Gary Plock, 2005 Softball, Flanders Field, Tom Penders, Jim Bertelsen

Memorial Day honors those who died at war forever young.

“In Flanders Fields The Poppies Blow, Between The Crosses Row On Row, That Mark Our Place; And In The Sky, The Larks, Still Bravely Singing, Fly Scarce Heard Amid The Guns Below.

We Are The Dead. Short Days Ago; We Lived, Felt Dawn, Saw Sunset Glow, Loved And Were Loved, And Now We Lie,

Take Up Our Quarrel With The Foe, To You From Failing Hands We Throw;

The Torch; Be Yours To Hold It High. If Ye Break Faith With Us Who Die;

We Shall Not Sleep, Though Poppies Grow In Flanders Fields.”

#95 Mike Sweeney

On Memorial day TLSN chronicles the lives of Longhorn athletes and coaches whose lives were taken too soon. Brave men and women who remind us that freedom is not free.

According to one scribe, Mike Sweeney was “destined to be one of the greatest ends to wear the Orange and White” Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a knee injury in the SMU game. To assure a sound recovery, he laid out of school in 1939.

Mike returned to the team for the 1940 and 1941 football seasons. His performance drew kudos from coaches and teammates.

MIKE SWEENEY WAS SHOT DOWN AND KILLED IN WWII ON THE EUROPEAN FRONT

After Mike was killed, Coach Bible added a pass play called the “Sweeney Special.” A successful play where the left end does a quick out.

Mike’s story is only one of many about Horns lost too soon at war. There is a TLSN web page that chronicles the loss of former Longhorn student athletes and coaches who served our country. Writing their history was a tearful journey for me.

To honor and remember Longhorn athletes who died at war and that are now buried in sites similar to Flanders Field visit the link. . https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/wwi-and-wwii-horns-up .

HORNS ???? UP!

Gary Plock’s Longhorn sports oral history is sponsored by The Austin-based Law Firm Of Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey.

Gary Plock- Hall of Honor Inductee

Gary Plock is a Kentucky tennis Hall of Famer and a two-time Longhorn All-American. His singles career-winning percentage of .723 is the 11th best in UT sports history.

In 1975 and 1976, he led the Horns to 11th place finish at the NCAA championship and a 5th place finish in 1977.

As a senior in 1978, the SWC Championship duo of Plock and Curren knocked off Stanford’s top seed tandem of John McEnroe and Bill Maze to reach the NCAA doubles finals.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/gary-plock-tennis

In 2018 Gary took his rightful place among the UT elite as an inductee into The Longhorn Hall of Honor.

JIM BERTELSEN – CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Saturday, June 26th at 1 PM at The Common Interest 8440 Burnet Rd Austin, TX 78757. The dress is casual. Please RSVP and if you have photos of our dad please send them to andybertelsen@yahoo.com

This celebration will be heartfelt yet informal. There will be an open microphone for anyone who feels compelled to speak, food and beverages will be available for purchase through the Common Interest, as per usual, and the seating will be first-come, first, serve. We will have photos of Dad circulating on the venue’s television system, and we encourage anyone who would like to contribute any pictures to email them. It would be most helpful for you to RSVP so we can plan the event. We look forward to seeing everyone and sharing memories. Many thanks, Andy & Katie Bertelsen

Link to JIm’s site :

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/jim-bertelsen

Longhorn Softball

In 2005 the 5th ranked Horns with a 49-13 record earned a college world series appearance.

This team holds the Longhorn record for pitching with an ERA of (.60), most strikeouts (330), and most shutouts (35).

The link to Longhorn softball history is at https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/softball-history-and-honors

Lizi Sowers’s softball record will never be broken. It can only be tied. She holds the Texas Career record for fielding percentage at (1.000).

Strong-armed catcher Megan Willis started all four years and in 2006 and 2007 earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year accolades. She led the Horns to a Big 12 Conference title in 2006 and a Big 12 Tournament championship in 2005.

The strong-armed catcher posted school records for fielding percentage (.994), putouts (2028), and she gunned down 59 would-be base stealers in her career.

Coach Tom Penders enters the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1997 Coach Penders is given a raise for his coaching skills, and in 1998 he is fired. How could this happen so quickly?

Prior to Coach Barnes, Tom Penders was either the first or second-best Texas basketball coach in Longhorn history. He was an offensive genius with three of his players -Rencher, Mays, and Freeman- the top scorers in the history of Texas basketball as of 1998. For the rest of Coach Penders Longhorn story, click on

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/tom-penders-1988-1998

TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.

TLSN is an independent organization building Longhorn Sports History bridges to share the past with the present, empower the future, and assist 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.

Coach Tom Penders enters the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Volume IX – September 27, 2025 newsletter

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Memorial Day honors those who died at war forever young.

#95 Mike Sweeney

MIKE SWEENEY WAS SHOT DOWN AND KILLED IN WWII ON THE EUROPEAN FRONT

Gary Plock- Hall of Honor Inductee

JIM BERTELSEN – CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Saturday, June 26th at 1 PM at The Common Interest 8440 Burnet Rd Austin, TX 78757. The dress is casual. Please RSVP and if you have photos of our dad please send them to andybertelsen@yahoo.com

Longhorn Softball

In 2005 the 5th ranked Horns with a 49-13 record earned a college world series appearance.

This team holds the Longhorn record for pitching with an ERA of (.60), most strikeouts (330), and most shutouts (35).

Coach Tom Penders enters the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.

TLSN is an independent organization building Longhorn Sports History bridges to share the past with the present, empower the future, and assist 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.

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