Walk-on Donny Eckhardt tells his story about Aggies and more.

Foreword by Billy Dale

Thanks to a TLSN Facebook subscriber, Marcy Johnson, Donny Eckhardt Jr.’s story is now chronicled in the walk-on section of TLSN. Donny shares some wonderful memories of the Texas and Texas A&M games. But what intrigued me most was that he was a walk-on at Texas. Many may not realize that college football decision-makers are considering eliminating walk-on players, and that would be a terrible decision. Recruiting is not an exact science; it’s an educated guessing game at best. Great athletes often slip through the cracks and don’t receive a scholarship. Currently, Taaffe is a perfect example of a talented player who went unrecognized during the recruitment process.
What matters most to me, as a former player for the Longhorns, is my admiration for the spirit of walk-on players. Stan Mauldin, the captain in 1971, and Tom Campbell, a member of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, both started for Texas as walk-ons. These young men believed in their abilities and worked hard to prove themselves. Those who succeeded became inspiring stories of perseverance, akin to Horatio Alger’s tales.
As you read Donny’s story, consider his burnt orange spirit. Remember, there are those who wish to extinguish the flames of many who dare and dream big.

Donny Eckhardt Jr Article

My Memories of Texas vs Texas aTm
Everyone in Texas is excited about tonight’s game in College Station, which will determine who plays Georgia in the SEC Championship next week. Due to the thirteen-year absence of this game, emotions would be elevated even if the stakes were not so high.
I was born just off the University of Texas campus at St. David’s Hospital in Austin when my father started law school at UT, so I was indoctrinated early. I used to go to College Station in the summers when my grandfather, D.M. (Pat) Cook, taught at the fire school in College Station during the Summers. My first visit was when I was about six years old; the fire students and instructors would eat their meals in the Aggie dining halls. I was terrified the first time I entered the dining hall because I knew the Aggies would realize I was a Longhorn. My Great-great Grandfather, William Eckhardt, was in the first graduating class at Texas aTm, and his son William, Jr, also attended Aggieland; as in most families, you always want the next generation to do better than the last; the following three Eckhardt generations attended The University of Texas at Austin.
My first memory of attending this game was in 1974 when I was eleven. My mom got us tickets in the end zone. The wind chill factor was 20 degrees, and it was intermittently raining. I only had a white Texas windbreaker. Texas went up 14-0 in the first minute of the game and went on to win 32-3. I refused to leave until the last play.
I also remember the 1977 game in College Station, where Earl Campbell cemented his Heisman with 222 yards rushing and four touchdowns, and I was in the lower level in that magical moment when Ricky Williams broke the All-Time NCAA career rushing record in 1998 with 259 rushing yards. A patient gave me tickets to the 1999 game in College Station after the bonfire tragedy, and I sat on the front row behind the Aggie bench; every time Texas made a mistake, the TV camera panned in on me. I think we were all pulling for the Aggies that year; they won.
The most important memory to me was in 1982. I had a decent high school football career at Spring Branch, where I led district 17-5A in rushing my senior year, but I did not have the speed to get heavily recruited; I did turn down the Air Force Academy on signing day. Like many Texas boys, I dreamed of playing for the Longhorns. In March of that year, Coach McWilliams invited me to come up to Austin and have a talk. They asked me to walk on to the football team, and since I was already accepted and planning to study premed, I wholeheartedly accepted the invitation.
August training camp started, and we had four freshman running backs: Anthony Bryarly from Newton, Mike January from Lake Charles, Louisiana, the father of current Longhorn DT, Alex January, Jimmy McDavid from Memphis Boys Academy, and me. My first day was not very good; I tripped over the dummies in the gauntlet drill, I had no idea how to run the ropes, and when practice ended, I told Coach Thompson I wanted to stay after and practice what I did wrong, he asked me, “which part?” I got a little better, and just before the season started, they moved Jimmy and me out of the walk-on locker room and into the varsity locker room.
Texas had a pretty good year in 1982. We finished 13th in the country and went 9-3, with our only SWC loss to Seniors Eric Dickerson and Craig James and the best team money could buy at SMU. I spent most of my practices on the scout team, trying to imitate those guys.
The 1982 game was played on Thanksgiving Day and was one of the few times it was not televised. It was a relatively cold 49 degrees with light rain. Texas was led by 1,000-yard rusher Darryl Clark, who had 16 carries for 137 yards, and the designated Touchdown machine, Ervin Davis, scored three touchdowns and added 70 yards rushing. To demonstrate how the game has changed, Texas quarterbacks Todd Dodge and Robert Brewer were a combined 6/10 for 145 yards passing.
At 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, fellow Spring Branch Bear Mike Luck scored on an 8-yard run and made it 53-10 Texas. I was wisely standing near Coach Fred Akers, and he looked at me and said, “Donny, when we get the ball back, you’re in at fullback.” Wouldn’t you know it, the Aggies, led by Gary Kubiak, went on an 11-play, 56-yard drive that took seven minutes and scored with 47 seconds left in the game, but that still left me 40 seconds to play.
I went in. The Longhorns had Danny Akers at quarterback, Michael (Hound) Brown from Lake Highlands at tailback, and Donny Eckhardt at fullback. T
he call was 71, a fullback lead over the left guard. Longtime NFL Lineman Adam Schreiber was the left guard; he took his man out of the hole, which left me and my 188 pounds in an Oklahoma drill with an Aggie All-American linebacker. I lost; they tackled Hound for a 1-yard gain. We had time for one more play, and Coach Akers yelled at Danny to run whatever he wanted. I lobbied in the huddle to get the ball, but Danny called a sweep, which also went for no gain. Texas celebrated a 53-16 win against the Aggies in Jackie Sherrill’s first year, and I achieved my dream of playing for Texas.
This game is so important to the people in this state, and I am so glad we get to watch these teams square off tonight. Hook ‘Em Horns!!!