Timothy Michael Doerr

January 6, 1943 — September 17, 2024

Naples, Florida

“Til Gabriel blows his horn”

Timothy Michael Doerr, of Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully at his home on September 17, 2024. We joyfully celebrate the blessing of his 81 years of life. 

 Tim was born on January 6, 1943, in Cleburne, Texas to Catherine Marie Higgins and Clement Michael Doerr. The oldest of five brothers, Tim embraced each day with a loving heart, an intuitive mind, a beaming smile as big as the State of Texas, an unmatched toughness, and a giant handshake full of purpose, grit, and integrity. A natural born leader, and always quick with a joke, Tim had an outgoing and high-spirited personality, a hearty and contagious laugh, and was a consummate winner on and off the field.

 Known affectionately as “Timmy” throughout his childhood, he learned the art of counting dominoes at the age of five from his grandfather, proudly purchased a car before he had a license, lifted feed sacks out on the Doerr family farm as a form of exercise, fervently fished for large-mouthed bass, and championed a work ethic and commitment to family that stemmed from his father’s livelihood as an engineer on the Santa Fe Railroad.

 Dedicated to excellence, Timmy was President of the National Honor Society, Mr. Cleburne High School, and a four-year letterman as a baseball catcher that batted third in the lineup. But the gridiron is where Timmy shined. During his junior year, as the quarterback and an inside linebacker, the Cleburne Yellowjackets won the 1959 Texas State Championship. As a senior, Timmy was a captain and received All-State and All-American honors.

 Timmy’s academic and athletic accomplishments continued while at the University of Texas at Austin. As a Math major, Timmy understood the X’s and O’s of football better than most --- and complimented that innate perception for the game with an unparalleled level of aggressiveness, speed, and fortitude. This rare combination of elite football IQ, mixed with superior physical and athletic talents, qualified Timmy to be the designated “wildcard” player for the Longhorns that could be freely substituted on both offense and defense without limitation (the legacy rules of collegiate football in the early 1960s limited player substitutions). There are very few pictures of Timmy in a Longhorn uniform that don’t feature some form of a bruised or black eye --- and as aptly depicted in the The Austin Statesman in September of 1963, “Doerr always appears to have just come out of a battle with a wildcat. But [Coach] Royal will tell you, it is the other side that got clawed and pummeled. Not Timmy.”

 As a punishing linebacker and three-year letterman at the University of Texas at Austin, the Longhorns amassed a collective record of 30-2-1 and won the Southwest Conference Championship in 1962 and 1963, the Cotton Bowl against Navy in January 1964, the Orange Bowl against Alabama in January 1965, and the National Championship for the 1963 season. As a senior, Timmy was a co-captain, the recipient of The D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award, and an Academic All-American. 

  After brief stints as a math teacher, assistant and head football coach, and athletic director at the high school level, Tim returned to Austin as a defensive coach for the Longhorns and left an indelible mark on the players he recruited and coached --- winning the Southwest Conference Championship (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975) and the National Championship in 1969 and 1970.

Tim and Sally’s love story began in Austin at The University and they were married on July 4, 1970. After retiring from coaching, Tim and Sally moved to Westfield, New Jersey in 1977 and joined the family business, Master Memorials, Inc. As a business owner and member of the American Institute of Commemorative Art, Tim perfected his artistic craft by designing monuments, markers, and mausoleums --- helping others create lasting memories that pay tribute to their loved ones. Additionally, Tim was a member of the Rotary Club of Westfield, serving as the Club President in 1987-1988, and a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow award.

 Tim and Sally were the ultimate partners. In business, and in life, they were devoted to each other and a real team in every sense. With over 54 years of marriage, Tim shared everything with Sally, was always by her side, and his greatest joy was in raising, coaching, supporting, and loving their three children.

 As a son, brother, spouse, father, uncle, grandfather, coach, mentor, friend and teammate, Tim was larger-than-life and left a lasting impression. Always sporting his cowboy boots, he fostered a winning environment, took dead aim on the golf course, grilled a mean rib-eye, flashed the hook ‘em horns with pride, turned up the volume on the country music station, never met a stranger that wasn’t a friend, outmaneuvered his target when casting his lure into the Jersey ocean and Texas lakes, told the most long-winded and entertaining stories, and unconditionally loved his family. 

 Tim is survived by his beloved wife, Sally, his son Michael (Megan), his son Brandon (Kristen), his daughter Peggy (Jack), his brother Fred (Elva), his brother Bob (Sharon), his six grandchildren, June, Grady, Brooks, Georgia, Blair, and Gwyneth, his cousin Louis Jr., and a large extended family that includes countless nephews and nieces who he adored and cherished as his own. He was predeceased by his parents, his brothers Jim (Bucky) and David, his Uncles Anton and Hugh (Ruby), and his cousin John Anthony (Betty).

 Visitation will be on Friday, September 27, 2024, from 3pm to 8pm ET at Gray Funeral Home, 318 E. Broad St. in Westfield, NJ. A memorial service celebration and entombment in the family’s private mausoleum will be held on Saturday morning, September 28, 2024, at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, NJ for family and friends. 

Please go to: www.grayfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org). 

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Timothy Michael Doerr, please visit our flower store.

Make a donation to Alzheimer's Association - National Office in memory of Timothy Michael Doerr

- Sally Doerr

Article below is from Professor Larry Carlson for https://texaslsn.org

Another of the Longhorn greats from the '63 national championship team, linebacker Tim Doerr, has passed away. Doerr, who later coached on Darrell Royal's Texas staff, had been living in Naples, FL.

He was a typically rugged and under-sized, sure-tackling DKR-style player who hailed from Cleburne, like four other notable Horns of the era, Pat Culpepper, David McWilliams, Howard Goad and Fred Sarchet.

Listed at 5-11, 185 pounds, Doerr teamed with the legendary and much larger linebacker, Tommy Nobis (6-2, 230) to anchor a Texas defense that famously stonewalled national champion Alabama and Joe Namath on a goal-line in the Orange Bowl after the '64 season. It was Doerr's final game and he made it count, as Texas finished 10-1 to conclude a three-year career in which the Longhorns won 30, lost 2 and tied one.

Tim began his varsity days with the '62 team that posted Texas's first unbeaten (9-0-1) regular season, then bettered it the next year, when UT won the university's first national championship, notching perfection at 11-0.

Always dependable, Doerr seemed to play his best when stakes were highest. He had 12 tackles in '63 when second-ranked Texas creamed number one Oklahoma, 28-7. A year later on the second Saturday in October, Doerr had an early interception that sparked the Horns, who had fallen behind early but then found another gear and cruised to beat OU by a second straight 28-7 count.

The classic book by immortal broadcaster Kern Tips – Football, Texas Style – featured a color photo capturing Doerr (#32) running out from the Cotton Bowl ramp behind teammate Anthony King, number 20.

Doerr, who won a national title at UT as both a player ('63) and coach ('70) was also a successful high school coach. At Liberty in East Texas, he mentored Jay Arnold, a quarterback who became a starting DE for the Longhorns, then closed his Texas career ('71-'73) as an All-Southwest Conference defensive back.

Captain of the 1971 Longhorns Tommy Woodard says,

I had the honor and privilege to call Coach Doerr my high school defensive coordinator when I was 15, back in 1965. He was also my geometry teacher at Abilene, Tx.

He and David McWilliams took me under their wings when they figured out I had a terrible home life. He taught me the ins and outs of being a linebacker, and both were instrumental in me getting a scholarship to the school of my dreams.

He was loved and respected by everyone!

Thank you Coach Doerr for all you did for me…May you rest in peace.

Tommy Woodard

I was saddened to read the article on Coach Doerr's passing.  If permissable I would like to email my condolences to Mrs Doerr, if not,  please forward my condolence.  Coach Doerr interviewed for the head coaching job in Beeville, unfortunately dad was the only member of the school board to vote for Coach Doerr.  Coach Doerr understood my predictament with the past coach and encouraged and inspired me to be the best player on the field, to become a leader and to understand and improve on defeat.  "HOOK EM" Jim Moreno

Rosanne Leonard Nabors

I grew up and still live in Cleburne TX. Tim was a Cleburne Yellow Jacket and a super star. My parents, Billy Jack and Willie Leonard, were big Yellow Jacket supporters and we never missed a game. Tim was a major part of my childhood along with Pat Culpepper, David McWilliams and Howard Goad. We followed them all in their UT careers. My uncle Joe Leonard was superintendent of Liberty Independent School District where Tim coached. So Tim was a big part of our family. I'm so sorry to hear of his passing. He was a good man as well as a good player. He will be missed.

Jay Arnold

Rest in peace, Coach. You helped many boys become good men. You were loved by your players, teammates and friends. Bless Sally and the entire Doerr family that he loved so much.   Your suffering is no more.

Chuck Taylor,

Coach Doerr recruited me my senior year from Ft. Worth. Never will forget him showing up at my HS, his in home visit, dinner and UT presentation done from a 16mm projector set up in our den. Outstanding Coach/Player...pure class. A really good person. Prayers for his family, loved ones and all the young lives he touched...