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Christmas 2008 Looking Back Moving Forward
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In 2016 three former Longhorn student-athletes/managers -Jim Kay, Benny Pace, and Billy Dale- envisioned a free, insightful, historical, and educational newsletter to share and celebrate the history of Longhorn sports by those who created it. One hundred thirty newsletters later, we close-out 2020 with this one.
Writing the newsletters has been part of a learning curve with no drone view from above warning us of pending obstacles. We had to climb each hill to see what was on the other side.
Our mission is not nearly complete, but as we look back, we can see forward. The TLSN website and newsletter in marketing terms has grown from 19,374 impressions in 2016 to 209,198 in 2020.
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2020 Looking back
Of the 209,198 TLSN impressions here are the top 10 links for 2020
https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/administration
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The second TLSN mission has struggled. TLSN is a 501 (c) (3) offering ” qualifying” Longhorn student-athletes, managers, trainers, coaches, and their immediate families’ a last resort temporary financial safety net. To implement this mission, TLSN needed to be compliant with NCAA and U.T. rules. That process was tedious and time-consuming, but it is now complete.
TLSN has granted approximately $15,000 each to a volleyball player whose son has Leukemia, a football player with oral cancer, and a football player in a wheelchair for life.
Raising money to help those who qualify for assistance is difficult. Still, even more, difficult is delivering the message that an NCAA compliant organization exists that may help those who are eligible for assistance. My guess is that 9000 + members of the Longhorn foundation do not know of the TLSN service, and we don’t know how to reach them.
We are open to suggestions on how to communicate with them.
My email address is williamdale@msn.com
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Tyres
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Tyres
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A thousand words won’t bring you back;
I know because I’ve tried.
Neither will a thousand tears;
I know because I’ve cried.
Kily Dunbar
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We have lost a Longhorn legend. Olympian Eddie Gilbert passed away last week. He was a great friend and loyal supporter of Texas Swimming and a military hero. He rarely missed a reunion and was inducted in the inaugural class of the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame and, of course, was one of the first recipients of the Frank Erwin Award.
An Austin native who learned to swim in Barton Springs, Gilbert was the 1946 and 1947 high school state champion and record holder in the 100 freestyle. He won the 1948 AAU national championship in the 200 freestyle, earning a spot on the 1948 Olympic team, and was on the 800 freestyle relay that won the gold medal in London. Gilbert was a Southwest Conference champion and All-American in each of his three years at Texas
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TLSN has set up a site to honor and celebrate Longhorn student-athletes, managers, coaches, and trainers who have passed away in 2020.
If you know of someone I missed, please email me at Williamdale@msn.com, and he or she will be remembered and celebrated on the website.
Please visit the link below that starts with a celebration of T. Jones life
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Steve Ross interviews Coach Aker’s in the photo above.
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Steve Ross, a T.V. personality and media leader during the Akers years, words of wisdom about looking backward before moving forward are poignant.
In 2019 the 1969 Longhorn football team celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Championship team. While I did not attend the reunion, I was there in spirit with emotions reflective of a 70-year-old man trying to remain relevant in a youth-based society.
As I watched my 69, 70, and 71-year-old teammates stepped onto the DKR stadium field, 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? I answered this theoretical question but have chosen not to share?
For 40 years, I told the story of the 1969 and 1970 national championship teams to anyone who would listen. I took great pride in showing everyone my national championship ring. With a sense of humor intended, in 2009, I realized for the first time that my stories were ancient history to many/most Longhorn fans. My sports shelf life was over so I chose to wear my Championship ring no longer. ???? Fans had moved on from being impressed with my stories to being impressed that I am still alive and healthy.
Steve Ross Responded to my comments:
Interesting topic Billy, one that I have pondered over the years. College football has spent most of its lifetime as a regional sport. In that, 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. There are parts of that experience that 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, O.U., and a few others) is the history and the championships. They produced generations of dedicated fans who pass 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 T.V. 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 three networks, and you could only appear on T.V. 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 is what it looks like to this old man.
Anyway, my answer would be that you would value the championship team’s contribution 50 years later because it helped build heritage and history that makes the program so attractive to many casual fans today.
Steve Ross
Steve Ross is right!! Looking back at achievements not only honors the past but shapes the present and empowers the future.
My ring is back on my finger where it belongs. .
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Below photo- 2019 Kansas game celebration of the 1969 national team.
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Emory Bellard’s National Championship ring.
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TLSN is an independent organization celebrating Longhorn Sports History and assisting qualifying Horns who need temporary financial assistance.
The TLSN website and newsletter are free, educational, historical, and insightful sharing Longhorn sports history through the eyes of those who created it.
TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.
Https://texaslsn.org
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