11-22-2024 TLSN Newsletter 25 Volume VIII – Campaign – FluentCRM

The post 11/21/2024 newsletter appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/cdogg/TLSNS04E07.mp3

WHO’S THE FAT KID, ABE?
 by Larry Carlson   https://texaslsn.org
 
I was pretty damn fired up when I found out that I was gonna get to interview Ron Baxter for a TLSN podcast last month, thanks to the site’s contacts with John Carsey, one of Baxter’s old basketball teammates at Texas.  As a sportscaster for Austin’s KVET Radio, I had a courtside seat for numerous games Baxter played in, plus post-game access to the locker room after all those contests.  Ron had always been easygoing, humble, insightful and honest about all questions.
 
When Ron Baxter finished his four seasons of Longhorn basketball some 45 years ago in 1980, the unassuming 6-4 forward had made his mark on the UT record book in boldface, deeply etching his name into the ledger as the Horns’ most prolific scorer and rebounder ever.
 
The Californian came to Austin at the heels of a less than encouraging situation.
Coach Leon Black recruited him out of Dorsey High in Los Angeles.  But when Black’s ninth season on the Forty Acres became his worst —  producing only nine victories, just two years removed from his second Southwest Conference championship — the reserved, gentlemanly 44-year-old UT grad resigned his post.
 

Black was replaced by a wise-cracking, flamboyant maverick of a coach named Abe Lemons.  Baxter shrugged off the coaching switcheroo and headed east.  In our podcast he confided not knowing at all if or how he would mesh with the leftovers and new guys at cozy Gregory Gym on the sprawling Texas campus.  Team MVP Dan Krueger, a clutch performer who had earned back-to-back All-SWC honors for two less than stellar units, had graduated.  That’s about all anybody knew about what Lemons and Baxter were getting into.
 
Texas showed modest but steady improvement, regardless of the absence of a big man, going 13-13 and jumping to fourth in the conference standings from an eighth place finish in ’76.  Baxter — chided early on for not shooting often enough — led his team in rebounding and was impressive across the board, averaging 16.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.
That freshman season was a preview of who Baxter always was on the hardwood.  For four full seasons he was going to play good defense, make the right passes, play almost a full forty minutes and deliver roughly those same first-rate stats, game by game, year after year.  
 
Those who closely observed Baxter’s feats of consistent excellent never failed to notice that — while he lacked height as a 6-4 rebounder, what was more curious was the readily noticeable fact that there was no dearth of girth on a dude who ran the floor tirelessly.  
 
This reporter still has never forgotten when somebody in the regular pool of journalists who covered Texas, one day wondered aloud — with Lemons in ready earshot — how Baxter could cover so much basketball mileage daily and still sport the belly of a middle-aged couch potato.  Lemons smirked and asked us, “Didja ever see him eat?”  He then provided a most colorful mental picture of a man either blessed or cursed with seven, er, outlets.
 

Baxter wasn’t the only unlikely looking Longhorn hero.  Sharpshooting guard Jim Krivacs was a skinny gym rat and “big man” Gary Goodner, at center, was only 6-7.  Baxter’s fellow forward, Tyrone Branyan, a juco transfer, was the original poster boy for the “white men can’t jump” taunt, and actually fired his “jumper” from his chest.
Only point guard Johnny  “Junior” Moore, a slick, sleek athlete who went on to have his jersey retired by the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, looked the part of a championship basketball player.  All those guys did was win.  But Baxter consistently looked excellent in the box scores as well as in the win column.
 
Under the tutelage of Lemons, Baxter and the Longhorns morphed into a force in college basketball in the late 1970s when Texas was overwhelmingly known as a football (not to mention baseball) school.  In November ’77, UT moved into the classy, cushy, roomy surroundings of the Special Events Center (aka “The Superdrum” and perhaps presciently referred to as the SEC before taking on “Erwin Center” as its monicker).  It was but one year into Lemons’s — and Baxter’s — tenure at Texas, and the burnt orange basketeers became the Cinderella darlings of collegiate roundball.  They were unbeaten at home, and split a pair of games with highly-ranked Arkansas to share the Southwest Conference championship with the Hogs.  But Texas fell, 92-90, to third-place Houston in the conference tourney.  The Cougars took the automatic NCAA dance bid, Arkansas was invited and Texas was left holding a consolation ticket to the National Invitation Tournament.  The Horns refused to pout, crushed two NIT foes in Austin, then stormed the Big Apple.  Spinning his folksy and wiseacre aphorisms and anecdotes, Lemons charmed and bewitched the Manhattan media while the Longhorns prepared to win two bouts for the biggest national prize a UT squad had ever hoisted.  
 
When The History of Longhorn Sports connected with Baxter via Zoom from San Francisco, visiting family and friends, the longtime Austinite was still gregarious and prone to laughing and inducing laughs.  He sported an amazing penchant for detailed story-telling from his playing days and dealt credit after credit to the teammates with whom he built lifelong memories and friendships.  We talked about a variety of topics, including his high school alma mater.  Baxter is just one notable alumnus.  Dorsey grads include MLB Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson, Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love, OJ attorney Robert Kardashian and football great, Keyshawn Johnson.  And Baxter had recollections of Jody Watley, who went on to a Grammy Award-winning career as a pop/R&B singer and songwriter.
 
Ron, looking youthful and seemingly slimmer than in his halcyon days at Texas, had a heap of colorful tales for TLSN.  One was related to the oft-discussed midsection of his playing days.  Baxter leaned in and smiled as he recalled a shootaround that was open to the media and other insiders at Madison Square Garden for the NIT.
Seems that John Thompson, the legendary Georgetown coach sidled up to the Longhorn herd.  
“Who’s the fat kid, Abe?,” the imposing, 6-10, 270-pound Hoyas boss cracked.
In our podcast, Baxter relates more of the footnotes attached to Thompson’s inquiry and laughs heartily.  Let it be known that the journalists present then dutifully noted that Lemons smiled at his friend and replied, “My best player.”
 
Longhorn fans know the follow-up.  Texas won the NIT championship, drumming the touted North Carolina State Wolfpack of the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference in the title contest.  Baxter shared the tourney’s MVP award with teammate Jim Krivacs.   And the player imported from California kept up the heroics for two more years at UT, was an honorable mention All-America honoree and two-time All-SWC selection.  As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, Baxter ended his career as the Horns’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
One of the basketball pathfinders and trailblazers in The History of Longhorn Sports, Ron Baxter remains in the school’s top six in both categories.
 
And he remains unmatched when it comes to re-conjuring the fun and excitement of UT hoops, explaining the underrated genius of his head coach and dishing out high praise for his teammates.  You see, just as Abe noticed early on, “the fat kid” never was a ball hog.  But he sure knew how to eat his opponents’ lunch.
 
 
(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America.  He teaches sports media at Texas State University and lives in San Antonio.
Write to him at lc13@txstate.edu)
 
 
 

Ron Baxter is a former basketball player who played as a shooting guard. He was born on June 18, 1958, in Los Angeles, California1. He played for the University of Texas men’s basketball team from 1976 to 1980. During his time there, he helped lead the Longhorns to the 1978 NIT championship1. He also set records for the most rebounds (916) and points (1,897) in Texas history at the time.
After college, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980 NBA Draft, but he didn’t make it to the NBA. Instead, he played for the Reno Bighorns in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA)1.
Does this help, or were you looking for information on someone else named Ron Baxter?

Two-time first-team All-Southwest Conference pick (1978, 1980)
Voted team MVP in 1977 and 1980
Member of the 1978 NIT championship team
Averaged double-digits in scoring in each of his four years
Fourth in UT history in career points (1,897) and rebounds (919)
Third in school history with 40 career double-doubles
Inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2001

The 1977–78 Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season as a member of the Southwest Conference. They finished the season 26-5 overall, tied for the SWC regular season title with a 14–2 record and won the 1978 National Invitation Tournament. They were coached by Abe Lemons in his second season as head coach of the Longhorns. They played their home games at the Special Events Center in Austin, Texas.^[1]

Baxter hit the ground running at Texas. He started all 26 games as a freshman (while averaging 16.7 points and 8.5 rebounds), and all but four of 116 during those four standout seasons for the Longhorns. A two-time All-SWC performer, Baxter averaged career highs with 19.0 points and 8.9 rebounds during Texas’ run to the NIT title during that 1977-78 campaign. Baxter’s 1,897 career points and 916 rebounds each rank among the school’s all-time top 10. He also registered 40 doubles-doubles while starring for the Longhorns.

The post Ron Baxter’s podcast and article with Ron’s introduction by Professor Carlson appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

The Dale family wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas and a joyful and exciting New Year!!




 
This is the last TLSN newsletter for 2024
 
Chris Gilbert will be honored at the Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet in 2025.
Chris Gilbert was a standout running back for the Texas Longhorns from 1966 to 1968. He was the first player in NCAA history to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, achieving this milestone with 1,080 yards as a sophomore, 1,019 yards as a junior, and 1,132 yards as a senior. Gilbert was a consensus All-American in 1968, a three-time first-team All-Southwest Conference (SWC) selection, and the SWC Player of the Year in 1968.
 
He was also co-captain of the 1968 Longhorn team that shared the SWC championship and finished 8th in Heisman Trophy voting that year. Gilbert was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 1978.


Top left photo is Coach Royal and Captains Corby Robertson and Chris Gilbert.  Corby will be the keynote speaker for Chris at the ceremonies.

 
 A link to the 30 game win streak is at   https://texaslsn.org/football-dkr-1968-1970-30game-win-streak/

12.13.2024
By: Doak Walker Award
Story Links
Doak Walker Award

DALLAS (SMU) – The PwC SMU Athletic Forum has selected former University of Texas running back Chris Gilbert as the recipient of the 2024 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award. The award was created in 1998 to honor former running backs that excelled at the collegiate level and went on to distinguish themselves as leaders in their communities.
 
Gilbert will be honored at the Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet on Friday, January 31, 2025 on the SMU campus in Dallas along with the 2024 Doak Walker Award recipient, Ashton Jeanty, who was named at the Home Depot College Football Award on Thursday, December 12.
 
Texas Longhorn legend Chris Gilbert cemented himself in college football history by becoming the first player to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons (1966-68). In his college career, Gilbert received All-Southwest Conference honors three times and was a consensus All-American as a senior in 1968. After college, Gilbert would go on to be drafted in the fifth round of the NFL/AFL Draft by the New York Jets. He would later be inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 1978, the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
 
After graduating, Chris Gilbert, along with his former Texas Longhorns teammate Corby Robertson, co-founded Camp Olympia in 1968, which has since become one of the most successful summer camps in Texas. The camp has provided generations of children with a positive and enriching experience, playing a significant role in the local community. Following his time in the football world, Gilbert transitioned into a successful career as an investor and business executive in Houston. His business ventures have flourished, demonstrating his strong leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Camp Olympia, a key part of his post-football legacy, remains a testament to his commitment to youth development and the Texas community.
 
Gilbert was inducted into the Texas Hall of Honor in 1978, the Texas High School Hall of Fame in 1990 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
 
The Doak Walker Award presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum has been awarded to the nation’s top running back since 1990. The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA. 
 
DoakWalkerAward.com | Follow X DoakWalkerAward
 
Garland Kennon has passed away.
I received too late in the day to add the celebration of Garland Kennons life in this newsletter, so I don’t have content or photos, but I will!  If you would like to share a tribute or special photos  remembering how Garland touched your life then send to BillyDale1@gmail.com  , and your thoughts will be posted starting at 8:00 A.M.
 
God Bless his soul. He was one of DKR first players and he was instrumental in helping turning the losing U.T. football program into a winner.    Here is the link   https://texaslsn.org/garland-kennon-obituary/

Photo is Bob Lackey and Garland Kennon

 
                                           The DKR Fund
 
 
From Debbie Hanna 

Hi Billy, please send this important invitation to your email network to those who are concerned about brain health and AD or cognitive impairment.

Ron is a great speaker and very kind to lecture for us.  The invitation is a flipbook allowing for direct registration to attend.

The info also appears on the homepage of www.dkrfund.org
Thank you
Debbie
 
Debbie Hanna says, 

Please join the Alzheimer’s Texas board as our guest on Wednesday, January 22nd, for A Dialogue on Alzheimer’s & Dementia with featured speaker Mayo Clinic researcher and clinician Ron Petersen, MD. PhD. FAAN, the first event in our three-part Leading the Conversation Speaker Series. A nationally recognized researcher and clinician, Ron has treated global heads of state and patients at the Mayo Clinic and lectured at prominent world medical conferences. It is our pleasure and honor to bring his wisdom to you.

This event is free, however space is limited. Please check out our flip book below to RSVP for your tickets and learn more about this event:

Jan. 22, 2025: A Dialogue on Alzheimer’s and Dementia
 
In gratitude,
Debbie Hanna and the Alzheimer’s Texas Board of Directors Rita Hortenstine, Laura Beuerlein, DK Reynolds, Ava Late Sheri Krause, Julie Crenshaw, Bobby Jenkins, Char Hu Linda Shaunessey, Dr. Munro Culllum, Ed Clements

Playing contact sports remains a key factor in many brain diseases.  TLSN has chronicled many stories about Horns who have succumbed to Alzheimer’s, CTE, dementia, and other neurological diseases.   Here is TLSN’s link to some of the Horns we have lost   https://texaslsn.org/trilogy-part-ii-1940-to-present/
 
 
 
TLSN embodies a compassionate and educational ethos, dedicated to preserving the history of Longhorn Sports and providing financial assistance to those who qualify. To support TLSN, please click the button below.
 
None of the TLSN board members receive compensation for their services. All donations are directed towards fulfilling our Longhorn related missions.
Donate – Building The Longhorn Brand

 
Shawn Clynch  – Inside the Man’s Cave
Shawn Clynch is a retired sportscasting veteran with a long sports media career. He was a multimedia journalist, sports anchor, and reporter for various stations, including KVUE Austin, KOKH FOX 25 Oklahoma City, and KTRE Lufkin-Nacogdoches. He retired from KVUE in 2019 to pursue new career opportunities. One of his sports history media adventures is

“Stories Inside the Man Cave”.

TLSN is lucky if we can produce 10 Longhorn oral history podcasts a year. Shawn has produced 450 podcasts in four years, an incredible accomplishment that reflects his passion for sharing the stories of collegiate and professional sports teams and sports personalities. 
With Shawn’s permission, TLSN has created a website page to archive a significant number of his Longhorn brand builder podcasts. The arrangement between TLSN and “Man Cave” is informal, with no contractual obligations or compensation involved. Our goal is to broaden the horizons of our media formats and add quality content and synergistic value to our respective audiences. 
 
Many/most of Shawn’s Longhorn podcasts are at the TLSN  link 
 
https://texaslsn.org/shawn-clynchs-man-cave-shares-longhorn-sports-history/
 
Enjoy the history of Longhorn sports as told by Shawn Clynch 
 
Below are 4 example story’s with links involved. 

Here are four examples of “Cave” podcast and the link to the Longhorn podcast by Shawn Clynch.

https://youtu.be/vTdG8jZozrU   
 
Swindell and Coach Gustafson left  , and Keith Moreland right 


link to Lance Blanks
 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-2-with-special-guest-texas-longhorns-mens/id1503953389?i=1000469301182.

Megan Willis  
The boys had to clean up their act for a lady in the Man Cave. Legendary Texas Longhorn catcher Megan Willis took a break from painting inside her home to talk about UT softball. Willis also talked about her favorite stories from her playing days, including her battery mate, Cat Osterman.
   
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-5-with-special-guest-legendary-longhorn/id1503953389?i=1000470050865
 
A special 55th edition in honor of the Buffalo #BillsMafia and Longhorn for Life, Aaron Williams.
 
The former McNeil High School Maverick and DBU great played six great years for the Buffalo Bills. Multiple injuries forced him into retirement, but Williams remains a loyal Buffalo Bill and member of the Bills Mafia fan base.
 
Williams is elated that his Bills are playing in the AFC Championship game this weekend. He discussed the rabid fan base that is the Bills Mafia and paid tribute to one of the legendary late fans, Pancho Billa.
The former Longhorn defensive back great also offered his take on new Texas head coach, Steve Sarkisian, and some insight on the program itself.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-55-with-aaron-wiliams-longhorn-for-life/id1503953389?i=1000506339038
 
 


 
 
Some walk-ons make the team, a select few are now enshrined in school, regional, and National Halls of Honor and Halls of Fame for excelling in their sports, but Most walk-ons don’t make the team.

Thanks to a TLSN Facebook subscriber, Marcy Johnson, Donny Eckhardt Jr.’s story is now chronicled in the walk-on section of TLSN. Donny shares some wonderful memories of the Texas and Texas A&M games. But what intrigued me most was that he was a walk-on at Texas.
 
My Memories of Texas vs Texas aTm  By Donny Eckhardt

My first memory of attending this game was in 1974 when I was eleven. My mom got us tickets in the end zone. The wind chill factor was 20 degrees, and it was intermittently raining. I only had a white Texas windbreaker. Texas went up 14-0 in the first minute of the game and went on to win 32-3. I refused to leave until the last play.

I also remember the 1977 game in College Station, where Earl Campbell cemented his Heisman with 222 yards rushing and four touchdowns, and I was in the lower level in that magical moment when Ricky Williams broke the All-Time NCAA career rushing record in 1998 with 259 rushing yards. A patient gave me tickets to the 1999 game in College Station after the bonfire tragedy, and I sat on the front row behind the Aggie bench; every time Texas made a mistake, the TV camera panned in on me. I think we were all pulling for the Aggies that year; they won.

The most important memory to me was in 1982. I had a decent high school football career at Spring Branch, where I led district 17-5A in rushing my senior year, but I did not have the speed to get heavily recruited; I did turn down the Air Force Academy on signing day. Like many Texas boys, I dreamed of playing for the Longhorns. In March of that year, Coach McWilliams invited me to come up to Austin and have a talk. They asked me to walk on to the football team, and since I was already accepted and planning to study premed, I wholeheartedly accepted the invitation.

August training camp started, and we had four freshman running backs: Anthony Bryarly from Newton, Mike January from Lake Charles, Louisiana, the father of current Longhorn DT, Alex January, Jimmy McDavid from Memphis Boys Academy, and me. My first day was not very good; I tripped over the dummies in the gauntlet drill, I had no idea how to run the ropes, and when practice ended, I told Coach Thompson I wanted to stay after and practice what I did wrong, he asked me, “which part?” I got a little better, and just before the season started, they moved Jimmy and me out of the walk-on locker room and into the varsity locker room.

Texas had a pretty good year in 1982. We finished 13th in the country and went 9-3, with our only SWC loss to Seniors Eric Dickerson and Craig James, and the best team money could buy at SMU. I spent most of my practices on the scout team, trying to imitate those guys.
The 1982 game was played on Thanksgiving Day, one of the few times it was not televised. It was a relatively cold 49 degrees with light rain. Texas was led by 1,000-yard rusher Darryl Clark, who had 16 carries for 137 yards. The designated Touchdown machine, Ervin Davis, scored three touchdowns and added 70 yards rushing. To demonstrate how the game has changed, Texas quarterbacks Todd Dodge and Robert Brewer were a combined 6/10 for 145 yards passing.

At 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, fellow Spring Branch Bear Mike Luck scored on an 8-yard run and made it 53-10 Texas. I was wisely standing near Coach Fred Akers, and he looked at me and said, “Donny, when we get the ball back, you’re in at fullback.” Wouldn’t you know it, the Aggies, led by Gary Kubiak, went on an 11-play, 56-yard drive that took seven minutes and scored with 47 seconds left in the game, but that still left me 40 seconds to play.

I went in. The Longhorns had Danny Akers at quarterback, Michael (Hound) Brown from Lake Highlands at tailback, and Donny Eckhardt at fullback. The call was 71, a fullback lead over the left guard. Longtime NFL Lineman Adam Schreiber was the left guard; he took his man out of the hole, which left me and my 188 pounds in an Oklahoma drill with an Aggie All-American linebacker. I lost; they tackled Hound for a 1-yard gain. We had time for one more play, and Coach Akers yelled at Danny to run whatever he wanted. I lobbied in the huddle to get the ball, but Danny called a sweep, which also went for no gain. Texas celebrated a 53-16 win against the Aggies in Jackie Sherrill’s first year, and I achieved my dream of playing for Texas.

This game is so important to the people in this state, and I am so glad we get to watch these teams square off tonight. Hook ‘Em Horns!!!
 
 
Below are a few Longhorn Walk-ons of the many that TLSN has chronicled through the years. Tell the NCAA not to eliminate  Walk-ons from the fabric of collegiate sports. 

Denton Cooley wanted to be a jock, not a doctor in his younger years. Fortunately, the confused younger Cooley at Texas discovered the heart and became one of the most esteemed surgeons in the world.
 
Denton was a 6-4 walk-on center in 1939 and played an important role in winning the SWC championship and participating in the NCAA basketball tournament.
 
There were no flights to Madison Square Garden, so the team hopped on a train to play Manhattan College. The Horns won. The next day they played in Temple in Philadelphia and lost.
The Horns started the NCAA playoffs heading by train to San Francisco. Coach Gray noticed that Cooley was in the dining car eating buckwheat pancakes. Gray looked at Denton and said, “No buckwheat for you, Buckwheat!” The name stuck for the rest of his years at Texas.


The U.S. Rowing team names former Longhorn Ruth Stiver to its roster for the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Stiver, a first-time National Team member, was Texas’ first-ever Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) selection. She was a walk on in 2000.
The U.S. Rowing team names former Longhorn Ruth Stiver to its roster for the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Stiver, a first-time National Team member, was Texas’ first-ever Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) selection. She was a walk on in 2000.
 

 
 
 
From 1967 through 1970, three African Americans walked on at Texas: E.A. Curry, Robinson Parsons, and Talmadge Blewitt. E.A. Curry was a teammate on the 1967 freshman team.

Over the past five decades, I have frequently thought about E.A. Curry. Remorse fills me when I reflect on the numerous challenges this admirable young man and talented athlete faced but could not overcome. I would cherish the opportunity to see him again and extend a handshake of respect for his efforts to join the team in 1967. He is in the top row, third from the left on the freshman team.
There are many more walk-on stories shared on the TLSN website.
 
To enjoy the stories of  other Longhorn walk-ons, follow the link provided below.
 
https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/general-information-about-walking-on
 
 
HOME, AND COOKIN’ !
When The Horns Hooked 42 Straight
 by Larry Carlson  https://texaslsn.org
It was quite a damn feat, this Texas-sized home winnin’ streak.  For those who know history, it stretched from when LBJ resided in the White House through the week in which Jimmy Carter was elected to the oval office.  More than eight full years.  That’s dog years in football seasons, amigo.
 
It spanned from Oct. 5, 1968 to Nov. 6, 1976.
 
Think about it.  The remarkable string of Texas W’s included the last four home games of one season, all home games the next seven years, then the first two of another. Forty-two straight victories. 

Two national championships.  Six straight SWC titles with Cotton Bowls plus two other bowl teams and a shared conference crown. 
 
Texas had been mashing foes by ungodly margins for two years when UCLA came to town in early October 1970 to challenge the top-ranked defending national champs.  Twenty-two straight wins now, ten of them at home, sweet Memorial Stadium.  Uncharacteristically for early autumn, it was a day game.  Major renovations were underway, with an upper deck and new press box under construction.  Lights out, in more ways than one. 
 
Highlights at home in ’72 included a three-touchdown butt-kicking of #17 Arkansas in a nighttime downpour and a 38-3 laugher over hapless A&M.  It was UT’s fourth straight 5-0 worksheet in Austin.  The Horns would go on to beat Bama in the Cotton Bowl and finish third in the national rankings.

The ’73 Horns again went unbeaten in SWC play, chalking up a sixth straight championship.  In five home games, Texas outscored oopponents by a 43-7 average.  
 
The ’75 season marked the first time for the Longhorns to host six, not five, home games.  The wishbone, operated by third-year QB Marty Akins, was in high gear with soph FB Earl Campbell alternately running over and past opponents.  Texas averaged 50 points per game in Austin demolition derby matches with Colorado State, Texas Tech and Utah State.  The Horns wrecked Rice, Baylor and TCU in their remaining home games, en route to a shared SWC title and a comeback victory over Colorado in Houston’s Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. 
 
To read Professor Carlsons full story of the 42 home game win streak click-on https://texaslsn.org/42-home-wins-in-a-row-by-larry-carlson/
 

                     AND HORNS UP!!!

 
 
 
And with a little luck in 2025 we will be    

The post 12/19/2024 newsletter, Chris Gilbert, 42 game win streak, walk-ons, Shawn Clynch, DKR Fund , appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

https://soundcloud.com/benjamin-adams-865177686/12-12-2024-tlsn-newsletter-27-volume-viii?si=d0c5a2a9204445e4aaea8296d4e41b91&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The written TLSN Newsletter is at :

12-12-2024 TLSN Newsletter #27 Volume VIII

The post 12-12-2024 Newsletter- Canada, cross country, track, walk-ons appeared first on Texas Legacy Support Network.

Sports//College//Texas Sports Nation

Texas vs. A&M: Before Justin Tucker’s kick, there was Case McCoy’s run. ‘And then it got very quiet’
By Kirk Bohls,ColumnistNov 29, 2024 Houston Chronicle

Subscribe to the Houston Chronicle and Kirk Bohls to read and see more about the Texas Longhorns

Texas quarterback Case McCoy (6) throws a pass against Texas A&M during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game at Kyle Field Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, in College Station. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle





AUSTIN — Case McCoy mostly remembers the deafening noise at Kyle Field.
Until he didn’t hear it anymore.
The former Texas quarterback who reflected on the Longhorns’ 27-25 last-second victory over Texas A&M in the last meeting between these two schools can still recall the wild atmosphere from that 2011 game.
It figures to be equally or even more raucous Saturday night when No. 3 Texas visits College Station to play No. 20 A&M before well north of 100,000 fans for a berth in the SEC championship against Georgia on Dec. 7.
AGGIES VS. LONGHORNS: A RIVALRY RENEWED
On the Longhorns

• This is the biggest UT-A&M game of them all.
• Current generation may not know history but understands what’s at stake.
• An Aggies-Horns version of nine things and one crazy prediction.
• Top 10 Longhorns wins vs. A&M

On the Aggies
• A worn class ring, an unbreakable Aggie and a life well lived.
• What a mean over Texas would mean for the Aggies.
• R.C. Slocum: A&M is better off with Texas in SEC.
• It will be like the ‘Alabama, Notre Dame and LSU games on steroids.’
• Top 10 A&M wins vs. Longhorns.
See Less

“I remember it was the loudest I’ve ever experienced,” McCoy said this week. “We’d played at a lot of places that would be loud, but A&M has always been really good about being loud when they need to be loud.”
Texas thought it knew how to deal with it. The offense planned to huddle all game-long not only to milk the clock but to better communicate with McCoy’s teammates. But there was only so much they could do.

THE A&M VIEW: A penalty that still hurts.
The 33-year-old Longhorn hero, a tenant specialist who lives in Austin with his former UT cheerleader wife Jessica and four young children, including newborn Briggs, laughs at the memory.
He’s been asked about that night by several reporters this week and jokes, “I’ve become a little bit popular, but I’ll be completely irrelevant after this week.”
Not likely.
Interestingly enough, he and David Ash had rotated at quarterback for much of the season, and McCoy wasn’t even told he was starting until the team’s pregame warmups for the Aggie game.
And just how loud was that crowd of 88,000-plus that Nov. 24 night?

“We kept getting pinned back there at the horseshoe end the whole game, which only intensified our huddles,” McCoy said. “I mean, I lost my voice in the first quarter. But I had hundreds of plays on my wristband, and I would point to the play in the huddle.”
He also recalls the struggles he and his offensive teammates had against a strong Aggies defense that allowed them 237 yards and 12 first downs. Luckily for Texas, the Longhorn defense with linebackers Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson, end Alex Okafor, defensive backs Quandre Diggs, Kenny Vaccaro and Carrington Byndom and even safety Blake Gideon, who currently coaches safeties on Steve Sarkisian’s staff.
BIGGEST OF THEM ALL: What return of rivalry means to state.
The two sides were so evenly matched that 17 players on each team would go on to play in the NFL.
“They outplayed us for most of the game,” McCoy said. “But we had a bunch of dudes too who went on to play in the league.”

Texas went into the game with a, you might want to say, conservative gameplan. Mack Brown wasn’t about to throw the ball all over the lot with a young redshirt freshman quarterback even with receivers like Marquise Goodwin, Jaxon Shipley and Mike Davis. McCoy would complete 16 of 27 passes in the game but for only 110 yards.
He expects a more wide-open game plan out of Sarkisian when he and several buddies, including a couple of Aggies, will be on hand for Saturday night’s game. McCoy’s attended most of this year’s Texas home games and traveled to watch the Longhorns win at Michigan and Vanderbilt.
He won’t be wearing his No. 6 jersey in the Kyle Field stands, however.
“No, I know better than that,” he said. “Maybe I’ll wear a mustache and glasses.”

He might go incognito in enemy territory but he’ll always be well-known for his role in big games. And none was bigger than that last date with the Aggies.

“History will tell you the more mature team and the one that wins the turnover battle will win the game or have the opportunity to win,” McCoy said. “I think we’re really good this year, and our defense is unbelievable. The offense is high-powered but there have been times it feels a little bit out of sync. But they’ve got playmakers everywhere and they find ways to put it together.”
So did Texas that 2011 game.
“Mack told me that night, ‘I just want to kick the ball after every series. I don’t care if it’s a field goal or a punt.’ And Coach Brown’s words were true.”
The Aggies had future NFL quarterback Ryan Tannehill on its side with Luke Joeckel blocking for him, but he completed only 20 of 49 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns and threw three interceptions in a four-turnover game for the hosts.

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IMPORTANT!!! The TLSN Board has successfully transferred most of the data for The History of Longhorn Sports from Squarespace to WordPress. Squarespace limits users to 400 categories, and we had reached that capacity, hindering the growth of The History of Longhorn Sports. WordPress offers the expanded capabilities that TLSN needs. Many individuals, including All-American and TLSN Board member Ben Adams, supported Ricky Williams’s journey to winning the Heisman Trophy. Over the past six months, TLSN has been transferring photos and content from Squarespace to WordPress. This has been a challenging project, but Ben accepted the technical challenge and has completed the first phase of the conversion. As anticipated, the data migration from Squarespace to WordPress has not gone flawlessly. The logistical part of the transition will likely take Ben and me at least another month to finalize. Nevertheless, the new TLSN website is now available to view. The TLSN WordPress site contains information gathered from eight years of research into all media formats related to Longhorn sports. It is both informative and educational, featuring a compassionate component. The Texas Legacy Support Network (TLSN) documents the “Eyes of Texas” narratives of individuals who have contributed to the development of the Longhorn brand. Our technical guru TLSN board member and Longhorn All-American Ben Adams says, “We’re thrilled to announce that TLSN has upgraded our website texaslsn.org to deliver a more user-friendly, visually appealing, and functional experience. This upgrade will bring enhanced features, smoother navigation, and a refreshed design that better highlights our mission. With WordPress, we’ll have more flexibility to keep the site dynamic and up-to-date, ensuring our community can easily find key information and resources. With so much valuable content, we recommend using the search feature to quickly explore topics of interest. Visit our new website at texaslsn.org.“ Explore the new website; it’s free for your enjoyment. Remember to utilize the search engine to locate the information you wish to explore or click on the subject section highlighted in orange at the top of the WordPress page to find your desired topic. Please be patient as we correct many of the errors caused by the data migration to WordPress. If you find a glaring error, please feel free to contact Billydale1@gmail.com. All-American #79 Ben Adams ———- Eddie Vaughn passed away on 10/12/2024. Gene Powell, Eddie’s Longhorn roommate and former Chairman of the Board of Regents for the U.T. system, shares his story. If any of you would like to add to Eddie’s memory page, please email Billydale1@gmail.com and your comments will be posted. Billy, I am writing to share with you that we have lost another member of the 1964 Freshman Class of Longhorn Scholarship Football Players.  Eddie would absolutely demand that no one make a fuss over his passing, but I cannot let this great guy and fellow Longhorn leave us without informing his former teammates about it. We both played sports for our respective teams in the Rio Grande Valley but never played a game against one another.  Eddie was offered a four-year scholarship by Coach Royal early in the spring of 1964 and accepted the offer.  Eddie heard that I had also received an offer from Coach Royal.  So, even though we did not know each other, Eddie called me, introduced himself, and told me that he had accepted the scholarship letter from UT Austin and wanted to encourage me to accept my offer.  That phone call was the beginning of a very long friendship and did influence my decision on where to attend college.  Eddie and I were members of the first freshman class following the 1963 National Championship season.  As such we got to know many of the outstanding athletes on that great team and we also were assigned the chore of scrimmaging against them on a regular basis . 1966 team photo: To the right of Diron Talbert, the tallest players on the third row, are Jim Helms of San Benito, Freddy Edwards of Donna, and Gene Powell of Weslaco. Directly behind Freddy Edwards is Eddie Vaughan of Brownsville. Eddie and I roomed together at Moore-Hill Hall for three years, where Eddie endured my early morning study habits, and I put up with his tough, cantankerous personality to become really close friends.  Between our junior and senior years Eddie attended US Marine basic training at Quantico, Virgina.  And upon graduation Eddie was commissioned as a Lieutenant and shipped out to Viet Nam.  Eddie was not in Viet Nam long when an underwater explosive device with a malfunctioning short fuse blew up in his right hand.  He lost a significant portion of his hand but the surgeons at the US Navy Hospital in San Diego were able to save and restore a portion of his hand.  Eddie spent a year at that hospital undergoing medical treatment.  He became so bored that he took flying lessons and learned to fly while he was in treatment as an outpatient of the Naval Hospital. During his four years at UT Eddie made numerous friends on the football team and was greatly respected by all that knew him.  He was a solid citizen and solid teammate.  Eddie was always respectful, polite and ready to stand up for his friends.  He was a man of few words but when he gave you his word you could take it to the bank.  Thanks, Gene Gene Powell at work as Chairman ———- HOW LONG IS THE SHELF LIFE OF A LONGHORN SPORTS ACCOMPLISHMENT? Photos at the 50th anniversary Reunion of the 1969 National Champions in football took place during the Kansas game in 2019. In 2019, the 1969 Longhorn football team celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Championship at the Kansas game. While I did not attend the event, I was there in spirit, with emotions reflective of a 70-year-old man trying to remain relevant in a youth-based society. As my 69, 70, and 71-year-old teammates stepped onto the field at DKR stadium to celebrate their accomplishments, I asked myself a theoretical question. If the same situation occurred when I was a young man in 1969, would I be impressed with the 1919 Longhorns winning a national championship 50 years ago?I answered this theoretical question but have chosen not to share my answer. For 30+ years, I told the story of the 1969 and 1970 national championship teams to anyone who would listen. I no longer do so. With a sense of humor intended, in 1999, I realized for the first time that my stories were ancient history to many/most Longhorn fans. My sports shelf life was over. Fans had moved on from being impressed with my stories to being impressed that I was still alive and healthy . James Street (deceased), Jim Bertelsen (deceased), Billy Dale, Steve Worster (deceased), Ted Koy ———- STEVE ROSS RESPONDS TO SHELF-LIFE COMMENT BY BILLY DALE Interesting topic, Billy, one that I have pondered over the years. College football has spent most of its lifetime as a regional sport. You can be a college football fan, but the history and memories that drive alumni and fans back to the stands year after year are regionally based.My first experience at a Longhorn game was as a 7-year-old sitting in the knot-hole section of the north end zone with my older brother, watching DKR’s first Texas team play Tulane. Parts of that experience are still as fresh as if they happened yesterday: the night air, the lights, and the cool uniforms on both sides. I can still see the Tulane helmets with a flashy wave on them. Pardon the pun, but I was hooked. My answer to your question is this: What separates the elite (Texas, Alabama, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, OU, and a few others) is the history and the championships. They produced generations of dedicated fans who passed that dedication down to future generations. That “regional” dedication is fading, at least a little bit, IMO. Television, or more exactly, the money that follows TV. College Football is in danger of turning into the NFL 2.0. When the “Game of the Century” was played in Fayetteville, half of the nation (50 million people) tuned in. There were only 3 networks, and you could only appear on TV 2 or 3 times a season. It was an event. Now, every game is televised. The money is astounding. The UT Athletic Department’s yearly revenue would make it one of the largest businesses in Austin. With money comes expectation. “Giving the old College Try” doesn’t matter that much anymore. It’s “Just Win Baby.” At least, that’s what it looks like to this old man. Anyway, my answer would be that you would value the contribution of the championship team 50 years later because it helped to build the heritage and history that make the program so attractive to many casual fans today. Steve Ross has been a Longhorn fan since childhood and, for the last 40 years, professionally as part of the media. Years ago, Steve wrote an article for Barking Carnival about the 1970 UCLA game with such accurate detail I thought he played in the game. His writing is in the link below.  Steve Ross 1970 UCLA game football – Texas Legacy Support Network

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In the past four months, Longhorn national volleyball champion and TLSN Chairwoman Beth Coblentz has explored various sponsorship opportunities to assist Tyres Dickson. Tyres, who has been wheelchair-bound for over 25 years following after a car accident, recently requested a custom-made therapeutic bed to help alleviate his bed sores. TLSN’s Beth Coblentz found a source who donated the specialty bed to Tyres. Texas Mattress Makers with TLSN’s Chairwomen Beth Coblentz on top far right with the owners of Texas Mattress Makers. . Bottom row is Tyres with his mother Tyres with Ricky Brown Former volleyball Coach Mick Haley with TLSN Chairwoman Beth Coblentz ————– TLSN seeks two more TLSN Board members selected from the sports below: Track and field, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, baseball, rowing Presently, the board is represented by two football players, one women’s basketball player, one volleyball player, one manager, and one women’s basketball Coach. ————– Ed Olle led a “charmed life”. ED OLLE was a Longhorn player and administrator from 1925-1962. Before rings, the major symbol of Longhorn sports accomplishments was charms. Ed Olle’s granddaughter Katherine was kind enough to share images of many of the charms Ed received as an athlete and UT administrator. In two years, Olle earned six letters, two each in football, basketball, and baseball. He was the first winner of the Norris Trophy, which honored the best athlete at Texas. Familiar with the fundamentals of all sports, and an authority on the rules of football and basketball, Olle coached the Longhorns in basketball (unpaid) for three seasons (1931–34) following the departure of “Mysterious” Fred Walker in 1931. His 1932–33 team finished the season as Southwest Conference champions with a 22–1 overall record. Many decades later, this team received retroactive recognition as that season’s national champion in the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. (the team playing as it did in an era preceding the existence of national basketball tournaments or polling). In 1956 Ed Ollie was hired as UT Athletics Director and remained in that position until 1962. Ed lived a charmed life . His 1932–33 team finished the season as Southwest Conference champions with a 22–1 overall record In two years, Olle earned six letters, two each in football, basketball, and baseball. He was the first winner of the Norris Trophy, which honored the best athlete at Texas. Photo is Ed as a U.T. Athletic Department administrator ————– Jackie Sherrill: The Castrator and “Educator” by Larry Carlson https://texaslsn.org I’m guessing that some Texas fans still have their Jackie Sherrill dartboards somewhere out in the garage or tool shed. He’s UT’s all-time coaching nemesis. When he became college football’s highest-paid boss at A&M in ’82, the former Pitt coach knew he wanted to beat Texas. His first two squads got crushed by the Longhorns, 51-16 and 42-13. But Jackie warned opponents, especially those at the Forty Acres. “You’d better get your licks in now,” he said. The Aggie donors and top brass got their money’s worth, unlike with Jimbo Fisher. Sherrill’s Ags beat Texas five straight times before he resigned in December 1988. The NCAA had decided to put A&M on probation for two years. Violations included improper employment, extra benefits, lack of institutional control, and unethical conduct. Sherrill wasn’t found personally guilty of any infractions but lit out. After two years away from football, Jackie resurfaced at another ag school in the South, Mississippi State. His Bulldogs posted a 7-5 record that included a non-conference Starkville victory over David McWilliams’ last UT squad. But Sherrill’s marquee moment at State came the next September. The week of the opener at Texas, Jackie turned educator and castrator. He even got coverage from The Chronicle of Higher Education. Unethical conduct was about to resurface. For those who missed the big event 32 autumns ago, Sherrill treated his squad to the castration of a bull, out on the ‘Dogs’ practice field. When the news broke about the stunt prior to a pigskin business trip to Austin, the uproar bounced around the nation. Sherrill said he had asked the bull’s owner to provide the demonstration and told reporters that he considered it “motivational and educational.“ Whatever it did for the Bulldogs could not be argued by Saturday night. State, ranked 21st by the Associated Press, butchered the 25th-ranked Longhorns, 28-10, to start the John Mackovic era at UT. Sherrill was the toast of Oktibbeha County and most of the ag school’s students and backers were smiling about the “motivation” and certainly about the scoreboard. One Magnolia State writer summed it up this way: “Motivation plus education, equals castration.” Then he launched a shot at arch-rival Ole Miss. “Beware, Colonel Reb.” Sherrill did apologize to the university president but had to feel smug about his place in Longhorn lore. His record against UT? Seven straight wins after two losses to start. The next time Texas tussled with Mississippi State’s Bulldogs under Sherrill, the Horns partied like it was 1999. It was. Mack Brown was the first-year UT coach, and his team had all the New Year’s fireworks, blasting MSU 38-11. Major Applewhite tossed three TD passes and Ricky Williams toasted Jackie with 208 yards rushing and two more TDs in his curtain call as a collegian. Coach Sark and his team were challenged by Mississippi State two weeks ago but won. Bevo was watching and remembering that fateful day decades ago when a “brother” suffered humiliation under Coach Sherrill both on and off the field. (TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. He teaches sports media at Texas State University and lives in San Antonio.) ————– When Tragedy Strikes, Texas Legacy Support Network can help! The Texas Legacy Support Network (TLSN) provides support to T-ring recipients who have slipped through societal safety nets through no fault of their own. Although these occurrences are rare, TLSN remains vigilant and ready to offer assistance to those who qualify when such circumstances occur. A sincere thank you to everyone who has made it possible to replenish the TLSN 501 (C) (3) checking account. This ensures that we have the financial resources ready to assist the next qualifier in need. Diane Callison states, Hello to all of you! Throughout the years Bobby has shared with me his love of his football team members and how much he learned from them and the amazing amount of acceptance you all had.  He knew that you always had his back. Even though he is not aware of that today, you again have his back.  Your generosity has allowed me to keep things afloat when I was not able to.  You cannot imagine to weight that was lifted off of me to be able to meet the deadlines on our most important obligations. I wish that there was a way to be able to express the true depth of gratitude I have for all of you, not only financially but for the emotional support, thoughts and prayers that you have offered us.  Bobby always said that you were men that he not only loved but admired and you all have constantly shown that quality.  I know if Bobby were able to tell you himself he certainly would, so please allow me to say for him, from the deepest part of our hearts, Thank you and my prayer is that some day, some time I will be able to do for others what has been done for us. Blessings and gratitude, Love, Diane   Bobby Callison with Coach Royal The TLSN 501 (C) (3) HAS TWO MISSIONS – EDUCATIONAL-SHARING THE HISTORY OF ALL LONGHORN SPORTS, AND COMPASSIONATE- OFFERING A HELPING HAND TO THOSE WHO QUALIFY FOR TEMPORARY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. Access to the TLSN newsletter and website is free. No TLSN Board Member receives compensation from donations received. The donation link ishttps://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/send-donation-to ————– Nobis, By A Neck  by Larry Carlson   “Tommy Nobis’s Neck” sounds like it could be the name of a punk band, perhaps one that would have opened for the Ramones or the Sex Pistols. Nobis’s neck, famously 19 ½ inches around and sprayed generously with freckles, was almost as well known as his ability to crunch ballcarriers when he starred at Texas for three seasons. Then he stuffed the NFL’s best for eleven years as an Atlanta Falcon. In an era of talented but svelte footballers who might these days be considered pencil-necked geeks, Nobis stood out. On and off the football field. When few UT linemen topped 200 pounds, Nobis was a tall, 6-2, V-shaped 235-pounder. He lifted weights while others feared becoming muscle bound and inflexible. Tommy put extra focus and effort into strengthening his neck. He was described by Houston writer Mickey Herskowitz as “Huck Finn with muscles.” And the line, “Even his freckles have muscles,” has been attributed to his Longhorn coach, Darrell Royal who was on record as declaring that he never had another who played his position as well as did Nobis. Some observers likened Nobis and his frame to the UT tower after a win, the orange flat-top that crowned his noggin being emblematic of victory, all the time. At Texas, excelling both ways as an offensive guard and a linebacker, Nobis established himself as a peerless player who blew holes open for the UT backfield and busted runners like so many dainty plates of china. Three times an All-Southwest Conference pick and twice an All-American, the San Antonian spearheaded UT defenses from 1963 through 1965. The big man had been so dominant in his first two years that writers in the region voted Nobis as the Southwest Conference’s greatest defender of all time, with his senior year not yet teed up. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that Nobis’s countenance did not adorn the cover of (Dave Campbell’s) Texas Football magazine. After all, Tommy would be the coverboy of LIFE magazine and Sports Illustrated in the coming months. But Texas Tech’s “golden palomino,” Donny Anderson, gazed out at the Lubbock skies from the always anticipated football summertime bible of the Lone Star State. It’s impossible to say for sure but there’s a chance that even Darrell K Royal perceived the cover omission as a slight to the young man he called “the best two-way player ever.” When the Longhorns throttled the Red Raiders, 33-7 and shut down Anderson for the third straight year (he got 27 yards as a senior, and never crossed the UT goal line in three defeats), DKR allowed himself to crow. “He never drank a drop against us,” cracked Royal. After the season, it was time for Nobis to somehow get fit with tuxedo shirts that could accommodate his neck. He won the Outland Trophy as the country’s best lineman and the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player. He even finished seventh in the Heisman voting. Huck Finn with muscles finished second to nobody when it came time for the NFL draft in the spring of ’66. The spanking new franchise in Atlanta made Nobis the number one pick. He was also drafted first by the AFL’s Houston Oilers – and astronaut Frank Borman, orbiting the earth in Apollo VII – urged Nobis to sign on with Space City. But Houston had a problem. Tommy went with the Falcons and the NFL. He was Rookie of the Year and racked up a record number of tackles. Nobis was so good that, after four seasons, he was selected to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1960s. This, for a team that won but six times in Nobis’s first three years. The Texas immortal, whose retired jersey is the most storied in Longhorn history, was long ago named to the College Football Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, the UT Hall of Honor, the Falcons’ Ring of Honor and the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame. He is not, however, enshrined in Canton, Ohio as a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Many, many writers, former teammates and opponents strongly believe his absence there is a serious mistake. The prevailing theory is this: Nobis started in the inaugural season of a new franchise and played his entire career in the shadows of the league because he toiled for teams that ranged from horrible to mediocre. Consider that Texas legend Bobby Layne, a Hall of Famer, led Detroit to several NFL titles. Admittedly, safety Bobby Dillon played for Green Bay teams that were mostly breakeven caliber in the ’50s. But Earl Campbell rocked deep into the playoffs for Houston and Steve McMichael, inducted in August, gained fame as one of the roughest and rowdiest of the Super Bowl champion ’85 Chicago Bears and other editions of the “Monsters of the Midway.” Will justice one day be served in Nobis’s case? Longtime fans from Austin to Atlanta can hope. In truth, it isn’t likely. It would take action by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee to move the needle and get it done. If it’s neck and neck, whose neck is gonna win? Tommy Nobis’s neck. (TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. He teaches sports media at Texas State and lives in San Antonio.

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