While the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” rings true, very few pictures capture a lifetime of words. I have a painting like that nicely framed in my office. It’s a painting completed in 1970 that I didn’t know existed until 2014—a football play inspired by the perspective of former Longhorn football player and renowned artist Ragan Gennusa.

While the story this painting tells is personal to me, it’s important to note that mental recovery from a sports injury is part of the lives of many former student-athletes. Every year, countless athletes experience injuries that permanently alter their life path. My story is only one of many.

A player from the mid-1960s football team called me in 2014 and said,

“Billy, I bought a painting from a rancher in South Texas during an auction, and I’ve had it hanging in my house for years. The other day, I was looking at it and noticed that the running back had a pug nose, and I thought it might be you. If you want, I’ll bring it to your house, and you can have it if the runner is you.”

It was me!

The first time I saw the painting, it overwhelmed my senses, reminding me of the journey I’ve been on since the renowned artist Ragan Gennusa painted it. The painting serves as a reminder of the challenging transition from the person I was to who I am in 2025.

Ragan’s paintings hang on many walls and hallways on the University of Texas campus. Here’s a montage of some of his work, along with a link to the Texas Legacy Support Network’s (TLSN’s) 2021 interview with Ragan.

https://www.texaslsn.org/ragan-gennusa

In the painting below by Ragan Gennusa, Longhorn center Jim Achilles is depicted blocking for me during a long run in the UCLA game. However, the run was nullified due to a forward lateral. I replicated the painting and brought this cherished moment to Jim at his home in Austin before he passed away. When I asked him why he was looking back instead of ahead for someone to block, he jokingly replied, ” well, you are so damn slow I thought someone might catch you from behind.”

Eddie’s throw and Cotton’s Catch

On Cotton’s catch that won the game, I was lined up on the right side and ran a 10-yard hook inside as a decoy or as an alternate receiver in case Cotton was not open. I was not too far from Cotton when he made his miraculous winning touchdown catch.

Realizing the significance of this moment a split second before the fans did, I glanced at the stadium’s East side to capture their reactions.

The fans, who had mentally prepared themselves for a loss, were now celebrating as winners. The stadium was filled with a sonic boom explosion of screaming, joy, and pandemonium. The emotional release was so intense that those of us on the field celebrating the moment could not hear our own screams of joy.

Reflection Point by Billy Dale

Each of us will inevitably reflect on our life journey at some point. This pivotal moment allows us to see the highs, lows, and challenges we’ve encountered in a panoramic view—a reflection point. The image below captures this moment of contemplation. My reflection point occurred in 2014, when Ragan’s painting of Jim Achilles and me in the UCLA game arrived at my home.

Fear of failure can be a crippling feeling that stems from deep-seated anxiety, making it tough to take on challenges, handle setbacks, and still grow mentally while learning from the experience.

Psychologists say that failure is a critical component in learning and character development. Living life with a fear of failing usually thwarts an individual’s mental and social development and, by extension, reduces their quality of life. To paraphrase Yoda, “You want to know the difference between a Master and an overachiever with a fear of failure? The Master has failed more times…. and learned in the process.” The point is that you can’t master life and enjoy all its precious qualities living a life controlled by fear of failure.

The UCLA game is my reflection point

On the game’s second play, an official sports publication says,

“Texas halfback Billy Dale found himself in the thick of the action. As quarterback Eddie Phillips pitched him the ball on an option play, a UCLA linebacker delivered a bone-crushing hit. The result? UCLA recovered a fumble, and the battle was on!”

It was a fumble, but I never touched the ball. Eddie lateraled the ball to a spot where I was supposed to be. However, the crushing hit before Eddie’s pitch left me lying on the field—barely conscious with a hurt shoulder. The trainers rushed to my side, and after a few minutes, I managed to walk off the field under my own power.

In 1970, there were no concussion protocols. Getting knocked out was euphemistically called “getting your bell rung.” While my bell rang, the team doctor came over with his pen-sized flashlight and asked me to follow the light with my eyes. My eyes passed the light test, and it was determined that I had no severe brain damage even though, at the moment, I don’t think my brain agreed with the diagnosis. This hit was my fourth bell-ringing incident since high school, but in each case, I recovered quickly and finished the game.

On the sideline, Head Coach Darrell Royal asked if I could still play, and I said “yes,” but I told him that “my shoulder felt numb.”

The Day After the UCLA Game

I couldn’t get out of bed the next day. My pain level was a nine on a ten-point scale. My roommate, Julius Whittier, called Longhorn Athletic Trainer Frank Medina about my situation, and a visit to the team physician followed. I was diagnosed with a separated shoulder. This injury was my first football-related severe injury since the 7th grade, and I didn’t know how to handle the bad news. It was the first time I realized that my football career was likely over, and I was unprepared for that. I fell into depression.

I attempted to play in the (OU) game the following week. However, my shoulder was taped so tightly that I had difficulty catching laterals and fumbled the ball on one play. After the fumble, I knew I was a liability to the team, and when Coach Royal, on the sideline, asked me if I could play, I said, “No!” Not playing against OU was the lowest point of my football career, and missing the game profoundly affected my self-esteem. My immaturity was exposed!

I never fully recovered from the shoulder injury in 1970, but eventually healed enough to contribute to the team. However, I still don’t remember playing in games or reviewing game films after the Longhorns played OU, but game films show me blocking and running on the field.

I made mistakes by not planning for life after football.

After the 1970 OU game, I realized for the first time that I had chosen to live a one-dimensional life, focused solely on football, and had neglected the challenge of personal growth in other areas. The shoulder injury took away my identity as a football player, and I had no backup plan. The painting serves as a reminder of my state of mind during that time and the difficult journey that followed as I worked to redefine myself. Even though I had received my marketing degree, I graduated from college with no marketable skills. Consequently, I took on menial jobs, such as filling vending machines during the night shift and working as a fast-food cook. My dad always reminded me that I needed tools in my resume toolbox to succeed, and those menial jobs were essential for building that toolbox.

Dad was right! My resume toolbox was empty, but it would not stay that way. It took a few decades, but I finally filled my toolbox, discovered my true passion, and regained my self-esteem.

However, the memory evoked by Ragan Gennusa’s painting is the most crucial. Psychologist and author, Adam Grant shares, thought-provoking wisdom about coaches’ influence on boys turning to men. He says:

“For athletes, coaches are Godsent. They teach young souls discipline, goal setting, and teamwork. These qualities taught and learned lead to a life with purpose and the strength of character to overcome adversity.”

I wholeheartedly concur with Adam! Although I lacked most tools in my youth, I always possessed a crucial asset Adam Grant mentions: discipline. More than IQ or innate talent, discipline is the fundamental tool necessary for a successful quality of life.

Discipline is the cornerstone of my life journey, and Ragan’s painting poignantly reminds me of this vital aspect. My work ethic, nurtured by discipline, symbolically enabled me to run again, as I did in 1970.

HORNS UP !!

Billy Dale

Bobby Wuensch #50, Jim Bertelsen, and Randy Peschel had the key blocks on the touchdown.

Two days before the start of the 1969 national championship season, Coach Royal promoted Jim Bertelsen to the first team and moved me to the second team. It was a dark day in my life, but it was the right choice for the 1969 Texas Longhorns. Jim was a great running back who set several records at Texas and was a Pro Bowl participant for the L.A. Rams.

After the demotion, Coach Royal pulled me aside and said (I am paraphrasing his comment) Billy, do not get down on yourself. You are a valuable member of this team. We need your skills as a blocking back, so I will use you to carry in the offensive plays when appropriate. You will need to learn the plays at both the right and left halfback positions so we can maximize your blocking ability. The coach was true to his word. During the 1969 season, I was used as a blocking “lineman” positioned in the backfield. The opposition knew it was probably to block when I entered the game, so the defense planned accordingly.

Royal did not care if the opposing team knew our tendencies since the Wishbone was a read-option offense with three potential ball carriers on every play. Since neither the offense nor the defense knew who would get the ball before the play, Royal was confident that the Longhorns could execute the Wishbone and win the game regardless of their tendencies. He was right!

 The Game Plan for Notre Dame and the National Championship 

The game plan was the same as the other games that year. Coach Royal told the press, “We are going to dance with who broke us,” and he did! As in the other games in 1969, I was used primarily as the blocking back.

The saying “Dance with who brung us” goes back to 1914.

The Third Quarter 

In the 3rd quarter, the dynamics of the game changed. Ted Koy got knocked silly, and I replaced him. It was a tough day for me. I think I gained 12 yards on 10 carries. After Ted recovered from his groggy state, he returned to the huddle, and I returned to Coach Royal’s side.

On the 3rd and one from the one-yard line, with time running out, Coach Royal grabbed me by the mask and said: “I am calling your number.” He said, “Go in at right halfback and call Counter right 55”. (“55” is not an option play. It is a designed play with a handoff to the right halfback.) When I entered the huddle and called the play, all 10 of my teammates, who usually kept their heads down as I called the play, raised their heads in unison as if to say, “Really?”

The Play

I Don’t Remember Tom Campbell’s Exact Quote On My Facebook Page, But He Told All My Friends That A 90-Year-Old Woman Could Have Made That Touchdown. Through the Years, Many of my teammates have jokingly made Similar Comments, And Factually, They Are Correct, so I Never Defend My Moment in Longhorn Sports History. I Just Smile And Enjoy The Moment.

It was just one yard, but the play still needed a strategy. The hitting was brutal, so I prioritized protecting the ball with both arms and hands (look at the photo below). Then, I decided not to look for a hole in the defense. (Looking for a gap tends to slow down forward momentum.) Since I was not going to look for a breach, the logical decision was to use my helmet as a battering ram, lean forward as far as humanly possible, run to the hole as diagrammed, and hope my teammates studied the same diagram. They did!

Years later, Coach Royal told me that he and Coach Bellard studied Notre Dame’s defensive tendencies when I entered the game. So Coach knew that the Notre Dame defense would discount me as the ball carrier and make some defensive adjustments to prepare for Worster and Bertelsen.

While Tom Campbell’s comment is correct, on that fateful day -January 1, 1970—destiny was with me and not a 90-year-old woman. History records that Billy Dale, with the support of Worster as the decoy, followed great blocks from Jim Bertelsen, Randy Peschel, and Bobby Wuensch to make the winning touchdown against Notre Dame in the 100th year of college football and to cement the Texas Longhorns’ National Championship.

I will take it!!