R.E. Peppy Blount

From: Gary McIntosh
Sent: Saturday, November 7, 2020, 7:56 AM
To: Billy Dale <Williamdale@msn.com>
Subject: Peppy Blount

Thanks for the story on Peppy Blount. Peppy was the best man in my parents’ wedding in 1947.  My brother Greg (born in ’51), who passed away 15 or so years ago, is named for Peppy…his name is Gregory Blount McIntosh. Peppy was a great leader and a great man. I always enjoyed visiting with him when he came to Longhorn baseball and basketball games. Lettered in both sports at UT, and played well.  

Peppy grew up in Big Spring, the same place my dad grew up. They were teammates for the Steers.  Peppy, who ended up at 6’7″ and my dad who never topped 5’9″  

His other books are really good too…I especially enjoyed “We Band of Brothers” about WWII experiences.

His wife Eva Jean was a wonderful person, a stage star, and one of my mother’s favorite people.

And son Jeb Blount played pro football, winning a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 1977 Oakland Raiders. 

Take care, Billy.  Gary McIntosh

Peppy’s book titled “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow to play Football” is a fascinating read- profound and insightful- capturing Longhorn football’s greatness after WWII from 1945-1951. Bobby Layne, Dick Harris, Hub Bechtol, D.X. Bible, Blair Cherry, Dick Harris, Tom Landry, Rooster Andrews, Ed Kelley, and many others rebuilt Longhorn football from the malaise of poor football in the 1930s.

After his years as a Longhorn, Blount made a living playing NFL football, officiating college and professional football games, practicing law, a judge, ranching, writing, and drilling for oil.

But it was as a Longhorn while on scholarship that Blount made Longhorn sports history. In 1946 Blount, as a starter for the Longhorns, was also a “principal” speaker on the high school speaking circuit. The SWC rule book said that only coaches can be a principal speakers in these events, so Coach Bible made Blount a member of the coaching staff even though Blount was a scholarship player.

In 1947 Blount won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. SWC committee members received complaints about Blount and reviewed his eligibility status. The Texas Attorney General determined receiving income from the House of Representatives and financial support as a scholarship athlete was illegal, and Blount officially lost his scholarship.

BUT Coach Bible allowed Peppy Blount to continue to live in the athletic dorm and maintained his dining room privileges at no charge. The G.I. bill paid for Blount’s tuition and books. Blount finished his college career with no scholarship, but most of the benefits.

Here ends the newsletter portion of the life of Peppy Blount, but there is more. If interested in knowing more about his fascinating life journey, visit:

Coach Emory Bellard says about Peppy “ There’s no individual more qualified to discuss football than Peppy Blount. From the sandlots of West Texas to the Cotton, Sugar, and Orange Bows, as a player, to the Shea Stadium, Fenway Park, and the coliseum as an official, you can sense the knowledge of football, the humor, the love of life and people – all of which typify this author.” Don Meredith says about Peppy “ 40 years as a player, coach, and official qualifies Peppy Blount to discuss it with an entertaining and understanding insight like no other. Peppy has played, officiated, and seen ‘em all. Therein lie the unique perception and advantage he has overall others who’ve ever written about the sport.” Peppy also played with Bobby Layne with the Chicago Bears and New York Bulldogs.

Tom Landry says of Peppy as a teammate at Texas “it is Peppy Blount spirit that I best remember. The guy was a born politician. From that day in 1945, when he returned to Texas directly from the South Pacific, he was endlessly campaigning for something. If Peppy was ever down, I don’t remember it. …… Peppy Blount was as responsible for the healthy frame of mind of our (Texas) football teams as were either Coach Dana Bible or Blair Cherry, two men who were excellent motivators.”

Jack Freeman

Jack Freeman Senior was a great Longhorn who was overshadowed by the greatness of other Longhorns. History states that in 1943 behind the defense of Jack Freeman, the Longhorn beat O.U. 7-0. Attached are three pictures of Jack Freeman. The first is an image of him in his uniform. The second image is Jack with his wife and new baby taken for the November 1941 Life Magazine article on the Longhorns. The third is an iconic image of referee Jack Freeman being tackled by mistake by a T.C.U. Football player Buddy Iles while referee Jack Freeman points to where the runner’s knee touched the ground to end the play. As a side note -Jack Freeman seniors (Jack Freeman Junior) started for the 1965 State Champion Permian Panthers in 1965 and earned a Texas scholarship.

John Henderson

Football letterman John Henderson passes away

Ricky Brown – Here are some pics of a memorial that The Longhorn Retirement Village set out for John Henderson.  Ruth Ann Spivey donated the football and the photos. Hopefully, the football and pics will be on permanent display in the Reading Room. Pat Kelly 10/20/2020

John Henderson (1912-2020) the Texas’ oldest living letterman passed away on Friday. John was 107 years old.

Texas football was only 19 years old when John was born in 1912.

He was a 1935 football letterman. At a time when players wore leather helmets with no face masks. He played for Clyde Littlefield for two years and then for Coach Jack Chevigny. Since Texas did not offer scholarships to players, athletes who could not afford to attend school worked two hours a day on campus to cover the costs of room and board.

John is a charter member of the Longhorn Foundation and he has attended at least one game a year for 84 consecutive years.

John was recognized in 2019 at the Louisiana Tech game, and he was the honorary captain in the 2013 Kansas State game.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/us/oldest-living-couple-trnd/index.html

In recent years, many people have celebrated John’s birthday, including proclamations from Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, President Jimmy Carter, and Governor Perry.

John said that he played “colleges didn’t recruit football players,” helmets were leather, and there were no face masks.

During the game, coaching from the sideline was prohibited, so the “quarterbacks called the plays and the defensive players decided which direction they would go on the snap of the ball.”

The football season typically starts in September or October, not August.

Below is a KVUE link to John’s 103rd birthday party

http://bcove.me/ytmyxwoj

Noble Doss

Bud McFadin, 1948-1950 College Football Hall of Fame inductee

The 225-pound Bud McFadin was a Longhorn from 1948-1950. He played both offense and defense and was the state of Texas boxing and wrestling champion. In 1949, he won All-America honors from the International News Service for his defensive skills. In 1950, the All-America Board, the Associated Press, United Press, INS, and Look magazine named him first-team All-American. He was the MVP of the 1951 Cotton Bowl, and conference MVP. In the Chicago Tribune All-Star game, he was voted Most Valuable Player and selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and Hall of Honor in 1973.

He almost left Texas his freshman year because he missed his horse. Longhorn officials resolved this issue by moving Bud’s horse to a location closer to Austin.

Tillman Holloway, who played for Texas from 2001 through 2003, is Bud’s grandson.  Bud remembers that during the college recruiting process Coach Buddy Jungmichel lived with his family for two weeks.

Professionally, Bud is one of the only football players who was All pro in both the NFL and AFL. Two times in the NFL and three times in the AFL.

Bud played high school football for Iraan, Texas. A town that made National news in 2016.

Bereaved Texas Town Finds Comfort in a State High School Title Game

 By Jere Longman

Dec. 15, 2016

The Iraan High School football team before the state championship game Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

It was yet another example of the immense outpouring of support for tiny Iraan High since the accident, chronicled by The New York Times, and caused, the police said, when an eighteen-wheeler lost control and crossed the median on Interstate 20 on a cold, rainy night.

For the championship game Thursday, a charter company donated buses to carry Iraan’s band and its cheerleading squad. Forty miles outside town, a small group of fans from rival Ozona High School gathered on the side of the road on Wednesday morning, holding up signs and waving as the team rode past at the beginning of its trip.

Hours later, in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Aledo High School lent its indoor practice facility to Iraan for a final workout. Aledo’s trainers set out containers of water and offered to help tape the traveling players’ ankles.

Tammy Kirchhoff, Iraan’s track coach, whose husband, Mark, is the head football coach, said: “I don’t ever want to be in a situation like this again, but it was the greatest outpouring of human kindness I’ve ever seen. Cheerleaders should run the world.”

As Thursday’s championship game approached, the grief in Iraan was still raw.

And yet Iraan, population 1,200, is a resilient place, its durability built on the boom and bust nature of the oil business. In a time of crisis, football provided hope, a refuge from heartache, a welcome distraction.

Before the championship game began, a moment of silence was held for Ms. Pope in the stadium. Iraan’s opponent, Bremond High, also presented the school with a memorial plaque.

Bremond High arrived as a two-time defending state champion. Its quarterback, Roshauud Paul, was named the state’s best player and plans to play next season at Texas A&M. From the beginning on Thursday, he was remarkably elusive. Eventually, Paul ran for five touchdowns and threw for a sixth as Bremond drew away in the second half to win, 49-28.

For Iraan, it was a wrenching defeat. But heartening consolation could be found in its perseverance. And in the reassurance that small towns can be counted on to give comfort to another in pain.

“Football was huge,” said Mr. Baum, Iraan’s principal, “but humanity was bigger.”

The full version of this article appears in print on December 16, 2016, on page B8 of the New York edition with the headline: Title Game Comforts Bereaved Texas Town.

Malcolm Kutner 1939-1941 College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 1974

• Two time All-American in football

• Kutner earned seven varsity letters: three in football, three in basketball and one in track — where he was a member of two Southwest Conference Champion relay teams.

• He was the first UT player chosen to compete in the Chicago Tribune’s collegiate all-star game.

• He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1965.

Harrison Stafford  1930-1932   College Football Hall of fame inductee

• The assistant Coach Shorty Alderson reported to head coach Clyde Littlefield, “Clyde, I found you the darndest football player you ever saw. He tore up a couple of dummies and hurt a couple of men. He says his name is Harrison Stafford.”

• A walk-on from Wharton, Texas, Harrison Stafford went on to become perhaps the toughest football player in UT history.

• He was known for crushing blocks and devastating tackles.

• All-Southwest Conference honors three times

• Named to several All-America teams.

• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

Mortimer “Bud” Sprague

Mortimer “Bud” Sprague
Tackle/1923-24

• 16 years of age when he came to The University;

• played on three UT football teams that had a combined record of 20-5-2;

• was an All-Southwest Conference tackle;

• but he also doubled as an outstanding track athlete and won the Southwest Conference shot put title in 1925 and ran on the 440-yard relay team.

• College Football Hall of Fame

His college career was unusual because he Attended West Point after graduating from Texas.  He was a vital member of Army’s great teams of the late 1920s, a two-time All-American and captain of the 1928 Army team. 

Wally Scott 1940

Wally Scott was a co-captain of the 1942 team, and a member of the first Texas team to participate in a postseason bowl game defeating the #5 Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl. In 1998 he was inducted into the High school football Hall of Fame, and In 1972 he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor. 

Wally served in the Pacific theater of World War II as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1943 until 1946 and then returned to The University of Texas to study law. Wally Scott helped start the Austin Longhorn Club, which morphed into the Longhorn Foundation under Deloss Dodds, and he was a member of the Men’s Athletic Council for 13 years.

Bill Little commentary: Requiem for a six-star general

By Bill Little

April 28, 2005

He was a vital part of the Longhorn football, serving as co-captain of the 1942 team. That team became the first Texas team to participate in a postseason bowl game, defeating Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl.

Pretty much everything Wally did, he did well. He was brilliant, and could somehow be kind and outrageous all at the same time. And you couldn’t help but love him, anyway.

In his three years of eligibility at Texas, from 1940 through 1942, he was a part of some of the truly historic moments in Longhorn history. The 1940 team on which he was a sophomore stunned No. 1 ranked Texas A&M, 7-0, knocking the Aggies out of a national championship. In 1941, Wally was one of 14 Longhorn players whose pictures appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. And in 1942, he as part of the Longhorns’ first Southwest Conference championship since 1930 and the first ever bowl game.

Wally’s passion was always Texas football. And it was never about what it could do for him, it was always about what he could do for The University of Texas.

When Darrell Royal came to Texas in 1957, Wally and his friend, the late Don Weedon, stepped up to help with the formation of the Austin Longhorn Club. Twenty-five years later, DeLoss Dodds would take that as the nucleus of The Longhorn Foundation, which has become one of the most successful donor programs in college athletics.

It never seemed to matter who was coaching at Texas, Wally Scott was a guy who spanned all eras. When his best friend, Mike Campbell, was bypassed for the Texas head coaching job when Royal retired in 1976, Fred Akers became head coach. And when others recoiled at the rebuff of Campbell, Wally stepped up and took Akers and his new staff and their families on a retreat to Bracketville, which had been the site of many a wonderful summer trip for Royal’s staff.

For 13 years, from 1962 to January 1, 1985, Wally served on the Men’s Athletics Council, and he held the title of Executive Secretary of the Austin Longhorn Club for 30 years.

Wally was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1972, 30 years after he was a significant player on one of the greatest defensive teams in Texas history. From all accounts, he was one of the toughest players of his era. He was a rugged end who excelled on defense.

Chosen as captain of the 1942 team, he was one of the few remaining lettermen from the 1941 squad. An early 3-0 loss to Northwestern had dented the schedule, but Texas had risen all the way to No. 8 in the country when Scott broke two bones in his hand against Baylor, and had to miss the TCU game.

The Frogs, as they had done the year before, shattered Texas’s dream with a 13-7 win. However, Scott and his teammates were not done yet. With an incredible defense that pitched three shutouts and allowed no more than seven points to any opponent except the Frogs, they won the Southwest Conference. They accepted the invitation to play Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl.

Georgia Tech was ranked No. 5 in the nation, and the national press, which had been so glowing only a year before, was now skeptical, stating “Texas doesn’t belong in the same league with Georgia Tech”.

But Scott and his teammates had different ideas. With a defense that had allowed only 57.5 yards rushing a game and only a little over 117 passing, they smothered the Engineers.

Scott and his teammates shone, and on January 1, 1943, Texas played in and won its first bowl game ever, 14-7.

As Wally and the Longhorns walked out of the Cotton Bowl that day, they had reaffirmed their presence on the national stage. And even though graduation and the war draft cleared the roster of all but two lettermen from that team, D. X. Bible’s time at Texas had been solidified. To read the full article.

Copyright ©2018 University of Texas Athletics

More than half-a-century after the fact, it’s still the look in his father’s eyes that John Langerhans remembers. It was a look that led Langerhans to a lifetime of playing and coaching baseball, including 19 years at Round Rock High School and a state championship along the way.

Watching his dad coach — first in Marble Falls and later in San Antonio — Langerhans knew he would follow in the footsteps of the man for whom he was named.

“He’s the reason I became a coach,” Langerhans said, easing into a fall morning among the breakfast crowd at Tio Dan’s on Round Rock Avenue. “I got to hang out with him and follow him around. I just saw the look in my dad’s eyes, when I was 5-, 6-, 7-years old. Seeing the enjoyment in his eyes, just working with kids, making them better. I told him at 5-, 6-, 7-years old, that’s what I wanted to do.”

And so he did. Wearing a blue Texas High School Baseball Association windbreaker and an orange UT baseball cap, Langerhans’ chosen wardrobe on this particular day reflects the biggest chunk of his life and arguably its best years.

This is a big state, but a small world, and an even smaller circle in the mentor-and-apprentice lives of athletes and their coaches. For when young John Langerhans started playing high school baseball at South San Antonio, the man filling out the Bobcats’ lineup card was none other than Cliff Gustafson, who would go on to coach the Texas Longhorns from 1968-96.

“I’m one of the few guys that had the privilege of playing for coach Gus in high school and college,” Langerhans said. “I played for him (at South San Antonio) in ’67 and joined him at Texas in ’68.”

Langerhans doesn’t mention it — he’s not one to thump his own chest — but as reported in a 2007 Round Rock Leader profile, he pitched a no-hitter in South San’s 1967 3A title game victory over Dumas.

At Clark Field (the forerunner to Disch-Falk), Langerhans and Gustafson teamed up for success again.

According to TexasSports.com: “As a first baseman … Langerhans led the Longhorns to three College World Series appearances and four Southwest Conference titles … He and Jeff Ontiveros (a 1997 RRHS graduate) are the only two players in school history to lead the team in home runs for three or more seasons.”

Langerhans graduated from UT with a degree in coaching, but continued his playing career when the Cleveland Indians drafted the second-team All-America selection.

He rose as high as Double-A ball, playing for the San Antonio Brewers, but after four years injuries cut short his playing career.

Fearing it was too late in the year to land a high school coaching job, Langerhans considered returning to his old off-season occupation – in the Texas State Capitol’s mailroom.

But then — as fate and fortune would have it — a few choice words from UT Assistant Athletic Director Bill Ellington changed his mind.

“He said: ‘John, what in the hell did you get your degree in coaching for? To work in the mail room?”

Langerhans began his coaching career at Lamar Consolidated High School (in the Houston area). He then coached at San Antonio Madison and Uvalde, before landing in Round Rock in 1984. In addition to coaching baseball, Langerhans also taught history. As did his wife, Sharon, whom he met while both were enrolled at UT.

Included in his 613-200 coaching record, over a 28-year career (the final 19 in Round Rock) is the 1997 season when the Dragons won the Class 5A state championship. It was a special year for Langerhans and his team, one capped with a 7-1 win over the defending state champs from Lubbock Monterey.

The coach’s son, Ryan – a pitcher and centerfielder – went the distance on the mound against Monterey and got the win.

“That’s the only father-son that ever pitched a state championship game in Texas history,” said Butch Hart, whose own sons, Jason (1987-90) and Joey (1993-96), played for Langerhans.

Former Leader sports editor Clay Coppedge covered that game, from the unique perspective of one who had written about the Dragons and also played at Monterey for coach Bobby Moegle. He remembers Langerhans fondly.

“He knew baseball like few people I have ever known, and he was a stickler for details,” Coppedge said. “Honest. Well-meaning. He was a hell of a nice guy to me and he definitely had his softer side, especially in regards to his kids.”

Through his career, Langerhans coached a long list of talented players.

John Carter – who in 2004 succeeded Langerhans as Round Rock’s skipper – is on the long list of those who played under him.

Carter also coached for Langerhans. He had this to say, just before Langerhans’ 2007 induction into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame: “I consider him a mentor to me. He emphasizes the fundamentals. A lot of people don’t concentrate as much on the fundamentals. They think they can do it on pure athleticism and talent. Coach took the everyday kid that doesn’t go off to play at Division I-type schools and made the players the best they can be, to make the team the best it can be.”

Carter’s description of Langerhans doesn’t sound too far different from Langerhans’ description of his own father. Although the elder Langerhans died in 1980, for several seasons he did get to see his son follow in high school-coaching footsteps.

“He’d sit in a lawn chair, right next to the dugout,” Langerhans recalled. “He’d sit right next to the kids walking up to the on-deck circle. He was always talking to them. I wanted to say, ‘Dad, don’t distract them.’ But I also knew he was giving them good advice. And he also had a knack for talking to the kids that didn’t have a lot of self-confidence.”

These days, Langerhans – who was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2011 – relishes the time he and his wife of 42 years can spend with family. Between son Ryan and daughter Kelly (a former assistant volleyball and soccer coach at Pflugerville Hendrickson), they’re grandparents four times over.

Yet to those who know him, it’s no surprise Langerhans has kept a hand in the game. He coaches for the Austin Wings select-baseball program, but his pride and joy is found in the camps he runs with former players such as Brian Gordon, Jordan Danks and, of course, his own son.

They’ve sponsored baseball camps the past three years in Franklin, a small town near Rockdale, with enrollment growing from 60 to 120 to 240 during that time.

“They have one heck of a complex they’ve built,” Langerhans said. “Next year, about when high school baseball season cranks up, will be season four. Here, everybody and his dog puts on a camp. Out there, the kids are hungry for attention.”

As he says this, Langerhans gets that look in his eyes. It’s the same look he remembers seeing in his father’s eyes, more than half-a-century ago.

And he remembers words his father spoke, describing the life of a coach: “He said there’s no money in it. You have to work hard for very little pay. But what you get out of it is the thrill of seeing your kids grow up and become successful people in society. That’s the reward in it – it’s not the money.

“If I had to do it all over again … that’s all I ever wanted to do, be a coach.”

PULL QUOTE: : “I think all my players saw how I put my heart and soul into it, and they gave me their all.” — John Langerhans

Rich Wortham

On Richard Wortham’s recruiting trip to Texas, Gus wrote on a blackboard in his office the words “Cadillac” and “Ford.”

“I thought, ‘He’s going to give me a Cadillac,’ ” Wortham said. “Gus asked me which one I’d pick. I’m trying to figure out which car I’m going to get. So Gus said, ‘If you come to Texas, it’s a Cadillac program.’ ” Wortham didn’t get a Cadillac, but he got an NCAA-record 50 wins.

Richard Wortham has one of the best pitching records in the history of College baseball. His college baseball records confirm these accolades.

• He is the first 50-game winner in NCAA history;

• Wortham holds the career record for most innings pitched (456) while compiling 50-7 record;

• He recording 12 career shutouts and 481 strikeouts;

• In 1975 he was selected to the CWS All-Tournament team;

• Wortham makes the All-SWC team in 1973 and All-American in 1976;

• He is the catalyst for four SWC titles and one national championship;

• Wortham earned enough respect to receive team MVP in 1975; and

• In 2010 he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of fame joining pitchers Brooks Kieschnick, Burt Hooten, Greg Swindell, and Kirk Dressedorfer.

“I was drafted out of high school, but my dad made it very clear to me that I wasn’t going to sign,” Wortham said. “Any 18-year-old — he may be physically mature, but it takes some time for the mental game to catch up. Coming out of high school you can get influenced in bad ways. The University of Texas was the best for me, and I wouldn’t do anything different.”

Wortham credited former Texas head baseball coach Cliff Gustafson with helping him get mentally adjusted.

What speaks volumes about the character and resolve of Richard is a serious injury he had to overcome to pitch for Texas.  Working on a project in Gregory Gym the elevator broke and he incurred an injury that would have  ended the career of most individuals. His injury was so severe that the doctors questioned whether he would ever walk again.  He did more than walk again. In 1975  he completed the season with a 14-1 record and he pitched a 4 hitter to win the CWS National Champion for the Horns.  

Bobby Layne

Doak Walker, who roomed with Bobby at one point, said that even when he went to the grocery store, he had to be the best shopper. A teammate of Bobby’s in Detroit commented that when Lane said block, you blocked, and when he said drink, you drank. Bobby Layne, on December 1st, 1986, died of cardiac arrest. He was only 59 years old. 

Flashback 

 Bobby Lane was the star pitcher for the Texas Longhorns. Coach Falk said he was the best pitcher he ever coached, but he was “crazy as hell.” In 1946 Bobby pitched a no-hitter against Texas A&M, but Falk said, “he was liable to have been out playing 18 holes of golf that morning,” Coach Falk said. Layne likes to pitch games on his terms, and that was ok with Coach Falk. Bobby never lost a southwest Conference baseball game in 4 years.   

Myths, Folklore, truth, or EXAGGERATIONs – who knows -but the stories have survived the test of time.

According to the book, Bibb Falk by William A. Cook during games, Coach Falk would sit on one end of the bench. Rooster Andrews, Bobby Layne’s roommate, who was a part-time player usually sat on the bench the whole game. So Bobby Lane asked Rooster Andrews one game to occupy the other end of the bench. Lane gave Rooster some money and told him to buy a six-pack of beer. Rooster did as instructed, and between each inning, Lane would slip behind the bench out of Coach Falk’s sight and chug a bottle of beer. At the start of the seventh inning, Bobby gave Rooster some more money to buy some more beer. Bobby Lane pitched a no-hitter that day. 

Bobby Layne and Rooster Andrews have a car accident and Bobby hurts himself. Bobby Layne throws a no-hitter against Southwestern. The next week horsing around Bobby Layne sticks his foot through a window that requires stitches. The next day Bobby throws another no-hitter against the Aggies. Bobby was 19 years old.  

Bobby’s overall record at Texas was 39 wins and seven losses, including 27 consecutive wins in Southwest conference play. In 1946 Bobby Lane pitched two no-hitters and had 84 strikeouts. A Southwest conference record that stood for 39 years. The most compelling story about Bobby Lane is that as a Texas Longhorn pitcher, he was never taken out of a game with his team behind.   

Bobby Layne said that if I had been a good hitter, he might have chosen to professionally play baseball instead of football. “For me, pitching was too much work,” Layne said.

George Halas, the owner of the Chicago Bears, drafted Bobby Layne but then decided to trade Bobby him. George said “Bobby, I can’t afford to keep three quarterbacks, and I can’t make Sid retire. He is Jewish, which means more season tickets.” Also, “Johnny Lujack attended Notre Dame that also means more season tickets in Chicago than having a quarterback in Texas.” 

Another Story about Bobby Layne in the late 1960s is from Barbara Wainscott whose husband, Loyd Wainscott, was a Longhorn All American during his participation in the Houston Oilers training camp in Kerrville, Texas.

Barbara shares one night the guys were all at a bar. Can’t remember if Rob Layne (Bobby’s son) was there or not. But Bobby came in and told the rookies sitting at the table to “build him a castle”. Layne bought beer all night and they stacked the cans up in layers all around the corner booth like five or six beer can floors high. Bobby took it all in stride but the rookies were hammered. Loyd called me later that night to tell me they were celebrating the first girl they’d seen in Kerrville without a scar on her face and he’d just danced with a girl they called “headlights.” Bobby stayed around to laugh at them the next day during the practice from hell.

Charlie Crenshaw

Many of you may not know that the great golfer Ben Crenshaw has a brother that is part of Longhorn sports history .

Charlie Crenshaw V is the brother of the great golfer Ben Crenshaw. Crenshaw played CF and RF for the Longhorn baseball team from ’70-‘73.

During a game with Baylor their fans starting screaming at Crenshaw “Hey!!! How come you’re not caddying for your brother Ben?!?!?!” Even worse Crenshaw’s dad, a Baylor graduate, was at this game. His dad bet him a $100.00 he I could not hit a home run against “his” Baylor Bears.

On this fateful day in 1973, Crenshaw had the last laugh. He hit a home run and as he ran the bases “saluting” the Bear fans with a profound universal gesture and after the game shook his dad’s hand that had a $100 bill tucked into the handclasp.

Charlie said years later that I guess that $100 “made me a pro for a day.

Charles Munson played on the first National Champion team in any Longhorn Sport

Charlie Munson, 95, is as much a fixture at Disch-Falk Field as bitter cold and oppressive heat (sometimes on the same day), as deeply identified with the University of Texas as success and Smokey.

Munson started the baseball season as the 1943 Longhorns’ varsity left fielder, but that didn’t last long … one game, in fact, before he was called up as a cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He reached lieutenant in rank, serving among other places in Deming, N.M., and Austin’s Bergstrom Field while training as a pilot; while in Austin, he played city-league basketball and semi-pro baseball.

He returned to UT for the 1946-47 school year, joining the Longhorns “B” team in basketball and stepping right into the starting lineup as an outfielder on the baseball team. Munson’s best varsity season turned out to be his first full one, 1947, when he batted .333 in the regular season, then went 5 for 7 in two NCAA tournament games in Denver. In 1948, he batted .275 in SWC games and remained an outfield starter. Relegated to part-time starter and pinch-hitter roles as a senior, he still contributed six doubles among his nine hits.

And, rather unwittingly, he became a sort of poster child for Bibb Falk’s anti-NCAA tournament argument. In his May 27, 1949, “Sideline Slants” column on the topic, Paul Tracy of the Austin Statesman used Munson as an example of a player who would be harmed by reforming the team a month after school ended:

“Many (players) start semi-pro ball on June 1, and must take time out from wage-earning to participate. It’s hard, for example, for Charley Munson, who is expecting an addition to the family soon, to leave his $10-a-day camp counselor job for 10 days.”

That addition, born Aug. 27, turned out to be Charles Jr., known as Chuck, who went on to create his own UT legacy, joining Ben Crenshaw and McCallum High teammate Tom Kite on back-to-back NCAA champion Longhorns golf teams. As for his summer job, missing it for a few days turned out to be well worth it.

“Back then, when we won it, we didn’t really realize what we were a part of,” Munson told the UT sports-information department in November 2008 upon his induction into the Longhorn Hall of Honor. “But it is a real honor to be on the first team, because since then the baseball team has won five other championships.

“Back in the early days of the Southwest Conference, the main school you wanted to play baseball at was Texas. That is still often the case. Athletics have always been a strong suit at Texas. The program has a lot of players playing professionally and they are very balanced in all the different sports.”

In retirement, Munson began volunteering as an usher at Longhorns football, basketball and baseball games. And despite the death of his wife of 70 years, Dorothy, last April, expect to see Charlie Munson in the Disch-Falk stands again this spring.

“Seeing all these athletes that have come through the … years that I have been volunteering makes me feel very honored to be a part of Texas athletics,” he said in 2008. “I have so many good memories of my time here at Texas, it’s hard to explain all of them.”