2014 James Saxton
James Everett Saxton Jr. (May 21, 1940 – May 28, 2014) was an All-American football and College Hall of Fame player for the University of Texas and a finalist for the 1961 Heisman Trophy.
Though he never took a snap in high school, Texas coach Darrell Royal envisioned Saxton as a quarterback, and so during his freshman and sophomore years that was the position he played. Though in 1959, Texas would have no fewer than 6 quarterbacks and Saxton would see the least playing time of all of them.
After the 1959 season, Royal asked Saxton to switch to Halfback, the prime running back in the Winged-T formation and Saxton agreed. The following season, he led the Longhorns in rushing.
In his senior season, Saxton and the Longhorns broke out. That season, he set the school and Southwest Conference record for yards per carry, became Texas’ first consensus All-American running back and finished third in Heisman voting behind Syracuse’s Ernie Davis and Ohio State’s Bob Ferguson. He finished his career with a win over Mississippi in the 1962 Cotton Bowl in which he set the school record for longest punt in a bowl game with a 73-yard quick kick.
