Captain Kasey Smashey Pending

Captain Brooks Kieschnick

Brooks Kieschnick was a legendary two-way player for the Texas Longhorns baseball team from 1990 to 1993. He was a three-time All-American and the only player to win the Dick Howser Trophy twice (1992 and 1993), an award given to the best collegiate baseball player.

During his time at Texas, Kieschnick batted .360, hit 43 home runs, and drove in 215 RBIs. As a pitcher, he had a 34–8 win-loss record with a 3.05 ERA. His versatility made him one of the most unique players in college baseball history.

Kieschnick was drafted 10th overall in the first round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He played in six MLB seasons between 1996 and 2004, primarily with the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. In his final two seasons, he was used as a relief pitcher and pinch hitter, a rare combination in professional baseball.

Larry Carlson interviewed Brooks in 2024 and here is the link to his interview.

https://texaslsn.org/2024-brooks-ki/

Like the Heisman Trophy, college baseball’s equivalent, the Dick Howser Trophy, has but one history-maker who earned the award twice.  What Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974-75) did on the gridiron, UT’s Kieschnick (1992-93) earned on the diamond.

The big man was his sport’s dominant figure while at the Forty Acres.  Those of us who regularly witnessed his clutch performances were in awe of his multi-faceted mastery.  In those three seasons in burnt orange and white, Brooks Kieschnick put up numbers that would now be termed, “sick.”   As a pitcher with good velocity and an artist’s touch at painting the corners, he was 34-8.  In two of his Texas seasons, he yielded zero homers.  At the plate, he was intimidating, steadily delivering timely hits with a powerful stroke triggered by a groove-developing, trademark butt wiggle.

pped 67 doubles and drove in 213 runs.  Meanwhile, he drew 140 walks, essentially one per game.

Captain Jody Conradt

Jody Conradt is a legendary women’s basketball coach who led the Texas Longhorns from 1976 to 2007. She was a trailblazer in women’s college basketball, guiding Texas to 900 career victories, making her one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history.

Her most notable achievement came in 1986, when she coached Texas to an undefeated season (34-0) and an NCAA championship—the first time a women’s team had gone unbeaten and won the title. She also won 10 Southwest Conference regular-season titles and two Big 12 championships.

Beyond coaching, Conradt pioneered women’s athletics, serving as Texas’s women’s athletic director from 1992 to 2001. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

When Coach Conradt was asked why small-town coaches matter, she responded, “Because, more than anything a young person can do, sport teaches life skills. It teaches you how to win and how to lose, how to interact with teammates, and how to carry yourself with class, win or lose. It teaches you the value of commitment, the importance of intensity, and the value of seeing things all the way through.”

When Coach Conradt was asked about the significant change she has witnessed during her coaching career in Texas, she said, “Things that have changed, counting around the room, there are 11 media representatives here. If I could think back to when I first came here, if there were this many people in the stands, it meant someone’s family was in town.”

History is a link to Coach Conradt’s history at Texas

https://texaslsn.org/conradt1976-2007/

Jody Conradt’s podcast is at

https://texaslsn.org/19762007-jody-conradt-copy/

Captain Scott Bryant

Scott Bryant was a standout baseball player for the Texas Longhorns, earning recognition as one of the program’s greatest athletes. He was an outfielder and key figure in the 1989 College World Series, helping Texas reach the championship game. That same year, he won the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded to the collegiate baseball player of the year.

His number 25 was retired by the Longhorns.

Captain Dusty Renfro

Dusty Renfro was a Texas Longhorns football team linebacker from 1995 to 1998. He led Texas in tackles during his junior season and was known for his hard-hitting style.

– Total Tackles (1996 season): 118 (66 solo, 52 assisted)

– Tackles for Loss: 6 for 10 yards

– Interceptions: 1 for 12 yards

– Kick Returns: 2 for 15 yards (7.5 yards per return)

– Games Played: 11

Beyond football, Renfro made headlines for his selfless act—he donated a kidney to his father, Terry Renfro, after helping him lose weight to qualify for the transplant. His dedication to family and perseverance reflect the same grit he showed on the field.

https://www.kxan.com/sports-general/longhorn-dusty-renfro-gives-ultimate-gift-to-his-father

Captain Keith Moreland

Keith Moreland was a standout baseball player for the Texas Longhorns from 1973 to 1975. He played third base and was a three-time All-American, helping Texas reach three NCAA College World Series berths and win the national championship in 1975.

Moreland was an exceptional hitter, finishing his college career with a .388 batting average and hitting .410 over a 62-game schedule in 1975. His performance earned him a spot on the College World Series All-Decade Team for the 1970s.

After college, Moreland played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs. He won a World Series title with the Phillies in 1980.

Captain Kirk Dressendorfer

Kirk Dressendorfer Hall of Honor 2002

Kirk Dressendorfer is National Freshman Player of the Year and an All-American in 1988, 1989, and 1990.  Posting a career record of 45-8, including a single-season record of 15 complete games. Kirk was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2009. He holds the record with 100 strikeouts a season for 3 years in a row.

·       Three-time All-American and All-SWC

·       Posted 45 career wins (45-8 overall)

·       Set the UT single-season record of 15 complete games

·       Three-time SWC Most Valuable Player

·       1988 SWC Newcomer of the Year

·       Named the MVP of the 1989 NCAA Regional Tournament

Drafted in the first round by the Oakland Athletics (1990)

The Oakland Athletics drafted Dressendorfer 36th overall in the first round of the 1990 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1991, but injuries limited his professional career.

In 2023, Texas retired his No. 10 jersey, making him the ninth Longhorn baseball player to receive that honor.

Captain Johnny Moore

Johnny Moore played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns from 1975 to 1979. He was a point guard known for his exceptional passing and leadership on the court. Moore started all 112 games of his college career and finished as the Longhorns’ all-time career assists leader with 714 assists. His 8.34 assists per game as a senior remains a UT men’s basketball record.

During his time at Texas, Moore helped lead the Longhorns to two Southwest Conference (SWC) co-championships and was a key player in their 1978 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship run. He earned First-Team All-SWC honors in his senior season.

Abe Lemons’ policy is to talk to only one team member during one-minute timeouts. He says, “I talk to my quarterback, and he tells the other players, and they take it better coming from him.” Johnny Moore was that man in 1976.

After college, Moore was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 1979 NBA Draft and went on to have a successful professional career, primarily with the San Antonio Spurs.

DOUBLE ZERO ADDS UP

by Larry Carlson https://texaslsn.org

When you start talking about the top passers in Longhorn history, Colt McCoy’s name is always in the mix, often at the top. Quinn Ewers and Major Applewhite have their backers, too.

But maybe we’re somehow skipping over the very best.

Johnny Moore.

Gotcha.

Okay, the 6-2 point guard who “quarterbacked” UT basketball from 1975-1979, fired a different kind of pass. Boy, was he good.

So good that his stats still top the career assists mark (714) and the individual game (19) record at The Forty Acres.

Moore landed in Austin from Altoona, PA for coach Leon Black’s team. The first to sport the quirky “00” jersey number, he started every game as a silky smooth freshman. In spite of an excellent debut by Moore, that squad won only nine games. Black was replaced as the basketball boss by freewheeling Abe Lemons and Moore, joined now by freshman forward Ron Baxter and transfer sure-shot Jim Krivacs, kept on dishing. The Horns improved to a 13-13 record and gained confidence.

Moore and Company would excel the next two seasons, sharing two Southwest Conference titles, winning the NIT in New York City in ’78 and storming into the NCAA tourney the following spring.

Johnny Moore did it all for the burnt orange, driving the offense, hectoring opposing ballhandlers, stealing passes and steadily scoring. For his career, number double-zero started every game, scored in double figures every season and always, always led Texas in passing wizardry.

A second-round draft pick by defending NBA champion Seattle in ’79, Moore was mistakenly undervalued as a pro early on. The Sonics quickly traded him to San Antonio and Spurs coach Doug Moe let him go as a rookie. Remember that. Double zero sure did.

It was a volatile era for management in the Alamo City. Moore would play for seven head coaches in nine years. Compare that to Gregg Popovich’s recent reign of two centuries.

Moe was gone when Johnny was re-signed the next year and — coming off the bench –led the team in steals and assists. A year later, the lifetime Longhorn led the NBA in assists. A fan favorite and star was born in silver and black.

And revenge would be served soon enough, not all that cold.

In the ’83 playoffs, Doug Moe, now Denver’s coach, said his team would focus on stopping George “Iceman” Gervin, and would make Moore beat the Nuggets.

Bad idea, Doug.

The Spurs crushed Denver, 4-1. Double-zero rang up 39 points in one game, served up 20 assists in another.

Moore had his best NBA season in ’84-85, averaging 13 points, 10 assists and just under three steals. But the next December, he was stricken with headaches. After an excruciating several weeks, the Spurs’ playmaker was diagnosed with “Desert Fever,” a rare form of meningitis that not only attacked Moore’s lungs but his brain. He quickly dropped 30 pounds from a lithe frame. Doctors had to drill a hole in Moore’s skull to administer a then-experimental drug.

Moore, in a beyond remarkable testament to courage and determination, returned the following season and played in 55 games. The disease had taken its toll, though, and the playmaker’s best basketball was behind him.

But Johnny Moore would not be a passing fancy, pun intended.

His legacy was secure. In the next decade he would be inducted into the UT Hall of Honor, then would have his trademark “00” San Antonio jersey hung from the rafters, just the third number retired by the Spurs franchise, following Gervin and James “Captain Late” Silas.

He is still revered by longtime fans of the ‘Horns and Spurs, and some of his records at Texas seem untouchable.

But not a single touchdown toss by Johnny Moore. Still, carve him into Mount Rushmore. Right next to McCoy, Ewers and Applewhite.

(TLSN’s Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. He teaches sports media at Texas State University and lives in San Antonio. Write him at lc13@txstate.edu)

Captain Cynthia Sampson Shipper

Thanks to Title IX, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. National Account Manager, Cynthia Sampson Shipper, was one of the first women tennis players to receive a full athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin in 1978, and was inducted into the University of Texas at Austin Women’s Athletic Hall of Honor in 2005. Cynthia has been a dedicated member of hashtag#TeamWilson for 39 years and has been playing with Wilson rackets since she was 10 years old!

Cynthia Sampson Shipper was a standout tennis player for the Texas Longhorns from 1978 to 1982. She served as team captain during her junior and senior years and led the 1981 squad to the school’s first Southwest Conference title. In 1982, she was named the team MVP. After graduating with honors in journalism, she built a successful career with Wilson Sporting Goods, earning the prestigious Jack Kramer Award in 1987 for excellence in the Racquet Sports Division.

Team captain as a junior and senior,

Led 1981 squad to school’s first SWC title

Team MVP in 1982

Honors graduate in journalism

Acclaimed employee with Wilson Sporting Goods since 1984

The company’s 1987 Jack Kramer Award for excellence in the Racquet Sports Division

Cindy served as VP of the Dallas Tennis Association from 1988-90

Captain John Danks

TLSN has a “Reflection Point Stories” series written in the first person by former Longhorn student athletes. John shares his story about the NIT championship year at the link below

https://texaslsn.org/john-danks-reflection-point-basketball/

John Danks was a forward for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team in the late 1970s. He played a role in the 1977–78 Texas Longhorns squad, which won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship. That team, coached by Abe Lemons, finished the season 26-5 overall and was ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll. Danks played 93 career games for Texas, averaging 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, with a 51.9% field goal percentage.

John and Jordan Danks are sons of John Danks who played on the NIT championship team in 1977. Both brothers had careers in professional baseball. John Danks was a left-handed pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox from 2007 to 2016. Jordan Danks, his younger brother, was an outfielder who also played for the White Sox and later for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Captain Jay Humphrey

Article By Greg Shepard- published in 1998

Jay Humphrey is into his third year as a starter for the Longhorns of the University of Texas. He is an Outland Trophy candidate and made some pre-season All-America teams. Jay is a big player, very big. He is 6-7 307 pounds and plays offensive tackle. At first glance, it would seem football for Jay just came easy but such is not the case.

Jay was blessed with athletic ability as he also started on the basketball team but he did not lift seriously at Richardson High School in Texas until his senior year. However, when he got to the University of Texas he still could only bench 250 pounds and did not really know how to Power Clean or Parallel Squat.

Being self-conscious about being physically weak, Jay said, “I felt bad during my redshirt freshman year. I was looking for an easy way out like drugs. My father and I talked. It was then I decided to live in the weight room and do it right. I’ve been really blessed to have two great strength coaches here at Texas.”

Jay made some great gains. He started out at 6-6 255 pounds. Now he can Bench 435, Squat 560, Power Clean 330 and run a 5.1 forty. Jay has also worked hard on stretching. He is so flexible that he can do the splits. Jay’s vertical jump is 28-inches and he has his body-fat down to 14 percent.

Jay chose Texas to stay close to home and admits he got tired of the recruiting process. “I just fell in love with Austin,” Jay beamed. “It is plain and simple, every player comes to a school like Texas because if you can win a conference title at a place like UT, you’re going to be in the hunt for the national championship.”

Texas won National Championships in 1963, 1969 and 1970. Mack Brown, UT’s new football coach, states, “Our goal will always be to win a National Championship. At Texas we have proven that we can accomplish that. With the tradition and reputation UT has earned, we can always put ourselves in position to compete for the national title.”

Texas Football Today wrote, “You have not been chilled to the core until you have stood in Royal-Memorial Stadium before a game and heard 80,000 voices sing “The Eyes of Texas.” At games end, win or lose, they sing it again. If hearing this doesn’t nearly put you in an emotional heap, you are heart dead.”

Texas has produced two NFL Hall of Famers, 9 to the College Football Hall of Fame, 23 who have played in the NFL Pro-Bowl and 62 All-Americans including Heisman Trophy winner, Earl Campbell.

Optimism was high at the beginning of the season. Mack Brown took Texas by storm and people responded with resounding enthusiasm. One senior offensive tackle exclaimed, “Coach Brown has instilled a new kind of attitude in this team. It’s not just being aggressive, it’s about initiating a ‘whole team’ philosophy. We’ve had a lot of ‘one-ness’ on this team in the past, but now we’re picking each other off the ground, giving each other high fives – something I’ve never seen before in the five years that I’ve been here.”

Academically, the Longhorns have excelled. Over the last six years, 106 of 128 student-athletes completing their eligibility at Texas have graduated. That is an 82.8% graduation rate. Jay Humphrey received a Utah Athletic Director’s Award for posting a 3.0 GPA and has made the Honor Roll several times.

“My mom was kind of a teacher,” said Jay. “She has had a great influence on me. I never missed class in high school and I don’t miss here. I don’t miss workouts. Besides, you can’t miss. If you do, you go to the dog house and Mad Dog takes care of you.

“Texas has a great strength program. Mad Dog brings a lot of enthusiasm and intensity. As much as I hate to run, sometimes he makes it fun.

“I hope to play pro-football like my father. Maybe I will be able to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I want to stay outdoors and manage a ranch so I can hunt and fish.” Jay has two dogs that he takes with him on hunting trips. One is a ripped 155-pound Bull Mastiff called “Bogey” and the other is a Lab named “Bailey.”

Jay believes that hard work and dedication are key elements of being successful. He added, “You have to have desire and want within yourself to accomplish your goal. You gotta want it and like it to make it work.

“You must work your fanny off if you want to be successful and apply yourself. What your mind can conceive or believe you can achieve.”

Drugs and alcohol are not part of Jay’s success formula. “I have been drug and alcohol free my whole life. I don’t like it. You don’t have to drink to have fun. I can get just as crazy as anyone but I don’t need alcohol or drugs.

“Peer pressure is mental. It doesn’t matter what any body says to me. I’m not going to do anything I don’t want to do. I’m not going to jeopardize my career and chances by doing something stupid.”

Jay believes he must keep his faith in God and that true success and happiness revolves around being stable and most of all your family. We thank Jay and Coach Madden for being great role models. They are Upper Limit people.

Jay Humphrey, far left in the photo above, was an offensive tackle for the Texas Longhorns football team. He was an Outland Trophy candidate and made some pre-season All-America teams at the University of Texas. Standing at 6’7″ and 307 pounds, he was a formidable presence on the field. Humphrey worked hard to improve his strength and flexibility, eventually achieving impressive stats like a 435-pound bench press and a 560-pound squat. He was recognized as an All-American in 1998.

Captain Chris Plonsky

Chris Plonsky’s bio is at the link below

https://texaslsn.org/chris-plonsky/

Chris has advanced Women’s Sports over the last four decades. In the early 1980s, she helped publicize Texas women’s sports programs, leading to increased exposure and financial support. This contributed to national championships in basketball, volleyball, and swimming, as well as the creation of successful softball and rowing programs. Her dedication has shaped Texas Athletics into one of the premier programs in the country.

Chris was recently inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco for her contributions to college athletics, making her only the second woman to be inducted for off-the-field work.

Chris Plonsky served as UT’s third women’s athletics director from spring 2001 thru 2017. As Athletic Director Longhorn women’s sports programs recorded three NCAA Championships (2005 outdoor track and field, 2006 indoor track and field, and 2012 volleyball) and a league-best 54 Big 12 Conference championships across ten different sports. This total includes five league titles during the recently completed 2015-16 season (volleyball, indoor track and field, swimming, rowing, and outdoor track and field). The Longhorns’ 11-sport women’s program provides competitive and educational opportunities for more than 190 women student-athletes, including walk-ons.

Chris Plonsky currently is the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, Chief of Staff / Senior Woman Administrator for the Texas Longhorns

Captain David Denny

Former Texas baseball star David Denny to be recognized in Texas Athletics Hall of Honor

Juan Ferro, General Sports Reporter

September 15, 2023

Former Texas baseball star David Denny to be recognized in Texas Athletics Hall of Honor

Photo Courtesy of Texas Athletics

After four illustrious years playing at the UFCU Disch-Falk Field and numerous accomplishments, former third baseman David Denny will join the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor on Friday along with 10 other former Longhorn athletes.

Denny took part in some of the best baseball teams Texas has ever seen. Texas Athletics referred to him as having “one of the most accomplished hitting careers in program history from 1982-85.”

Denny showed promise in his first year with a season batting average of .404 in 104 at-bats. In the first two years, Denny helped the Longhorns achieve the best winning percentage in program history (.908, 59-6) and the highest number of wins in one season at 66 victories.

In his 1983 season, Denny had an impressive 56 hits, 35 RBI and 45 runs scored and helped lead Texas to its first National Championship since 1975. Following the season, Denny played two more years in which he cemented himself as a Texas baseball legend.

“I had a lot of good players around me,” Denny said to The Daily Texan in November 2015. “I may have individual records, but the majority of it was team-related.”

In 1984, Denny achieved his highest season batting average at .343, in a program record 297 at-bats. The results of the season led Denny to be selected by the Oakland Athletics in the seventh round of the MLB Draft; however, the third baseman decided to come back to the Forty Acres for his senior year.

The return of the senior star led Texas to its fourth consecutive trip to Omaha during his four-year career.

Denny completed his collegiate career at Texas with the most runs batted in (228), hits (296), and doubles (78), all program records that stand to this day.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted the All-American, and after one season with their minor league team, he started a career as a high school baseball coach.

Denny led two different high school programs to a Texas state championship and has continued to coach for almost 30 years.

Denny and the other 2023 Hall of Honor inductees will be inducted on Friday and honored during the Texas vs. Wyoming Football game on Saturday.

Third base – David Denny (1982-85)

4 trips to Omaha

1982 – SWC Champions, 3rd in Omaha

1983 – SWC Champions, National Champions

1984 – SWC Champions, 2nd in Omaha

1985 – SWC Champions, 2nd in Omaha

Longhorn record holder for hits (296), doubles (78), rbi (228).

Second most in games played (244), at bats (886) and total bases (451).

Third most in extra base hits (108) and fourth most in runs scored (205)

All SWC – 1984 and 85

All American – 1984

High School Coaching

25 years as a head coach

Over 600 wins

13 District Championships

2 State Championships

After evaluation players’ collegiate statistics and achievements during their college careers for positional suitability, and constructing a batting order that balances high batting averages, speed, and power, David was selected to the Longhorn baseball all-time starting nine.

David Denny is Texas’s leader in career hits (296), doubles (78), and RBIs (228). He hit .334 for his career, including a team-high .343 in 1984, and helped Texas win the ’83 title. Jersey Number: 6

Captain Tom Campbell

The link below is Tom Campbell’s interview with Professor Carlson

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/tomcampbell-larrycarlson-flippingtheswitch

Tom Campbell was a standout defensive back for the Texas Longhorns in 1968 and 1969. He played a crucial role in Texas’ 1969 National Championship season and was named a consensus All-Southwest Conference (SWC) defensive back that year.

Campbell made some legendary plays, including a game-saving interception against Arkansas in the famous “Game of the Century,” which secured a 15-14 victory for Texas. He also had a critical interception in the 1970 Cotton Bowl against Notre Dame, which sealed a 21-17 win and the national title for the Longhorns.

His father, Mike Campbell, was a longtime Texas defensive coach, and his twin brother, Mike, and younger brother, Rusty, also played for the Longhorns.

Captain David Ash

David played in 29 games with 22 starts, achieving a 15-7 record as a starter. He ranks eighth on the UT career passing yards list with 4,728 yards and 10th in total offense with 5,107 yards. His 31 touchdown passes place him seventh in Texas history. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to concussion-related injuries, leading to his retirement in 2014.

Ash was one of the four quarterbacks who battled it out as the starter in 2011 with Connor Wood, Garrett Gilbert, and Case McCoy. He won the starting position and tied the mark of fastest Texas quarterback to 1,000 yards with Colt McCoy, James Brown, and Major Applewhite. He played in 26 games over the first two seasons and just four in the final two. His 2013 season was cut short by an injury. Ash’s most notable accomplishment was the 2011 Holiday Bowl offensive MVP award for his performance against California.

David Ash went on a long run against ??? that Justin Tucker converted into a three-point play, winning the game for the Horns.

Despite his early retirement, Ash left a mark on Texas football, ranking eighth in career passing yards (4,728) and tenth in total offense (5,107). He later attempted a comeback and was medically cleared to play in 2017, participating in the Longhorns’ pro day.

Captain Mike Murphy pending

Mike Murphy was a forward for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team. He played during the late 1970s and was part of the 1977–78 Texas Longhorns squad that won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Murphy, standing 6’8″, contributed to the team’s success during his college career.

Ovie Dotson pending