbs appeared on Texas Football’s cover. For at least two weeks, I had walked up the street to the new ice house, Mr. M’s (that’s probably a convenience store to you if you’re not a San Antonian) every day, and having searched the magazine rack with no luck, asked the clerk when they would get more magazines. I was told that magazines arrived on Tuesdays and Fridays. But I was either obsessive or optimistic, because I would still check each day. I wanted my Texas Football magazine. Figured either Pat Culpepper or Johnny Treadwell, UT’s star linebackers, might brighten the cover. By the way, my parents had steadily cussed the construction and opening of “the ice house.” They said it would bring traffic to our brand new neighborhood that bordered ranchland in what was still, very briefly, the wilds of north San Antonio’s suburban edge. My sisters and I liked Mr. M’s, though. One thin dime for a Coke or Dr Pepper. Or a Big Red or Frostie Root Beer, with the little old elf man on the bottle. Good accompaniment to Little Eva’s “Loco-motion” and “Sheila” by Tommy Roe on our transistor radios.

I digress. The coverboy in that scorching summer of ’62 shockingly turned out to be a villain, that big (6-7) ol’ Gibbs, who had thrown a bomb for a TD when lowly TCU spoiled the Horns’ season, 6-0, in front of the eyes of Texas and my family when top-ranked, 8-0 Texas couldn’t overcome the cheapshot hits that took Jimmy Saxton out of the game.

Looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t tear off the cover. But it turned out to be another page-turner that Daddy and I read and re-read.

In July ’63 — after bothering the Mr. M’s guys repeatedly — I was rewarded with a cool cover photo of Scott Appleton, in his number 70 jersey, and Coach Darrell Royal in his sideline uniform of the era, a white shirt and tie. Together, they stared intently into the unseen distance. Like a younger and older John Wayne, ready for the outlaws. Turned out, they were seeing UT’s first national championship trophy, fewer than six months on the horizon.

The arrival of Texas Football always signaled that it was okay to forget about the morning paper’s box scores from baseball and start dreaming of Longhorn football. As it was with the Gibbs cover, some ’60s covers were duds. Baylor coach John Bridgers posing with receiver Lawrence Elkins just wasn’t quite a fitting encore to Royal & Appleton. Donny Anderson did look pretty cool on the ’65 cover, with a bright blue West Texas sky as the backdrop to a closeup of “the Golden Palomino.” Besides, Tech — even with Anderson in the backfield — posed no threat to the mighty Longhorns in his three years on the South Plains. Royal, likely intending his remark for “off the record,” later said of Donny, a future two-time world champ with the Green Bay Packers, “He never drank a drop against us.”

From an orange-blooded perspective, Texas Football’s cover appeal soon spiraled down to whale dung depths when A&M players Mo Moorman and Edd Hargett ran up front on back-to-back annuals that heralded the ’67 and ’68 seasons. The Hargett pick at least made sense, the Aggies having won in ’67 (with a 6-4 record) what would be their lone Southwest Conference title in three decades. But Moorman was the big man on a team coming off a 4-5-1 campaign. (Note: Linebacker Brad Dusek became the third A&M coverboy in six years when he adorned the ’72 cover, in spite of the Farmers coming off their 13th losing season in the past 14 years.)

The Longhorn coverboy choices made perfect sense in those first two decades of Texas Football magazine, the golden era to this writer. Big Diron Talbert certainly warranted a three-man cover in ’66 along with two other star defenders, John LaGrone of SMU and Greg Pipes of Baylor. Talbert, who followed Don and Charlie as the last and perhaps best and meanest of the Texas City brothers, went on to a decorated pro career, first as a member of the Los Angeles Rams’ Fearsome Foursome, then as a Cowboy-scalping hellion for the Washington Redskins.

And you could have likely made money had you bet on James Street and Steve Worster for cover-star status in the ’69 and ’70 issues. Both photos were action shots, though, and looked a little grainy if the reader wished to be picky. Still, those issues are prized today, the Horns coming off of memorable seasons that foretold more titles, more individual accolades for two wishbone immortals.

Similarly, Glen Gaspard (’73), Russell Erxleben (’78) and Steve McMichael (’79) had established themselves as stars over their entire careers and were easy choices for cover status. And Coach Darrell Royal had the ’74 cover to himself, having led the Longhorns to six consecutive SWC crowns. In hindsight, perhaps Royal was the victim of the old “cover jinx” made infamous by Sports Illustrated. And was actually, in all likelihood, a second-choice cover pick after preseason Heisman favorite Roosevelt Leaks was severely injured in spring practice. The ’74 Horns would be upset by Texas Tech and Baylor, ending UT’s stranglehold on championships in the Southwest. And while Gaspard — ringleader of a terrific Texas defense — got his own cover, Erxleben shared his with kicking rival Tony Franklin, who always resembled an inept, pudgy, mustachioed German soldier on a Hogan’s Heroes episode.

What really makes no sense in hindsight — and didn’t at the time, either — is the absence of several Longhorns from the cover of what quickly had become entrenched as America’s best known regional football publication.

No Tommy Nobis?

No Earl Campbell?

For some things there are just no explanations.

But…Longhorns managed to merit cover stardom on half of the first 20 issues, ’60-’79.

Those were the ones I most looked forward to.

Even though they don’t appear in sepia tones of long, long ago, the covers from those years, those complete magazines are — like yesteryear’s film, video or music — apt to trigger emotions. Seeing them, sometimes even thinking of them, is like peering into a past life, maybe even into the times of lives now passed. Sweethearts and loved ones no longer in our orbit.

Those old Texas Football magazines were powerful.

Paul McCartney has probably never seen a college game.

But he always had the writing chops to select a key word whenever he needed to.

“Yesterday.”

(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and teaches sports media at Texas State University. His two favorite Beatles’ songs — no easy task — are “Please Please Me” and “Things We Said Today.” His favorite Wings tune ix “Band On The Run” and his chosen Paul and Linda song is “Too Many People.”)

The post Magazine Covers and Memories- By Professor Larry Carlson appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

By Stephen Ross Jul 13, 2016, 12:57pm CDT

It’s being called “The Greatest Opening Weekend of College Football Ever.”

The college football orgy starts with Kansas State at Stanford on Friday Sept. 2nd, then moves onto an amazing slate of games on Saturday. LSU & Wisconsin at historic Lambeau Field. North Carolina at Georgia. Clemson at Auburn.

That doesn’t even count the slate of games here in Texas. OU at Houston at 11:00 AM on Saturday on ABC. Next up, UCLA at Texas A&M on CBS at 2:30 PM, and then Alabama vs. USC from Jerry World at 7:00 PM also on ABC.

The next day Texas and Notre Dame will have Sunday night all to themselves.

No NFL.

No other college games.

Just a meeting between two of the winningest and most recognizable programs in college football. The game will take place before over 100,000 fans and a prime-time national TV audience. Kick off is at 6:30PM on ABC is billing it as “the network’s first-ever live, Sunday, prime-time, regular season college football game.”

It’s not like the Longhorns are strangers to making TV sports history. In fact, the now-famous (or infamous if you prefer) “Texas Brand” owes its foundation to an era where college football on television was experiencing growing pains and to a coach who appreciated the underestimated value of the medium.

The road to prominence for Texas really took hold from 1961-70 when three major factors helped to catapult the Longhorns into the national consciousness.

Just Win Baby

Winning of course drives everything, and from 1961-70 two programs, or rather two coaches, dominated the collegiate landscape.

Texas and Alabama. Darrell and Bear.

Both programs would win 3 National Championships during the decade, including one disputed title for each. At the end of the 1970 season, Texas would hold an 89-17-2 record for the decade. Alabama was 88-17-3.

The two coaches were almost as alike as their records. Defensive-minded, detail oriented, taskmasters who demanded respect from their players (friendship would come after you played for them). One writer remarked that the only difference between the two was that “Darrell smiles a little more than Bear.”

For Royal that attention to detail went beyond the football field. His vision of marketing and the oncoming growth of college football on television would mark the Longhorns expansion on the national scene.

The Logo

I picked to start the decade in 1961 for a reason. Royal had four complete recruiting cycles. Texas had five outstanding collegiate running backs, led by All-American James Saxton, who averaged an obscene 7.9 yards a carry for the season. The defense gave up more than 7 points in a game just once (14 to Texas Tech) and the joke was that the second-teamers lettered before most of the starters thanks to early playing time. Royal considered it athletically superior to his 1963 National Championship team.

It was also the first year of the Longhorn logo.

The previous summer Royal approached Rooster Andrews, a sporting goods executive in Austin, about creating a Longhorn sticker. The pint-size Andrews, a Longhorn legend from his days on campus as trainer, occasional drop-kicker for the football team and BFF of Bobby Layne, gave Royal a crayon drawing of a longhorn head. Royal wanted it put on the helmet.

Royal loved several aspects of the drawing. First and foremost is was minimalist. No comic details such as flaring nostrils or blazing eyes. A simple orange longhorn silhouette on a white helmet. At that time most collegiate helmets had stripes down the middle and numbers on the sides. One of the few distinctive helmets was the Michigan winged-striped helmet that has been used since 1938. Royal wanted to create a look all its own and he tinkered with it over the next few years. The middle stripe was lost the next season. Originally the number was above the longhorn, but in 1967 it was permanently moved to the back.

Clean. Uncluttered. Instantly Recognizable.

1962 also saw the return of the Burnt Orange jersey. Texas had adopted the color early in the 1900’s. However, first during the depression and then during WWII they had gone to a lighter shade of orange, as the burnt orange dye was in short supply and expensive.

Some believed that Royal went to the burnt orange jersey because it helped to hide the football when running the option. Royal wryly remarked, “We seem to have no problem winning in white on the road.”

None of this was by happenstance. Royal wanted a distinctive look in order for his team to stand out from others – especially on television. One team of Longhorns. One team in Burnt Orange. He understood that the medium was about to become an important factor in college football and having a unique look, down to a shade of orange that no one else was using, was important to him.

“There are 29 peaks in Colorado taller than Pikes Peak,” said Royal. “Name one.”

College Football on TV: Less is More

Nov. 10, 2001. Freshman Cedric Benson rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns as Texas boat-raced Kansas 59-0 in Austin. It is the last time the Longhorns played a football game that was not telecast on some platform. That was 193 games ago.

1961-1970 saw Texas play 109 times – with only 31 games (29%), being telecast.

College football began to appear on the networks in 1952, with tight restrictions from the NCAA. There was a fear of TV games driving down attendance. A 1948 study conducted by the Crossley Corporation at the NCAA’s request found that fans thought watching televised games was equal or superior to watching from the stands.

So the NCAA allowed one national game a week for 8 weeks during the season and then regional broadcasts the other weeks. They also ruled that a team could not be seen more than three times in a season. Variations of this system were in place until the Supreme Court ruled in 1984 in the NCAA vs. the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia that the NCAA plan violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.

As the decade reached the mid-60’s, color TV experienced explosive growth. The 1965-66 TV season was the first where almost all the prime time programming on the networks were now being broadcast in color. Now more than 30% of TV households had color televisions. The distinctive look of the Texas Longhorns was built for the new medium.

At this time, limiting the appearances actually helped those who did get the maximum exposure of 3 games a year. There was no ESPN, no multi-cable outlets.

It was Economics 101-the Law of Supply and Demand. There were only 3 networks, and a severely restricted amount of games being televised. If you were a college football fan, you might get one or two games in your market a week. Viewing audiences for regular season games would dwarf the numbers of regular season games today. Building a national reputation was simpler then. You win 88% of your games then it stands to reason you are going to play on TV and look good when you do. From 1961-70 Texas was 24-7 on televised contests, including bowl games. The Horns went 16-5 on national telecasts.

It’s not just about winning. It’s about winning at the right time, in front of the largest viewing audiences. Four games stand out as helping to establish the Longhorn brand among college football fans.

1964 Cotton Bowl — Changing of the Guard

In today’s college football playoff generation it is easy to forget that for a very long time post-season bowl games were seen as exhibition contests, a reward for a season well played. After the 1963 regular season there were only 8 bowl games, all played within 12 days. They traditionally carried little or no weight when it came to naming a National Champion. That notion would be discarded within the next decade, and had the visiting team won the 1964 Cotton Bowl it would have happened much sooner.

Texas was already crowned National Champion by every major service, the first unanimous choice since Michigan in 1948. But some on the east coast had their doubts.

Navy’s Heisman winning QB, Roger Staubach, was the darling of the national press. He graced the cover of Time Magazine. The same mag that called Darrell Royal “The Barry Goldwater of College Football,” and said he was so conservative that “he looked both ways before crossing a one-way street,” to which Royal replied that it only seemed to be common sense.

The worst offender of the ridiculing of Texas was Myron Cope, who would later gain fame as the father of the Pittsburgh Steeler “Terrible Towel.” Cope wrote, “Tune in your TV to the Cotton Bowl and you’ll laugh yourself silly. Texas is the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the football public…Texas plays the kind of football that was fashionable when players wore perforated cowhide helmets…Duke Carlisle executes a handoff like a construction foreman passing a plank to a carpenter.”

Myron wasn’t done.

“Take a close look at the Texas linemen. They do not look like linemen,” he wrote. “They have skinny legs like centipedes or girls with high rear ends.”

Actually this game was the public death knell for big time collegiate football on the east coast. Army had lost its prominence from the Doc Blanchard-Glenn Davis days of the 1940’s, and Navy was about to join them. Other eastern powers from the 1950’s and early ‘60’s such as Princeton, Maryland, Yale and Syracuse, were exiting stage right.

Texas had lost to #1 Syracuse in the 1960 Cotton Bowl. Then there was the TCU fiasco in 1961. So despite going unbeaten in 1963, some of the national media looked on the Longhorns as a “regional” power not yet ready for the bright lights of Broadway.

Uh, no.

Navy played it normal 5-4-2 base defense, relying on its corners to play the power sweep or recognize a pass and drop back. On their first possession, Texas flared HB Phil Harris out of the backfield, Navy corner Pat Donnally lost a step, and Duke Carlisle hit Harris for a 58-yard touchdown strike less than three minutes into the game.

Early in the 2nd quarter, the duo teamed up again, this time for a 63-yard score to make it 14-0. Carlisle ended the day with 7 pass completions for 213 yards, and added 54 yards rushing for a Cotton Bowl record 267 yards of total offense.

As for Staubach and the Navy offense, they were shut down until the game was decided. Staubach had thrown for almost 1,500 yards and rushed for over 400 yards (unheard of for a drop back passer then) during the regular season. But Texas kept him bottled up until the Horns had a 28-0 lead.

Staubach did complete 21-31 for 228 yards, but Scott Appleton, George Brucks and Tommy Nobis led a fierce rush that punished Staubach to the tune of -47 yards on 12 carries.

The Longhorns were tough enough on the Midshipmen without any help from Navy, but they got some. The two teams exchanged film and during the breakdown, Texas coaches noticed that after every play the Navy cameraman took a shot of the down marker, and almost every time, the defensive signals were being sent in by an assistant standing next to it. Texas quickly figured out the signals, and Carlisle was ready to switch to plays that attacked the called defense.

The 28-6 thumping was telecast on CBS. Kick off was 12:00 noon central. The Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Mississippi) also kicked off at noon on NBC, while the Orange Bowl (Auburn vs. Nebraska) started a half hour earlier on ABC.

Having that cluttered a schedule of bowl games was about to change.

1965 Orange Bowl – College Football Hits Prime Time

October 17th, 1964. I was in Memorial Stadium, witnessing, with my parents, a soul crushing loss to Arkansas, second only to the 1961 TCU game.

With only 1:27 to go, Ernie Koy scored to bring #1 Texas to within one (14-13) of the #8 Razorbacks. The Horns went for two. The pass from Marv Kristynik quacked harmlessly at the feet of Hix Green, killing the dream of back-to-back National Championships.

There was no system for slotting in the New Year’s Bowls (aside from the Rose Bowl) back then, so the other three played a game of Russian Roulette, taking chances by inviting teams in November, and hoping they didn’t stumble into December. That system would give Darrell Royal and the Horns the best consolation prize possible for their slip up against Arkansas.

Both teams finished the rest of the season unbeaten, sending the Hogs to play Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. As the once-beaten defending national champs, Texas was the hottest “free agent” team available, thank in part the “exhibition” nature of bowl games.

Notre Dame, under first-year coach Ara Parseghian, was unbeaten and #1 into late November, and were keeping to their long-standing tradition of not attending bowls. The Fighting Irish played in the 1925 Rose Bowl – and hadn’t gone to one in 40 years. Since 1925 Notre Dame had won six national championships while staying home during bowl season. The semester class schedule at Notre Dame caused some conflict with December games, and why go to a bowl, perhaps lose and tarnish what you had done during the regular season?

Texas was invited after defeating TCU on November 14th, with A&M still on the Schedule. The Orange Bowl turned its attention to #2 Alabama. On Nov. 26th the Crimson Tide edged Auburn 21-14 and accepted a bid to play Texas in Miami. Two days later, the Orange Bowl hit the jackpot. USC upset Notre Dame 20-17, giving Alabama the National Championship from AP and UPI.

As the decade reached the mid-60’s, color TV experienced explosive growth. NBC, owned by RCA, was the first network to go all in on presenting a full schedule of color programming. Hoping to sell more color TV sets, NBC went about creating synergy before synergy was cool.

The Peacock Network decided that owning January 1st, with colorful New Year’s Day parades and college football bowl games would generate more TV sales, so they had persuaded the Orange Bowl to jump from ABC to NBC, and more importantly, to play the game in prime time.

Suddenly the Orange Bowl (and NBC) had a match up that rivaled any in recent memory.

The first primetime College Bowl Game.

The 1964 National Champion vs. the 1963 National Champion

Two of the most recognizable coaches in the game.

The best offensive (Joe Namath) and defensive (Tommy Nobis) players going head-to-head

NBC paid the Orange Bowl $600,000 to make the move ($4.5 million in 2016 dollars). They had gambled on collecting three of the four New Year’s Day bowl games and the payoff helped to change how we watch college and pro football.

For the first time one network would produce 10 straight hours of college football for couch potatoes to enjoy on New Years Day.

Jan. 1st 1965 on NBC looked like this. 1:00 PM central, the Sugar Bowl (LSU-Syracuse) kicked off. The Rose Bowl followed at 4:00 PM (Michigan-Oregon State) with the Orange Bowl as the nightcap at 7:00 PM. The Cotton Bowl kicked off on CBS at 12:00 noon central.

Before this game, only the sport of boxing had proven to be a substantial hit on prime time. NBC pulled out all the stops for the game assigning their #1 pro football announcing team – play-by-play legend Curt Gowdy, along with commentator Paul Christman. The network also used the night game for heavy cross promotion of its upcoming programming schedule, which needed a boost after falling well behind CBS in the Nielsen ratings.

The City of Miami threw one helluva party that week. Fireworks before and at halftime, which was extended to include not just the two teams bands, but local bands as well. Taking no chances, the bowl committee scotch-taped real oranges onto the fake trees in the east end zone, where bathing beauties were lounging on coral rocks. Jackie Gleason, the adopted “Mayor” of Miami was in attendance, as was former Vice President Richard Nixon.

Adding to the buildup was that the NFL draft had already been held and Alabama QB Joe Namath was the #1 choice of both the NFL (St. Louis) and the AFL (N.Y. Jets). Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis would be the top choice a year later, choosing between the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the AFL Houston Oilers.

The game was everything anyone could have hoped for. Namath didn’t start, he had injured his knee during practice the week before the game. Steve Sloan started in his place, and since ‘Bama hadn’t given up more than 14 points in any one game, the Crimson Tide fans were confident they could win without Joe Willie.

During the regular season, Texas longest touchdown run from scrimmage was 21 yards. But late in the first quarter, when Alabama had a stunt on, Texas had a power sweep called with Koy. The ‘Bama end crashed inside, Texas sealed the corner, and Koy romped 79 yards for an Orange Bowl record touchdown.

Early in the 2nd quarter Texas took advantage of an Alabama mistake — as the Tide was trying to take advantage of the new substitution rule. In 1964 there still wasn’t unlimited substitution, but teams could substitute as many players as they wanted when the clock was stopped for any reason. During a timeout right before a Texas punt Alabama put in its entire offense. One of the offensive linemen lined up offside, and given new life, the Horns struck quickly.

On the very next play, Royal had Jim Hudson in at QB for Marvin Kristynik. Hudson was the early season starter, but had been injured. He had the much stronger arm and on the first play, George Sauer ran a fly pattern, split the corner and safety and caught a 69-yard touchdown pass to give Texas a 14-0 lead.

That was enough for Bryant. Joe Namath went into the game.

Royal and the coaches had admired Namath from afar – and on film. This up close and personal look was scarier than they had imagined. Texas liked to play a base front and “rush and contain” and if the pass was completed, then punish the receiver.

Namath made that obsolete. Royal admitted afterward that Namath had the quickest release he had ever seen. That meant putting pressure on a QB with a gimpy knee and hope like hell you could man up with the receivers.

Late in the game, trailing 21-17, Alabama had a 1st and goal at the 6. Fullback Steve Bowman hit the middle for a quick 4 yards.

Two more Bowman tries got the ball inside the 1-yard line. On 4th down, Namath thought he saw a crease off right guard. Tackle Fred Bedrick penetrated low from the side and Nobis came in high to wrap him up. Nobis said they heard the whistle blow the play dead, let up and that’s when Namath fell into the end zone.

To this day Namath insists he crossed the goal line with the ball. “I can’t tell from the films,” he said, referring to one blurry version in which his right shoulder dips forward before contact. But at the time, Namath said, he looked down and saw the ball past the goal line.

Here is a new (slightly Alabama leaning) video on the game.

Namath completed 18-of-37 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player. His other reward was a contract with the Jets for the then unheard of amount of $400,000.

Just a few years later Namath would return to Miami Stadium and stun the NFL with a win in Super Bowl III. Four members of that 1964 Texas squad would be his teammates. Tight End Pete Lammons, Wide Receiver George Sauer, defensive back Jim Hudson, and defensive lineman John Elliot.

While teammates with the Jets, Namath said Lammons told him that the Texas players did their best not to hurt Namath, playing with that bad knee.

“Maybe Pete didn’t,” Namath said. “But I don’t know if old Tommy Nobis and Diron Talbert and Tom Currie got that message.”

Earlier in the day, #2 Arkansas edged #6 Nebraska 10-7 in the Cotton Bowl to earn the Football Writers Association of America and the Helm’s foundation National Championship trophy. It wouldn’t be until 1974 that everyone decided to wait until after all the bowl games before declaring a National Champion.

Arkansas came away with a piece of the National Championship. Texas became a major player in the single most important college football game of the 1964 season.

The year before, the 1964 Orange Bowl (Auburn vs. Nebraska) drew 8.5 million viewers, having to go against the Cotton Bowl (Texas vs. Navy) early and then the Rose Bowl (Illinois vs. Washington) in the 2nd half.

This game drew almost 5 times the audience (40 million viewers), making it the most watched college football game up to that time. The two best programs of the ‘60’s putting on a show in prime time, helping to kick-start a surge of popularity in the college game.

That game took place over 51 years ago, and both teams are instantly recognizable in the game film. When you are among the elite, there is no reason to “candy up” the uniforms.

You are What Your Record Says You Are.

1969 Texas-Arkansas: “Smarter Than a Tree Full of Owls”

The lead-up to the 1969 college football season wasn’t about who might win the National Championship – it was about debating if 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes might be the GOAT. Ohio State returned just about “errbody” off their 1968 National Championship squad. The Buckeyes had six All-Americans led by QB Rex Kern, running back Jim Otis, as well as middle guard Jim Stillwagon and defensive back Jack Tatum.

Their pathway to the 1969 championship was simple. Go unbeaten in the regular season, sit at home for holidays and watch some bowl games. The Buckeyes had a 9-game regular season schedule, (Ohio State didn’t start to play 10 games until the mid-70’s) and the Big 10 still had the quirky (and stupid) rules that said no team could go to the Rose Bowl in back-to-back years, and that was the only bowl game any Big 10 team was allowed to play in.

ABC had recently paid the NCAA $10 million for the TV rights to college football. Network Publicist Beano Cook went to ABC Sports President Roone Arledge with an idea to “time-shift” one of the few marquee games on their schedule.. Ohio State was the prohibitive favorite to win the national championship, the Arkansas-Texas game in mid October was one of the most attractive match ups of the year. However, it was scheduled to go against the World Series (yes they actually played day games back then). Arkansas’ stadium had no lights, so why not persuade the NCAA and the two teams to move the game to December, and give the network a quality game after Ohio State finished their season?

Both Royal and Frank Broyles made it clear that they would agree to the shift only if the game did not count against their limited number of TV appearances for the season. The NCAA signed off and the game was moved.

As expected Ohio State ripped through their first 8 opponents by an average score of 42-8. Last up was a Nov. 22nd date at Michigan. The Wolverines would go to the Rose Bowl with a win over the Buckeyes, while Ohio State could wrap up their second consecutive National Championship with a victory.

Trust me when I tell you that Ohio State-Michigan is every bit as malicious and intense as Texas-OU. I am speaking from family experience on this one.

Woody Hayes had a lot to do with this. Michigan thinks of him as a Barry Switzer—without the guns and drugs. Ohio State wrapped up the 1968 regular season with a 50-14 thrashing of Michigan in Columbus. When the Buckeyes scored in the final moments of the game, Ohio State went for two — and made it. When asked by the press why he went for two, Hayes replied simply, “Because I couldn’t go for three.”

After the 1968 season, Michigan hired Bo Schembechler, and his first team got off to a rocky start, but by the time Ohio State week rolled around, the Wolverines, led by tailback Glenn Doughty, offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf and tight end Jim Mandich, they were 7-2.

Schembechler knew Hayes and his hatred for everything Maize and Blue as well as anyone. He had played for Hayes at Miami of Ohio, and was an assistant at Ohio State. In 1969, during practice the week leading up to the Ohio State game, Schembechler had every Wolverine scout team player wear a practice jersey with the #50 on it.

Ohio State jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first quarter, but Michigan drove the length of the field to take a 14-12 advantage. A 68-yard punt return quickly set up the 3rd Wolverine score. Michigan led 24-12 at the half and that was the final score.

Saturday November 22nd was an off day for Texas. Darrell Royal didn’t feel like sitting home, so he called Baylor and asked if he could come up and sit in the press box for the Bears game against SMU. As Royal watched SMU defeat Baylor 12-6, members of the press kept him up to date with what was happening in Ann Arbor.

That was the final piece to setting up “The Game of the Century,”

And if I have to explain all of the twists and turns of that game – where have you been the last 40 years?

This was an historic contest for television as well. 52% of all households watching TV that afternoon were tuned into the game – almost 55 million viewers. That translates into more than 80 million in 2016 ratings. It was the first time a game had been “time-shifted” for television and it opened the floodgates for such deals. Television was ready to move college football out of the “regional” category to a viable national attraction.

1970 Cotton Bowl – Emotional, Historic

As the 1969 season unfolded, the usually wild bowl selection process seemed almost tame. an independent Penn State seemed to be in the driver’s seat, and if they stayed unbeaten they could have their pick of the Sugar, Orange or Cotton Bowls.

Except there was about to be a seismic shift in college football, and it was starting in South Bend. Since 1966, Ara Parseghian had been working to get Notre Dame to accept bowl bids. Michigan State and Notre Dame met in that years “Game of the Century,” and it ended in a 10-10 tie – with the #1 Irish running out the clock instead of trying to score. Dan Jenkins started his game story in SI by writing that Ara had decided to “Tie one for the Gipper.”

Notre Dame won the national championship but caught holy hell from just about everyone (especially Alabama) for sitting on the ball.

This time there were several other factors working for Notre Dame to consider breaking their no-bowl tradition. The class schedule was changed in 1969 so the fall semester ended in early December and didn’t start up until January 5th. The paycheck of $300,000 looked good. Most importantly, the wire services decided to wait until after the 1969 bowl games to crown a national champion.

Notre Dame kept this change to themselves. They wanted to see how the landscape shook out as the season went along, so almost no one knew what they were thinking.

“Hoss” Brock knew.

Jim “Hoss” Brock was the chief recruiter for the Cotton Bowl, and Hoss never met an AD, Coach or adult beverage that he didn’t absolutely love. A former SID at TCU, Brock understood that the Cotton Bowl was fighting with a short stick when competing with New Orleans or Miami for elite teams. Dallas can be as cold and unforgiving as New York City on New Years, but Brock treated bowl selection as a year round sport and he loved every minute of it.

Jim was “Hoss” because every male he knew was called that, just as every female was “Darlin’ or “Sweet Pea.” He may not remember your name, but that didn’t keep him from treating you like you were his best friend. Brock heard rumors of Notre Dame’s change of heart early in the season, and while he worked on Penn State, he always kept Notre Dame in play.

As for the Irish, they were looking to get the best match up possible. Brock convinced them that either Texas or Arkansas would be unbeaten, and at worst, #2 to Ohio State by the end of the season. So on Nov. 17th, Notre Dame stunned the college football world by agreeing to come to the Cotton Bowl.

After December 6th, the Cotton Bowl had the most attractive match up in any bowl for decades.

With all the ballyhoo about the game, Texas had to deal with a horrific situation. Two days after the Arkansas contest Freddie Steinmark finally told the doctors about his injured leg. X-rays revealed a bone tumor just above his left knee. A biopsy confirmed the tumor was malignant; it was an osteogenic sarcoma, and he was treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. On December 12, his leg was amputated at the hip. Freddie was determined to join his teammates on the Cotton Bowl sideline and 20 days later he made it. Freddie lost his battle with cancer on June 6th, 1971.

The contest was another classic, mixing outstanding football, raw emotion, and a storybook ending.

Texas would win 10 more games in 1970 to stretch the winning streak to 30 before Notre Dame exacted its revenge in a Cotton Bowl rematch. The Horns finished in the Top 5 seven out of the last 10 years.

The decade (1961-70) began with a heartbreaking loss to TCU and a missed opportunity to a national championship. It ended with yet another bitter defeat costing the Horns a title. Still, that time established Texas as a nationally elite program, one that could attract the casual college football fan along with the rabid Horn fans.

The Longhorns were fortunate enough to be a part of several historical moments for college football in the 1960’s. Getting Navy in the 1964 Cotton Bowl allowed Texas to establish their national credentials while signaling a major shift in the power base of the sport.

Losing to Arkansas in 1964 cost Texas a national championship, but the Horns rebounded, playing in, and winning the most important game of the first half of the decade.

One of the biggest upsets of the 1960’s put Texas in position to participate in an historic season-ending contest, winning a national championship in front of the President and the largest viewing audience of the decade for a college football game.

That set up one of the best and most emotional bowl games ever played, In case you need any more proof that Texas was now firmly among the elite of college football there is this: Notre Dame was ranked #9 going into the game with Texas. After the loss, the Fighting Irish finished #5 in the final poll.

Texas indeed fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time during much of the 1960’s.

But then again, as a wise man once said, “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity.”

On 12/13/2025 Steve made the following comments for TLSN:

Thank Billy. I would add just a couple of other aspects. Texas (86-19-3) and Alabama (9-16-3) were the winningest programs in college football in the 1960s. Both won 2 national titles.
And of course, they have simple, easily identified uniforms that look great on color TV. And since each team could be seen only a maximum of 3 times each year, the Longhorns and Crimson Tide were among the few teams that reached the limit every year.
The 1965 Orange Bowl was the first bowl game played in prime time. Alabama (Joe Namath) was the current national champion, and Texas (Tommy Nobis) was the defending champion. It was a thriller right down to the wire, and the best estimate is that over 40 million people tuned in. Impressive numbers, especially back then, when that was more than half the total population. Steve Ross

Steve Ross- talking about the loss of Mike Wacker when Abe Lemons was basketball coach.

Bill Andrews When Texas was 14-0 heading into the Baylor game, Sports Illustrated was planning on a cover story on Abe and the team. The sportswriter was at the game, and when Mike Wacker went down and the Bears won, he just tore up his notes.

Wasn’t at the game, he has been back home for I believe, his brothers funeral. He was driving down to the game from DFW, and when he got in earshot of the radio broadcast and leanred that Mike went down, he just kept driving to Austin.

Abe was more than a funny guy that could coach basketball. He was as honest as their is and he cared about people.

I was the Sports Director at KTBC and we hosted the Easter Seals Telethon one weekend. I put in a full days work and then pulled a double shift on the telethon, leaving the station around 2:00am. I remember thinking, “I don’t feel as tired as I thought I would.” Moments later I blacked out and was hit broadside on 11th st.

I broke my pelvis, was in the hospital for 3 weeks and on crutches for 3 more. The first person to come see me from the UT Athletic Department (within 24 hours of the accident) was Abe. Only he wasn’t really with the department.

He had been fired 10 days earlier.

The post Building the Brand by Stephen Ross July 13, 2016 appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

CARLSON: As for your time covering Longhorn sports, you came along for some of the worst of UT football, then the best turnaround ever, plus “the Runnin’ Horns” of Coach Tom Penders, featuring “BMW”…Blanks, Mays & Wright. How cool were those times, up close?

BMW

My first basketball season was the year of BMW. It was so much fun to be around that team with the personalities of Penders and guard Lance Blanks. Not many teams were playing at the fever pitch the Horns were, and the defense was spearheaded by the athletic Panama Myers. Travis Mays was the steadiest player, but I loved Joey Wright, too. I was in Deland, Florida the night Joey dropped 46 on Stetson. The tournament run was electric, including Travis’ 44 point game against Georgia, knocking off home state favorite Purdue before 38,000 at the Hoosier Dome, the Lance Blanks fueled comeback win over Xavier in Dallas, and the heartbreaking 88-85 loss to Arkansas in the regional final.

CARLSON: You had a great seat for a decade of Texas-OU football. Any special recollections of cool Peter Gardere?

SCHOENING: I got to watch Peter Gardere go 4-0 against the Sooners. A solid defense was mainly responsible, but his fourth quarter TD pass to Johnny Walker during his freshman year was outstanding. He showed tremendous poise in that game.

CARLSON: What was it like working with John Mackovic? You can be honest. And how different was it then dealing with Mack Brown later? Kinda like the old high school English tests…compare and contrast?

Bill Schoening revealed a side of Coach Mackovic’s personality that was rarely seen.

SCHOENING: John Mackovic was completely different from David McWilliams. David was Texas friendly and was always chewing an unlit cigar. Mackovic was more polished…Chardonnay over Lone Star beer…but he actually had a sense of humor. I hosted his radio show during his tenure and found him to be engaging, but I never sensed that he made a true connection to the Texas fans. When Mack Brown took Mackovic’s place, it was another 180 degree turn. On the evening of his first signing day, Mack joined Craig Way and me for a live remote broadcast of our show at UR Cook’s Steakhouse. The place was packed and Mack immediately shook hands and kissed babies. It was much more relaxing to interview Mack in that sort of setting.

CARLSON: In baseball, you saw guys who are absolutely all-time Longhorns, especially the incomparable Brooks Kieschnick. What sticks with you about Coach Cliff Gustafson and Kieschnick?

SCHOENING: At Disch Falk during those early years, lots of special memories were being created because of the pitching of Kirk Dressendorfer, the speed of Calvin Murray and the versatility of the best college player I’ve ever seen; Brooks Kieschnick. Brooks had tremendous power at the plate, and pitched with the mentality of a middle linebacker. I’ll never forget the CWS win over Oklahoma St. when he threw an incredible 172 pitches. At one point, Coach Gus came out to get him, and Brooks basically told him to get back in the dugout. During the postgame press conference, Gus told the media Kieshnick would be the starter for the next game since he didn’t throw that many pitches that day.

1989 Kirk Dressedorfer.jpg

1989 Kirk Dressedorfer.jpg

1990 Brooks Kieschnick (2).jpg

1990 Brooks Kieschnick (2).jpg

1990 Calvin Murray (2).jpg

1990 Calvin Murray (2).jpg

CARLSON: You spent a lot of time in the press box and broadcast booth with Craig Way and Keith Moreland. How did Moreland’s transition from MLB playing days to the microphone come about?

SCHOENING: One of the best moves I made during my twelve years broadcasting the Horns was to bring Keith Moreland to the baseball booth. At first, he was a bit nervous, but once I assured him it was just baseball – a sport in which he excelled — he began to loosen up, show his personality, and truly embrace his role as an analyst. I eventually gave him some play-by-play innings, and he steadily improved. He remains a dear friend.

CARLSON: You got to witness a lot of clutch playmaking from Major Applewhite in your years at Texas Memories?

SCHOENING: Major Applewhite was one of the most cerebral players I have ever covered. He was a go-to guy for pregame and postgame interviews. He had an excellent power of recall when it came to coverages, blitz packages, stunts, etc. If you asked Major about a certain play and why it worked, the answer might very well include personnel alignment, audible checkdowns, and protection schemes. It was a no-brainer when I predicted he would get into coaching after his playing career. Major’s last game , the Holiday Bowl comeback win over Washington, saw Major pass for a school record in yardage. His last game would also be my final game in the Longhorn booth. In the postgame interview, Major said “I can see the headlines in the Statesman tomorrow, “Schoening and Applewhite ride off into the sunset together”. I corrected him…”it should be “Applewhite and Schoening. You just broke a school record for passing yards. All I did was describe it. You get top billing.”

CARLSON: Like coaches, most college players are taught to not say anything substantive. Can you name a few Longhorns who showed their personalities and broke the mold?

1992 Dan Neil

1992 Dan Neil

Blake Brockermeyer

Blake Brockermeyer

1998 Octavious quotes

1998 Octavious quotes

1998 Octavious quotes

1998 Octavious quotes

SCHOENING: Believe it or not, the offensive linemen were some of my favorite guys to interview. Their answers tended to be sincere , straightforward, and honest. My personal favorites were Dan Neil, Blake Brockermeyer, and Octavious Bishop. During my twelve seasons, the Horns had lots of interesting personalities. I especially enjoyed Wane McGarity, Ricky Williams, Aaron Humphrey and Kwame Cavil.

CARLSON: I agree on the O-linemen…often the best for thoughtful analysis and for wiseguy remarks. How hard is it, Bill, not to be a total “homer” when you as a broadcaster get paid by a school or franchise?

SCHOENING: I always tried to provide an energetic, enthusiastic broadcast without being a total homer. Sure, I was pulling for the Horns, but I have never appreciated broadcasters who are so biased that they can’t give the other team credit or are constantly second-guessing the officiating. Do refs and umpires miss an occasional call? Of course, but it doesn’t add favorably to the broadcast if one is hammering the refs all day.

CARLSON: You paint the picture for radio listeners…you’re their eyes. What are a couple of stadiums or arenas that had a vibe and left an impression on you?

SCHOENING: There were several venues I especially enjoyed back in the day. I actually loved it when the Horns played ANY sport in College Station. Baseball games at Olsen Field were fun because of the student section. I remember when they gave up mocking Kieschnick because he just wore out A&M. The students actually raised their arms in mock worship when he came to the plate. Even though the Aggies didn’t have many great basketball teams, I loved the atmosphere at old G. Rollie White Coliseum. It was small, loud, and slightly uncomfortable. Football games at Tech were always high-scoring, and basketball at Barnhill was an adventure because the Arkansas fans HATED anything burnt orange. I was thrilled when Texas joined the Big Xll because I got to call games at Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), Gallagher-Iba (Okla. St.), and Lloyd Noble (OU). The best road win in my tenure was the 20-16 football win at Nebraska in ’98 that snapped the Huskers’ 47 game home winning streak.

CARLSON: And now, it’s on to the SEC and all those cool venues. Let me shift gears and get you to riff on your music background. I know you’ve done a lot of writing, singing and picking that has provided plenty of fun for your friends and followers. How would you describe your music and who are some influences?

SCHOENING: Shortly after moving to Austin in 1989, I started taking advantage of the plethora of musical talent here. I’d venture out to venues like LaZona Rosa, The Chicago House, and Cactus Cafe to hear artists like Robert Earl Keen, Bruce Robison, Jimmy LaFave, and Van Wilks. After taking some guitar lessons from Wilks, I started banging out some chords and wrote lyrics to go with them. One day on the air I mentioned that I had actually been able to write a handful of tunes, Austin-based producer Joe Gracey sent me an email and encouraged me to record them at his home studio. The result was an eight-song release called “Life in the Minors”. I have now written or co-written 30 songs, and have independently released four CD’s. Although strictly a hobby, i’m hopeful that another artist may like one of my tunes and record one. Whenever I hang up the headphones, I may dive into the music a little deeper. I still sing in the praise and worship band at Bethany UMC, so music will always be an important part of my life. My favorite songwriter right now is Pat Byrne, who moved to Austin from Ireland a few years back and is a regular at my favorite Austin music venue, the Saxon Pub.

CARLSON: Another of your big passions is travel. You’ve covered many miles with the Spurs and I know that you and your wife love the national parks on your own time. Teddy Roosevelt would be proud.

SCHOENING: Through the years, folks have asked why I would ever leave a great gig like the play-by-play voice of the Longhorns. The Spurs approached me in 2001, and basically made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. The deciding factor was vacation. I had worked my way up to nearly three weeks off in the summer with The Zone, but the Spurs’ pitch included the entire offseason with no duties. Since my wife Gerry and I have a deep passion for travel, that was one of the deciding factors. Thanks to these extended vacations, Gerry and I have hiked in 33 National Parks, and we have visited all 50 states. We are hoping to hit all ten provinces in Canada, and we are halfway there. Glacier (Montana) is our fave so far, but Yellowstone, Acadia, Rocky Mountain, and North Cascades are also breathtaking.

CARLSON: Who are some of the coolest former Longhorns you’ve been around in the NBA, and just how impressed are you with young Victor Wembanyama?

SCHOENING: Having spent that time at UT, it helped break the ice when Horns got to the NBA. I’ve conducted many pregame interviews with Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, TJ Ford, Royal Ivey, and Jarrett Allen. Royal has been an assistant for several teams, and I believe will one day be a head coach in the NBA.

Bill Schoening and Royal Ivey

2005 LaMarcus Aldridge (2).jpg

2005 LaMarcus Aldridge (2).jpg

2002 TJ FORD 99.jpg

2002 TJ FORD 99.jpg

The Spurs’ future is bright with the emergence of 20 year old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. Yes, he was deserving of Rookie of the Year honors, but i’m even more impressed by his intelligence, maturity, and passion. He truly is a generational talent.

CARLSON: Bill, I can’t close out without asking about cheesesteaks or a recommendation for Longhorn fans who might visit the City of Brotherly Love, known for, shall we say, very, very enthusiastic pro sports fans.

SCHOENING: My hometown of Philadelphia is an acquired taste for some. The passion for sports there is simply off the charts, and yes, my hometown brothers and sisters are sometimes a bit over the top in their fandom, but if you like history, food, and sports, it’s a fun place. For dining I’d recommend a visit to the Reading Terminal Market for a sensory overload. Every food imaginable is available there, from Pan Asian to Cajun.

CARLSON: Okay, before we hit with a buzzer-beater…what is one thing that most people don’t know about Bill Schoening?

SCHOENING: I guess the thing that some folks might not know about me is how much I love to write. My memoir “Stories, Sports, and Songs” ended up featuring over 100 stories and is 300 pages long. During the season, I’m constantly writing multiple daily reports for the Spurs flagship station, WOAI. I also write the intros for our pregame segments and postgame wrap ups. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve written or co-written 30 songs, and have three more waiting to be recorded, when my producer can find time to fit me in.

CARLSON: Thanks a million, Bill. And you know how much I appreciate you working with my sports students at Texas State. I understand that you appreciate a glass of wine, so I think I owe you one after you speak to my sports class next month.

SCHOENING: I might just take you up on that, Larry.

TLSN TLSN TLSN TLSN TLSN

The post Professor Larry Carlson’s interview with Bill Schoening appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

Bill Schoening is one of those rare individuals who always seems to lead the league in fun. Sure, you might think, put me in place as one of America’s premier play-by-play radio announcers, and I’ll have fun, too.

But the Philadelphia guy who called Texas Longhorn football, basketball and baseball for more than a decade, well, he’s just better at this fun stuff than the rest of us. He wouldn’t say that. He doesn’t need to. Schoening, set to enter his 24th season as the voice of the San Antonio Spurs, has been mic-side for, oh, 2194 straight contests. He’s proud to proclaim that he made the call on every NBA game that Spurs legend Manu Ginobili ever played. Do not bet against him covering all of Wemby’s games.

All along the colorful journey, he makes time to write every day. Spurs news and info, certainly. But he’s also penned a book, “Stories, Sports And Songs.” Those songs alluded to in the title? The unabashed music aficionado loves to pick and grin regularly with an all-star roster of Lone Star musicians and writes his own tunes. More than thirty have been published and more are in the works. And Schoening, along with his wife, Gerry – they’ve been married 45 years — has covered more ground than Rand McNally. The road map for the good life winds through dozens and dozens of national parks and coast to coast in Canada.

Before earning four championship rings with Los Spurs, “Philly Billy” earned his own bona fides as a Texan. Austin wasn’t the first stop. Lamesa was. The small city in cotton country south of Lubbock provided the Pennsylvania kid with his first taste of ten gallon culture. At KPET radio, Schoening covered news, voiced all major sports of the LHS Golden Tornadoes and deejayed country and western music. Three years later, he jumped at the chance to voice college sports for the Sam Houston Bearkats. Schoening grins when he says he “did six years in Huntsville…outside the walls, of course.” But he doesn’t joke about having covered executions at the prison in the Piney Woods. Having witnessed first hand the profound grief of victims’ families and the soul searching of death row inmates, Schoening has long been involved in prison ministry. Helping in that way is yet another passion of a man with many of them.

But TLSN reached out to Bill Schoening to reminisce about his deep, extensive knowledge of the history of Longhorn sports. He called the action set to highs and lows in the coaching regime of David McWilliams, from an unthinkable loss to Baylor to the head rush of the “Shock The Nation Tour” just one season later, and narrated the best and worst of the six-year John Mackovic regime. That spanned the glories of winning the final Southwest Conference football title and the inaugural Big XII trophy, to the brutal 66-3 annihilation by UCLA, dubbed “Rout 66,” less than a year later. That ruinous ’97 season brought Mackovic’s exit and cued the soaring achievements of Mack Brown, Ricky Williams and QB Major Applewhite, a Schoening favorite.

Other highlights in Bill’s decade plus as UT’s sports voice include hardball highlights from Kieschnick and Dressendorfer, Gus and Garrido. Hoops-wise, Schoening still marvels at his good fortune to be along for a G-force “elite eight” ride in the ultimate driving machine of Coach Tom Penders, known as “BMW.”

Yes, it has been more than two decades since Schoening’s voice belonged to the Longhorn faithful. But the listeners haven’t forgotten and neither has he. Schoening seemingly has box scores, stat sheets and game stories imprinted on his brain.

“Bill is a savant,” Spurs broadcast boss, Mike Kickirillo says. “Name any particular game, he’s got it up there,” Kickirillo smiles, tapping his head.

And if you think Schoening’s love for radio stops at “the big time,” think again.

A few years back, he took an invitation on a Spurs day off in the northeast, shuttled to his hometown and lent his talents to the Ivy League for a Princeton-Penn battle. He regularly joins Texas State University student broadcasters to do play-by-play for Bobcat baseball on KTSW-FM. And he’ll always jump at the chance to join one of his sons, Karl – a TXST broadcast grad — when the younger Schoening steps away from UTSA broadcast chores to call a high school game, family style. It’s for the love of the game. Just pack a microphone and a radio signal.

So “tune in” below for a sampling of stories, sports and songs from Bill Schoening as he looks back on The History of Longhorn Sports with TLSN’s Larry Carlson.

The post VOICE OF THE HORNS EARNED HIS SPURS Introduction to Bill Schoening by Professor Larry Carlson appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

THE “NATIVE” LANGUAGE OF LONGHORNS

by Larry Carlson https://texaslsn.org

The natives are restless. No, not homeless but, at least according to most of the media, incorrectly situated. Let me explain.

We all have pet peeves. Maybe you wince when others say “I could care less,” when you know they mean they don’t care…which would be, “couldn’t care less.” Perhaps it grinds your gears when someone says “supposably” instead of supposedly.

For me, it’s this one in sports journalism. I’d say 95 percent of all sportscasters and writers tell us that a player is a native of fill-in-the-blank, when they mean to refer to the city in which that player attended high school. Sure, plenty of athletes, just like many of us in all cross-sections of life, didn’t fall far from the tree. They graduated from high school in the city in which the stork brought them. But not all of them.

Allow me a few examples. For the last three years, everybody heard that Quinn Ewers is “a native of Southlake, Texas, where he played at Carroll High.”

But those sports media types spread misinformation. Ewers is a native of San Antonio. And he spent his childhood years with his family, living in Pleasanton, 35 miles south of the Alamo City.

Here’s a fun fact that’s even more illustrative of the erroneous picture painted by media folks calling each player a “native” of his school’s city. Andrew Mukuba, recently a second-round pick of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, starred last fall for Texas after transferring from Clemson. His move was a boon for the Horns, and made sense because Mukuba played high school ball at LBJ High, not far from the UT campus. Naturally, he was constantly referred to as “an Austin native.”

Guess again, Joker.

Mukuba is a native of Zimbabwe, hardly a hop, skip, and jump from Lady Bird Lake. He lived in Africa until he was nine, when his family landed in Austin after being granted asylum.

A pretty interesting story, had most of the football media understood the meaning of “native.” Duuude, it’s kinda like the place where you were born.

For Kiki DeAyala, that birthplace was Miami. The all-time sack-man at The Forty Acres (with 40.5 in his career and an unfathomable 22.5 in ’82) was recruited out of Houston’s Memorial High in the Spring Branch ISD. But Kiki — whose parents fled Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba — was hardly a Houston kid early on. His father, Rafael Julian Luis DeAyala, served with the Brigade 2506 invasion force at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, the year of Kiki’s birth.

Kiki’s family later resided in Rio de Janeiro and in Dallas, where young Kiki was a swimming champion. Then came Houston and football.

Then UT, then the Houston Gamblers and Cincinnati Bengals. Too many injuries, too early. But the Miami native has been a huge success in business. He’s the developer of “The Islands of Rockport” and loves life down in Aransas County but told TLSN he still calls Houston “home.”

Hard-hitting John Hagy was a fiery DB for Texas (1984-87) and was the Southwest Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in ’87 before playing in the Super Bowl for Buffalo. He arrived at UT,fresh from two-way glory days at San Antonio’s John Marshall. John was born far from the Alamo City, though. Count him as a native of Okinawa.

Another guy who starred for SA’s Marshall Rams, Priest Holmes, is a native Arkansan, born in Fort Smith.

Okay, some more examples of restless natives in burnt orange:

Two of the greatest baseball players in the History of Longhorn Sports were recruited out of their high schools in Corpus Christi.

Both Burt Hooton and Brooks Kieschnick, of King High and Carroll High, respectively, have had their numbers (20 and 23) retired at UT.

Neither is a native Corpus Christian. Hooton was born in Greenville, up near the Oklahoma border. Kieschnick was born just west of Corpus in Robstown, famed for a formidable Robstown High Cottonpickers baseball program. And for Joe Cotten’s Barbecue, the legendary spot on Highway 77 that, tragically, burned to the ground more than a decade ago. But let’s get back to natives.

Roger Clemens is a famous Texan, that’s for sure. Most experts will place him on the all-time list of top ten pitchers in major league baseball annals. “The Rocket” first gained hardball recognition at Houston’s Spring Woods High before tearing it up at San Jacinto College (North) and taking his talents to Disch-Falk Field. For years, Clemens has been cited as “a Houston native.”

Well, Roger’s definitely a Houston resident, a Houstonian, a Houston guy. But he’s an Ohio native. Yep, he was born in Dayton and was a yankee before he was a Yankee. Or a Blue Jay or Astro or Red Sox player. He got to Houston from the Buckeye State as a young teen.

Want a UT few basketball greats to test yourself on? The lone Longhorn inducted thus far into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Slater Martin, graduated from Jeff Davis High in Houston, having led Davis to state titles in 1942 and 1943. After a standout career at Texas he was a seven-time All-NBA selection and earned five championship rings. But he was born in tiny Elmina, just south of Huntsville. It was once a thriving sawmill town. Today it is considered a ghost town. Slater was no doubt the most accomplished Elmina native.

Geographically at least, Martin was at least semi-close to having been a “Houston native.” Chris Mihm, the seven-foot Westlake High grad who starred for the Horns from 1997-2000, was definitely not an Austin native. He was born in Milwaukee.

Back to football Longhorns, it’s fun to note that the great scatback, Jimmy Saxton, All-American in ’61 from Palestine in East Texas, was a native of enemy soil. Saxton was born in Bryan, of all places, but when asked about Aggies while running wild for Texas, once remarked, “I don’t associate with those people.”

Steve Worster, the incomparable wishbone fullback, was from Bridge City in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas, just a big gator’s tail from Louisiana. The late, great “Woo” lived much of his childhood in Bridge City before leading the BCHS Cardinals to the ’66 state 3A championship. Later, he returned to live and work near his old home. But he was a native of Rawlins, Wyoming.

America’s first All-American wishbone quarterback, Marty Akins, hailed from Gregory-Portland High, in Portland, just across the bay from Corpus Christi. But Marty was the son of high school coaching Hall of Famer, Ray Akins, and coaches move their families frequently.

Early on, Coach Akins was the boss for pigskin programs in tiny Lometa and Goldthwaite. Marty was born in nearby San Saba.

Colt McCoy is another son of a coach. He played for his dad, Brad, at little Tuscola’s Jim Ned High, twenty miles south of Abilene. Contrary to what you often read and heard, Colt is not a Tuscola native. He’s not even a native Texan. He just got here as soon as he could. Colt is a native of Hobbs, New Mexico. His brother, Case — author of notable quarterbackin’ wins over OU and A&M — is indeed a native Texan, born in Abilene. But you likely heard we was a Graham native, since that’s where he first got noticed as a high school hoss.

You might have also heard — once or twice, maybe a thousand times — that Colt McCoy’s favorite receiving target, Jordan Shipley, was also his roommate at Texas. Well, Shipley, as you likely also know, grew up as a coach’s son. Jordan starred for Bob Shipley at Rotan High (The Fightin’ Yellowhammers), then moved on and became a blue-chipper at Burnet. Jordan Shipley is a native of Temple. His brother, Jaxon, came out of Brownwood High but he, too, is a Temple native. Temple is a regular hotbed for native Horns, as it turns out.

All-America tackle Bob Simmons (1975) was born there and played for the THS Wildcats. Taylor Jungmann, the sensational Texas pitcher whose jersey number is retired over at “the Disch” played high school ball in Rogers, then in Georgetown. Born in Temple, though.

(Note: NFL immortal, Slingin’ Sammy Baugh of Sweetwater High — and of TCU, I know, I know — is yet another Temple guy.)

Well, it’s about time to wrap up all this talk of restlessness and the sports media’s abuse of the “native” term. And granted, plenty of guys actually are natives of the cities they’ve been synonymous with.

Tommy Nobis was a San Antonio native. James Street was born in Longview. Vince Young, a born and bred Houstonian. And, yes, Arch Manning is a native New Orleanian.

Here’s one more nugget, though, regarding a headliner from The History of Longhorn Sports. Bobby Layne, arguably THE all-time

“Mr Everything” figure in UT football and baseball immortality, is well-known as a Highland Park guy. Layne and Doak Walker made history as leaders of the Scots’ football team. Boys of big city life who split up for college but were later reunited in Motor City, winning NFL titles together for the Detroit Lions in 1952 and ’53, with Layne leading the boys in “Hawaii Blue” to another title in 1957.

But the point here is, Bobby Layne was not a native of Dallas. Or University Park. Fort Worth? Lubbock? Waxahachie? Give up?

Bobby Layne is from Santa Anna

The quarterback who wore number 22 was a native of Santa Anna, not far from Coleman in West Central Texas. Not quite the posh surroundings linked to Highland Park residency.

“And now…”, as broadcaster Paul Harvey, who probably knew the right usage of “native” used to say, “…you know the rest of the story.”

(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. A San Antonio native, he was born less than a mile from The Alamo, at Baptist Memorial Hospital.)

(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. A San Antonio native, he was born less than a mile from The Alamo, at Baptist Memorial Hospital.)

The post THE “NATIVE” LANGUAGE OF LONGHORNS appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

Cody attended 2 National Championship games in 36 years as a TV sportscaster, the last in 2009 when Colt McCoy’s injury on this first-half hit doomed Texas vs. Alabama. Also, he was in the media Gaggle that recorded Vince Young when he crossed the goal line for the game-winner in 2005. National Championship games are memory makers!

1969 the Big Shootout by Mark McDonald

1969 James street.jpg

Royal, Larry Gatlin, Willie Nelson.jpg

Cactus and DKR.jpg

Royal , Willie, and Gatlin through the years (27).jpg

Crenshaw, Willie, Royal

Royal Reagan Lambert,and Landry.jpg

A Heavenly golf game with Coach Broyles by Bill DeOre

The post Dave Cody appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

$6.00 ticket for the Big Shoot-out

Author Mark McDonald

The Book cover

Bill DeOre

Joe Nobis.

Bill Atessis

Bill Catlett

Halsell

Mike Campbell

Paul Robichau

Scott Palmer

Teapot Collins

Woodard

Danny Lester

Dean Campbell

Phillips and Feller

Ploetz

Henderson

Jay Cormier

Royal and Steinmark

Steinmark, Campbell, Lester

Mack McKinney

Eddie and Donnie

Randy Stout

Dr. Dan Terwelp

Leo Brooks

Tony Malouf

Travis Roach

Richardson with Deb Ploetz

Bobby Callison

The Wishbone offense

The post Mark McDonald & the Shoot out appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

1971 Longhorn coaching staff

Juan Conde and DKR

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 Mark McDonalds shares his story about the definitive book he wrote on the 1969 Big Shoot-out .

The post Mark McDonald appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

“Money CAN’T BUY ME LOVE” or a winning team 

Horns, Ags Jockey For SEC Position 

by Larry Carlson  ( lc13@txstate.edu )

The post Can’t buy me love – Horns and Aggies appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.