4-26-2024 TLSN Newsletter #9 Volume VIII

IMPORTANT: Please click on the black letters shown above, titled “VIEW IN BROWSER,” to enlarge and enhance the photos and text on your cellphone. If you don’t, the text and pictures will be small and difficult to read.

Kim Wade is #4 on the 1972 team.

Kim “Coach Dad” Wade has passed away.

Kim loved sports as a player, fan, and coach. He played football for the Woodrow Wilson Wildcats in Dallas and the Texas Longhorns under the legendary Darrell Royal. He completed five marathons and countless other races, some while pushing a double baby jogger, and coached many of his kids’ teams. Most recently, he volunteered for Ursuline Academy’s cross-country team, where he was affectionately known as “Coach Dad.”

A TEAM BOND IS NEVER BROKEN!

World War I Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Alvin York was asked why he had risked his life against all odds to charge bravely against the Germans.

“Did you do it for the glory?” a cynic asked. “No,” said York. “Well, then,” asked the reporter, “were you thinking of your family back home?””No,” York said again.

“Your country, then?” the question came. “Nope,” York said. “Well, why then?” asked the frustrated reporter.” Why did you do it?”

“I did it,” said York, “for the guys in the fox hole with me.”

Football is not war or a matter of life and death; it is just a game that involves symbolic battles for survival in the football arena. Kim Wade was a proud team member who shared a foxhole mentality with his teammates.

Recently, I attended the Longhorn Round-up golf tournament, where I visited with many of Kim’s teammates. They shared some wonderful stories about him.

Please save this link and visit from time to time. If you have a special memory of Kim or a photo you would like to share, please send your remembrance to Billydale1@gmail.com, and it will be posted.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/2024-kimwade-football

HORNS ???? UP!!!!

The Rise and Fall of the Longhorn “Drum” and the beat is gone.

TLSN will capture the whole story of the Drum, from its fertile beginnings under Abe Lemons to its ultimate demise. If some of you would like to share memories of a special moment in the Drum, TLSN will post on the TLSN website once the TLSN history of the Drum is finished. I am Billydale1@gmail.com

There are many stunning panoramic Reflection Points in Coach Reese’s years at Texas. He is undoubtedly the most successful coach in Division I collegiate sports history. But from the TLSN perspective, Coach Reese’s legacy is much more profound than winning national championships.

The coach’s vast knowledge of swimming techniques and disciplines helped prepare young athletes’ bodies, souls, and minds to achieve their personal best. This is the most significant legacy he left for all his athletes.

Most personal best times will not translate to a win. Winning despite losing is an enlightening experience that redefines the definition of success for athletes and life beyond sports.

I remember setting a personal best time in the 100-yard dash in high school while finishing last in my heat. I celebrated the moment like I had won. I still smile about this accomplishment, not the result.

The human spirit needs to celebrate personal bests even in last place. Coach Reese knew this! He wanted all his athletes to set personal best times on his watch. It was a noble goal and worth all the accolades he has received.

Former Longhorn swimmer Kirk Stackle best sums up Coach Reese’s philosophy by saying in an interview after losing an event,

“It is okay to celebrate if you lose if it is your personal best time.”

Coach Reese not only led his athletes to success in the pool but also instilled valuable lessons that were applicable after graduation.

The photo below is Kirk.

A TRIBUTE TO LONGHORN BRAND BUILDERS

Three Longhorn men’s basketball teams have made the Final Four.

1942-1943 19-7 RECORD COACH H.C. GILSTRAP

March 26, 1943, Texas defeated Washington 59-55 in the NCAA Western Regional in Kansas City. Since the NCAA Tournament used an eight-team field, the win advanced the Longhorns to the National Semifinals (regional final). UT’s season ended with a 58-54 loss to Wyoming.

1946-1947 Coach Gray’s team was 26-2

One of the best teams in Longhorn basketball history. The Horns had the best record in the country going into tournament play.

The Mighty Mice: Al Madsen, Slater Martin, And Roy Cox, All Under 5’11” in height, led the team.

In the playoffs, Texas got revenge against Wyoming, winning 42-40, but lost a heartbreaker to Oklahoma. Oklahoma prevailed on a jump shot in the waning seconds of the game. The Sooners won 55-54. The game was characterized as “one of the fiercest cage battles ever witnessed in a regional playoff “ by the AP’s Kansas City bureau.

The 2002-2003 Texas men’s basketball team climbed to No. 2 in both The Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

This basketball team tied the school record for most wins @ 26.

Link to Coach Barnes’s years as the Longhorn Basketball coach is below.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/rickbarnes

Get Your tickets to the Houston Touchdown Club to hear Coach Sark speak about the 2024 Horns.

Tickets for the event are reasonable at $50 per person. If you are in the Houston Metro area, this is an excellent opportunity to meet Coach Sark.

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

Donations from $10 to ???? are needed to support TLSN’s grant program, pay for the Longhorn oral history podcast, and add exclusive original articles and interviews produced by professional writers.