Top of the Queue Volume VII newsletter #22 10/20/2023
TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletic Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.
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Giving back $20 at a time from donors supports the worthy causes of TLSN.
All of us associated with the TLSN Board do so without compensation. It is our gift back to the Longhorn brand builders of our great university.
TLSN is a 501 (c)(3) delivering educational, compassionate, and historical Longhorn Sports history information as seen through the eyes of those who created it.
Through the years, TLSN donors have extended a helping hand to those who qualify with grants varying from $ 2,000 to $25,000 and to support TLSN in compiling a one-of-a-kind history of all Longhorn sports. Please be one of those open hearts and donate to TLSN.
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TLSN is seeking three more Longhorn Board Members. To qualify for a board seat, you must be a former Longhorn student-athlete, manager, trainer, support service personnel, or media representative. If interested, please contact TLSN Chairwoman Beth Coblentz at Beth.coblentz@yahoo.com.
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Three Longhorns contacted TLSN recently about the loss of Longhorn Burnt Orange Spirits.
Former Chairman of the Board of the University of Texas system Gene Powell remembers Carol Peck Harper, the wife of former Longhorn Tommy Harper. Gene says:
Billy,
Carol, passed away on September 21, 2023 from complications associated with cancer. Below is a link to her obituary
Tommy was a graduate of Austin High and a member of the 1964 DKR recruiting class at the University of Texas. Tommy was a classmate, teammate, and is good friend of mine and Greg Lott’s. Tommy is a letterman and Lifetime Longhorn supporter. Tommy has now lived in Houston for many years and is good friends with many of our team mates that live in Houston.
You can reach Tommy at 713-899-3725 or tharper3@reagan.com
Hope you are doing well. Still loving your work.
Thanks, Gene Powell
Billy Dale says, “There are two other celebrations of life denoted in blue in this newsletter- Ken Ehrig and Leo Brooks.”
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The Longhorn football Walk-on by Roy Jones
Foreword by Billy Dale:
I would not have made it as a walk-on at Texas. As a player, watching these athletes’ determination to make the team earned my immediate respect. As Roy Jones says, most but not all were “athletes short on talent but overbrimming with desire. Mickey Riggs was one of them. He wouldn’t quit if he were waterboarded with a gun to his head.”
Roy’s article begins :
I bet Nick Saban has a Mickey Riggs on his roster. Kirby Smart too.
I bet Bear Bryant had a Mickey Riggs among his “Junction Boys.”
I KNOW Darrell Royal had one.
By his sophomore year, Mickey’s perseverance had caught the eye of Coach Royal, and he received some financial aid.
Mickey never had a locker in the varsity dressing room, never got to live in the athletic dorm, never played in a game, and never suited up for a home game. Only once was he listed in the team roster in the game program. But still, Royal honored Mickey’s perseverance by authorizing the signature symbols of success for a Longhorn athlete, a
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T-ring,
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letter jacket, and
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National Championship ring
Royal made an exception for Mickey to honor his work ethic and burnt orange commitment to the Longhorn nation.
For the rest of Mickey’s story told by Roy Jones, click on
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Mickey Riggs epitomizes the mantra and spirit that Coach Royal preached to the 1961-63 Longhorn teams he molded into the university’s first national champions.
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Photo is Clarence Bray and Mickey Riggs at the 60th reunion of the 1963 national championship team in 2023.
Mickey beams with pride, saying, “It was an incredible thrill and honor for me to wear the burnt orange and white. “I loved Coach Royal for the man he was and the opportunity he gave me to be a tiny part of the storied Longhorn football program. “
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TLSN’s Larry Carlson teaches sports media classes at Texas State University, and he is a member of the Football Writers Association Of America. Write To Him At Lc13@Txstate.Edu)
IT’S BEEN A MINUTE:
Horns and Coogs Meet Again
by Larry Carlson for https://texaslsn.org
So, it has been more than 21 years since Texas and Houston met in football. The Steers hold a 16-7-2 lead in the series that has featured its share of fireworks for both schools.
It was Sept. 21, 2001. Just ten days since 9/11. American flags were everywhere as the teams warmed up. There was a strange vibe that night when the Texas Longhorns football team last visited the University of Houston. For starters, kickoff time in H-Town for this televised game was 8:15 p.m., the latest Central Time Zone slot UT has ever played in. But other matters played a bigger role in the scenario. Nobody — players, coaches, fans — seemed sure whether to show excitement or restraint.
I was on the sidelines during warmups, and I remember watching Holly Rowe interview Mack Brown as I eagerly anticipated the sense of normalcy to be brought back by college football following a week of suspended play in the wake of the tragedy.
Texas took the early lead, but then the Coogs came back with 14 unanswered points. Texas QB Chris Simms was being bedeviled by his nemesis, the turnover. Many eyes, including my own, were on Major Applewhite, the senior who had meant so much to Longhorn football since ’98. But Brown stuck with Simms, and Texas eventually pulled away from UH, stretching the lead to 33-14 after three periods.
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Ken Ehrig has passed away
Hi Mr. Dale,
I didn’t know if you had heard about my father’s passing. Ken Ehrig passed away on 9/8.
His funeral is in Gonzales, TX on Saturday, 9/23.
We have discussed my dad in the past.
Jason Ehrig
Kenny followed his older brother, Ronnie Ehrig, to Texas. He was a senior on the Longhorns’ 1969 National Championship football team and earned his degree in business. To celebrate more of Ken’s life click on the link KEN EHRIG (squarespace.com)
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The winning All-American Longhorn football jersey number is #81, with 6 ALL-AMERICANS.
#81 Joe Parker- 1943, Hub Bechtol – 1946, Carlton Massey – 1953, Maurise Doakc-1959, Shane Dronett- 1991, and Pat Fitzgerald-1996
#10- Marty Akins-1975, D.D. Lewis-2001, James Saxton-1961, and Vince Young-2005
#66- Chal Daniel- 1941, Harley Sewell – 1952, Herb Gray -1955, and Doug Dawson 1980
#79- Dick Harris – 1947, Terry Tausch-1981, Ben Adams -1998, and Tony Hills -2007
#77- Stan Mauldin-1940, Bill Atessis – 1970, Brad Shearer-1977, Kenneth Sims – 1981
Below is the link with details and photos of those who wore these jerseys.
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Darrell Fick, former Longhorn swimmer and team captain, recently wrote TLSN with the following update.
Billy, this is wonderful history each time I read the TLSN website.
We have so many terrific success stories in life with our teammates….. Sean and Will are helping me make our NIL Texas One fund program the nation’s best with something that will be unique to us.
Of our 776 living swimming letterwinners, 96 of them are Olympians. Is there anything remotely close to this from a percentage standpoint in achieving excellence?
I wanted you to have the video and pictures of our great swimming and diving weekend. Our guys and gals got all dressed up and honored our legacy of Olympians in swimming.
So proud of this program and what we’re seeing as a new era of swimming and diving is about to begin.
Darrell Fick
The Longhorn Nation is driven by individuals like Darrell, who unselfishly allocate time in their busy schedules to ensure that our great university and brand continue to excel in the marketplace.
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Recently, TLSN newsletter reader Michael Landon wrote and asked TLSN
“ I’m curious why Leo Brooks is not included in the TLSN deceased list.”
TLSN responded :
“Leo passed away before TLSN instituted the Celebration of Life website in 2018. However, when family or friends ask TLSN to honor someone who played any NCAA-sanctioned sport at Texas we “Make it so!”
Please know that Leo’s celebration of life is still incomplete as of this newsletter, but here is Leo’s temporary link https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/2002-leo-brooks.
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I am too low-tech to understand the new term “Artificial Intelligence.” I don’t know if it is the new 1960s electric typewriter, handheld calculator, fax, computer, mobile telephone device, or the end of life as we know it. However, I know that I must adapt to stay relevant and productive, so I contacted a special friend whose son is technically savvy and versed in AI.
I asked him to produce some canvas-like drawings of football action shots that do not infringe on the logo rights of football teams. He had never done this before, so he was on a learning curve. Still, it only took him four days to send me 8 A.I. computer-generated drawings.
Wow! Here are 4 of the images.
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