Steve Ross – faded memories and football trends

Faded Memories

Billy Dale says:

 Recently the 1969 Longhorn football team celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Championship at the Kansas game.  While I did not attend the event, I was there in spirit with emotions reflective of a 70-year-old man trying to remain relevant in a youth-based society.   

As my 69,70, 71-year-old teammates stepped onto the field at DKR stadium to celebrate their accomplishment, I  asked myself a theoretical question. If the same situation occurred when I was a young man in 1969, would I be impressed with the 1919 Longhorns winning a national championship 50 years ago?  I answered this theoretical question but have chosen not to share?  

 For 30 years, I told the story of the 1969 and 1970 national championship teams to anyone who would listen.  I no longer do so.   With a sense of humor intended, in 1999, I realized for the first time that my stories were ancient history to many/most Longhorn fans.  My sports shelf life was over. ????  Fans had moved on from being impressed with my stories to being impressed that  I am still alive and healthy.

Steve Ross Responds

Interesting topic Billy, one that I have pondered over the years. College football has spent most of its lifetime as a regional sport. In that, you can be a college football fan, but the history and memories that drive alumni and fans back to the stands year after year are regionally based.

 My first experience at a Longhorn game was as a 7-year old sitting in the knot-hole section of the north end zone with my older brother watching DKR’s first Texas team play Tulane. There are parts of that experience that are still as fresh as if they happened yesterday. The night air, the lights, and the cool uniforms, on both sides. I can still see the Tulane helmets with a flashy wave on them.

 Pardon the pun, but I was hooked. My answer to your question is this. What separates the elite (Texas, Alabama, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, OU, and a few others) is the history and the championships. They produced generations of dedicated fans who pass that dedication down to future generations.

 That “regional” dedication is fading, at least a little bit, IMO—television, or more exactly, the money that follows TV. College Football is in danger of turning into the NFL 2.0.

 When the “Game of the Century” was played in Fayetteville, half of the nation (50 million people) tuned in. There were only 3 networks, and you could only appear on TV 2 or 3 times a season. It was an event. Now every game is televised. The money is astounding. The UT Athletic Department’s yearly revenue would make it one of the largest businesses in Austin. With money comes expectation. “Giving the old College Try” doesn’t matter that much anymore. It’s “Just Win Baby.”

 At least, that is what it looks like to this older man. Anyway, my answer would be that you would value the contribution of the championship team 50 years later because it helped to build the heritage and history that makes the program so attractive to many casual fans today.