Today’s Longhorn Athletes Have crossed The Bridge Constructed By Their Predecessors. A Legacy from the Longhorn Past That Has Significantly Enhanced The Value Of The Longhorn Brand.

TLSN has two missions. One is to share the history of all Longhorn sports in an archival format at https://texaslsn.org . This site is free for anyone to visit.

The second mission is why the TLSN Board applied for a 501 (c) (3).

Allowing current scholarship athletes to financially benefit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is justifiable, but it’s equally crucial to support those who built the Longhorn brand, enabling today’s athletes to reap those financial rewards. The Texas Legacy Support Network (TLSN) assists these Longhorn brand builders. T-ring recipients who, through no fault of their own, have slipped through societal safety nets. Such cases are rare, as most former Longhorn student-athletes secure employment, build wealth, obtain insurance, and live independently. However, for those who encounter unexpected financial hardships, TLSN provides essential temporary aid.

On April 29, 2017, TLSN became the first private charitable and tax-exempt organization in intercollegiate athletic sports history to provide financial aid to eligible former Longhorn student-athletes, coaches, student managers, trainers, and their immediate families. This initiative offers temporary financial support to those who have contributed to building the Longhorn brand and now need assistance. Over the years and as of 6/25/2024, Horns have supported 16 former Longhorn Brand builders, beginning with LSG (a Darrell Royal organization) established by DKR players, including myself, and culminating with TLSN, a 501(c)(3) organization founded by Benny Pace, Jim Kay, and Billy Dale, to help all former Longhorn student-athletes. Through the years, these two organizations have distributed $206,138 to those eligible for aid. The TLSN mission statement is at link https://www.texaslsn.org/mission-statement

 The current financial opportunities available to Longhorn scholarship athletes confirm the legacy of former Longhorn student-athletes.
It is the shared experiences of past Longhorn student-athletes, their hard work, dedication, and sweat equity that built a brand that now offers financial rewards, state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, proper nutritional diets, and safety protocols for current athletes. It is the community of former Longhorn student-athletes and their families who suffered the challenges of CTE that led to changes in blocking and tackling techniques and safer, better impact-absorbing engineered helmets that now benefit current student-athletes.

While it is reasonable to allow current scholarship athletes to benefit from NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), it is essential to offer a helping hand to those who built the Longhorn brand in the past but now need temporary financial assistance due to unforeseen circumstances that occurred through no fault of their own.

TLSN (Texas Legacy Suppor Network) takes its role as a safety net for former Longhorn student-athletes who qualify for temporary financial assistance as a moral obligation.

TLSN’s mission echoes the Longhorn motto, “What starts here changes the world.” On April 29th, 2017, TLSN made intercollegiate athletic sports history. TLSN is the first private charitable and tax-exempt organization with the specific mission of offering temporary financial assistance to qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, coaches, student managers, trainers, and their immediate families. It’s a safety net for Longhorn athletes who have fallen through societal safety nets.

TLSN is an independent organization not associated with the University of Texas or any institution closely aligned with U.T. However, TLSN expresses gratitude to the NCAA and the U.T. Athletic Department for their forward-thinking in 2017-2018 when they approved TLSN’s mission statement. TLSN serves as a Longhorn sports history educational site and provides financial assistance to eligible former Longhorn student-athletes, support staff, coaches, and their immediate families.

TLSN has extended a helping hand to individuals in various formats, ranging in grants from $2,000 to $45,000. Visit their website at either the link https://www.texaslsn.org/history-of-tlsn-as-of-12042023 or https://www.texaslsn.org/mission-statement to witness the collective effort of the TLSN Board of Directors. Each Board member, driven by a shared purpose, works tirelessly without compensation, united in their mission to assist those who qualify for temporary financial assistance.

TLSN, INC. MISSION PURPOSE STATEMENT

TLSN, INC., a Section 5.01 (c) (3) Texas nonprofit corporation (“TLSN”), whose primary purpose is to provide financial support and other charitable assistance and support to people who have suffered health-related and other severe financial hardship and who are: (i) former student-athletes who participated in intercollegiate sports governed by the AIAW and NCAA at the University of Texas at Austin, (ii) former coaches, trainers, equipment managers, and managers of (i) above, and (iii) family members of the individuals described in (i) and (ii) above.

TLSN also works to promote and encourage public knowledge, understanding, appreciation of, and preserve the historical legacy of the individuals described in (i), (ii), and (iii) of the above preceding paragraph, which has been accomplished in the website link https://texaslsn.org .

TLSN is TRYING TO LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND

I understand Sean Rowe’s yearning to “Leave Something Behind.”

TLSN concentrates on Longhorn sports history and offers temporary financial assistance to those who qualify.

Horns ???? up!

Texas is more than a football school. No member of the now-defunct SWC or Big 12 has won more conference and national championships in NCAA-sanctioned sports than the Texas Longhorns. All Longhorn fans should honor the history of all Longhorn sports franchises with the same passion as the Texas football program.

see this link in red below for national championship teams. https://www.texaslsn.org/national-championships

TLSN has Two Missions- One Creates a Path, and the Other Builds a Bridge.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”   TLSN has left the established path and is building new trails to honor the past, celebrate the present, and empower the future.

DKR built his life around the poem ” The Bridge Builder” by Will Allen Dromgoole. The verse states that bridges are needed to make the path easier for others to cross. TLSN is building those bridges.

Go To the 5:45 mark of the video below to listen to Coach Royal as he recites the Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole.

A Path to Longhorn sports history

TLSN uses synergy to combine U.T. history, traditions, legacies, culture, individual records, photos, insightful comments, and personal commentary from former athletes, trainers, managers, coaches, and their families into a form that all Longhorns can celebrate.

The website captures powerful and insightful Longhorn comments from the minds of great authors, visuals from videos, professional media brochures, newspaper articles, shelter magazines, and, most importantly, from Longhorn athletes who created Longhorn sports history.

The website is free, compassionate, educational, and historical.

Please share your Longhorn sports memories with others ‘til you can’t.

Memories not shared are lost forever, so please contact Billydale1@gmail.com with the Longhorn sports history you would like to share with the TLSN readers.

TLSN has interviewed and captured Longhorn sports history as seen through the eyes of Texas Horns Jim Gideon, Randy McEachern, Tommy Harmon, Ragan Gennusa, Stephen Ross, Aggie Ed Simonini, Rodney Page, Coach Leon Black, Billy Dale, Tommy Lucas, Spanky Stephens, Jim Bayless, Stewart Keller, Byrd Baggett, Ricardo Romo, Dave Morton, Amy Goodwin, John Scott, Rob Moerschell, Peter Gardere, Kiki Deayla, Turk McDonald, Robert Brewer, John Carsey, Bill Atessis, Duke Carlisle, Jim Bayless tennis, Ben Crenshaw, Jenna McEachern, Donna Lopiano, Calvin Murray, Buck Cody, Gary Plock, Tyres Dickson, Jeff Ward, and others have shared their Longhorn stories on the TLSN website

Professional authors such as -Mark McDonald, Steve Ross, Jon DaSilva, Pat Carlisle, Barbara Wainscott, Larry Carlson, and Gaylon Krizak have added quality articles to the TLSN website,

Send your memories as Longhorns to Billydale1@gmail.com

the TLSN website is building bridges to Leave something behind

On April 29th, 2017, TLSN made intercollegiate athletic sports history. TLSN is the first private charitable and tax-exempt with the specific mission of offering temporary financial assistance to qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, coaches, student managers, trainers, and their immediate families. Longhorn athletes who, through no fault of their own, have fallen through societal safety nets.

The inspiration for the TLSN (Texas Legacy Support Network) mission started informally in 2004 and ended in a formal structure in 2017.

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

TLSN grants require an interview and a due diligence process to confirm eligibility for assistance. TLSN’s goal is to convert a donor’s heartfelt investment into a compassionate dividend for those who, through no fault of their own, have fallen thru society’s safety net.

Visit this link for more information on qualifiers for help https://www.texaslsn.org/qualifiers-for-consideration-to-financial