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Thanks for the memories…

Posted by EyesOfTX on December 2nd, 2008 under Football

…of whipping Bobby Stoops,
Missouri saying oops,
Aggies whining, Colt was shining,
Cheerleaders doing loops,

We thank you, so much.

Oh, thanks for the memories,
A perfect Turkey Day,
Cowboys put away,
Stadium rocking, defense shocking,
Bevo eating hay,

Oh, thank you, so much.

Ok, enough of the bad lyrics.  You get the point.

Seriously, we’re all pretty upset right now with the royal screwing this great Longhorn football team and coaching staff have received at the hands of the Big 12 conference and the BCS system this week, but when all is said and done, we shouldn’t allow the sorry bastards who perpetrated this mess to detract from the amazing season we have just witnessed.

I’ve been a rabid Longhorn fan since January 1, 1964.  I was seven years old, and I clearly remember to this day exactly the spot where I was sitting on the floor in our den on Jones Street as Darrell K. Royal stood patiently listening to Navy Coach Wayne Hardin give the ABC reporter a long-winded explanation about how his team should be named national champs if they won that day, even though the Longhorns had already been proclaimed the champions in both the AP and UPI polls.  I remember my Dad letting out a little shout at the battered old 19 inch black and white Zenith when Royal responded with a simple “We’re ready.” when the reporter turned the mike to him.

 

“We’re ready.”

 The Longhorns were ready that day, as they have been so many days since.  The last 45 years have produced so many little moments in time that are frozen in my mind, and I remember exactly where I was when each of them took place with every bit the clarity that I recall being on the playground at Tyler Elementary School when I learned that President Kennedy had been killed in Dallas.

Those moments are familiar to most real Longhorn fans of any age, thanks to our living in the age of television, videotape and DVRs:

  • The Longhorns’ big win over Tennessee in the 1969 Cotton Bowl, setting the stage for the national championship seasons to follow;
  • James Street taking off on his 4th and 5 touchdown run to begin the comeback against Arkansas in the Big Shootout;
  • Street to Peschel, the greatest miracle pass and catch in the program’s history;
  • The huge win over Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl;

 

Taking out the Irish.

  • Cotton Speyrer hauling in the last minute pass to defeat UCLA in the blistering heat in September 1970 to keep the winning streak alive;
  • Alan Lowry, a converted safety playing quarterback, tight-roping the sideline to beat Bear Bryant and Alabama in the 1973 Cotton Bowl;
  • Mark McBath and John Aune going down to knee injuries in the first quarter of the 1977 Texas/OU game, and an untested Randy McEachern coming in to guide the team to a 13-6 victory;
  • Earl Campbell running up over 200 yards in the 57-28 1977 slaughter of the Aggies;
  • Robert Brewer’s quarterback draw to score the first touchdown in the Longhorns’ comeback 14-12 win over Bryant and the Tide in the 1982 Cotton Bowl;

 

Brewer gives Bear his last Cotton Bowl disappointment.

  •  Rick McIvor’s arial circus in the 45-16 beat down of A&M at Kyle in 1983.
  • The great 1990 win in Memorial Stadium on national television over #2 ranked Houston;
  • Stopping the Aggies’ two-point coversion attempt in the last minute of the great 28-27 game that same season;
  • James Brown’s incredible, courageous performance with an injured knee in Texas’s thrilling 1995 victory over the Aggies at Kyle Field, ending A&M’s decade-long dominance of the rivalry, for good;
  • Rookie Major Applewhite leading the Longhorns to an amazing victory over a very good 1998 Nebraska Team in Lincoln, breaking the Cornhuskers’ long home winning streak and signaling the arrival of a new era of dominance for Mack Brown’s program;
  • Ricky Williams breaking the all-time collegiate rushing record against the Aggies in Austin later that same season;

 

Ricky runs for the Hall of Fame.

  • Cedric Benson’s 289 yard rushing day in the 46-15 beat down of A&M in 2003;
  • Vince Young leading the incredible comeback over Oklahoma State in 2004, then capping the season with the thrilling 38-37 victory over Michigan in the program’s first ever trip to the 2005 Rose Bowl;
  • So many little vignettes from the 2006 national championship game win over USC;  Michael Griffin’s terrific first-half INT; Vince galloping through a USC defense loaded with future NFL stars for a 30 yard gain in the third quarter;  Michael Huff’s huge 4th down stop to give Texas the ball back for one last drive;  Vince taking it in for the winning score in the game’s final minute;

 

Griffin’s great INT.

  • The image of Bob Stoops standing alone and shaken on the OU sideline as the Cotton Bowl clock ticked off the final seconds of the wonderful 28-10 victory over OU in 2006;

 

Stoopsie looking for the bus that just hit his team.

  • The brutalization of Arizona State in the 2007 Holiday Bowl, the performance that signaled that this season could be special.

And what a special season it turned out to be.  The 45-35 whipping of Oklahoma ranks as the greatest college football game I’ve ever been present to witness.  The first half against Missouri was perhaps the finest all-around half of football ever played by any Texas Longhorn team.  We should never forget the way the defense sucked it up and held off a very good Oklahoma State offense to secure that big win in the fourth quarter, or the guts the entire team showed in that second half comeback against Texas Tech in Lubbock.  And the season-ending butt-kicking of the Aggies ranks as the largest margin of victory a Texas team has had in that rivalry in the modern era.  Add to those Colt McCoy’s Heisman-quality season, Brian Orakpo and Roy Miller playing at All-American levels, the dominance of the offense, dramatic improvement of the defense, and naming of the, ummm, animated Will Muschamp as the heir apparent to Mack Brown, and you have a season like few others that came before it.

 

Colt should win the Heisman.  

So we’re all disappointed right now, and we’d all like to go out and kill somebody over the robbery we’ve experienced at the hands of the suits who run the Big 12 and the BCS.  No doubt the coaches and the players feel exactly the same way.

But when all the dust has settled, and the emotions have cooled down, we’ll all have a season filled with great moments in time seared into our memories of what this great Longhorn team has accomplished.

There has truly never been a better time to be an Orangeblood.

Hook ‘em!!! 

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25 Responses

  1. Cimarrones said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 am

    I share a lot of those same memories though I was only two years old in ‘64. ;>)

    Fun read.

  2. Huckleberry said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 am

    Agreed completely. The team has wildly exceeded expectations, and those are the most fun to follow. They got screwed over by the system, but they have been a joy to follow. They were ridiculously close to being only the second team in NCAA history to go through that kind of gauntlet unscathed, which is amazing considering the preseason expectations. And I have a feeling that when Notre Dame accomplished the feat that holding was called on their opponents when it happened.

    Great job to all involved with the Longhorn program this season. Now finish the job in the bowl game.

  3. hardlymarvin said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 6:06 am

    word

  4. srr50 said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 6:11 am

    Great memories Eyes — and I’ll add one of my own.

    In 1963 I was a kid in the knothole section when Texas QB/Safety Duke Carlisle stepped in front of All-American reciever Lawrence Elkins to intercept a pass from Don Trull and preserve a 7-3 win (and the #1 ranking) over Baylor.

    Carlisle saved Tommy Stockton from suffering the fate of Blake Gideon this year. Stockton had fumbled at mid-field as Texas was running our the clock, giving the Bears a shot at the win.

    There are others, but your list puts some salve on our wounds.

    Thanks

  5. dedfischer said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 6:38 am

    With the BCS mess, I still wonder if things wouldn’t be screwed up with the old system as well. I just don’t see how it wouldn’t have turned out in just as big a mess. I’ve quit pondering the BCS as it seems like an effort in futility and just enjoy the great season Tech had. Nice read and congrats on a good season.

  6. RansomStoddard said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 am

    From someone who predicted a 3 or 4 loss season, I am stunned and amazed at the first overachieving Texas team Mack has coached. It’s a tremendous year when you get to beat Arky, the gooners, and aggy. No matter what happens from here, the program is on the right track.

  7. TaylorTRoom said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 6:50 am

    dedfischer, in the old SWC the tie-breaker would have been “the last team to win goes forward”. That would have sent Tech to the Big 12 CG, and OU and Texas would be left out. If one of those finished in the top 2, they would go to the BCS CG. If neither did, the Fiesta Bowl would pick one and the Cotton Bowl would get the other.

  8. dedfischer said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 7:05 am

    Taylor, I was at the 1995 Cotton Bowl, so I know that system has some flaws. But, it would have been nice to backdoor our way in anyhow.

  9. Huckleberry said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 7:31 am

    The right answer in the current situation is a coin flip or random draw.

    Everything else leads to ugliness, whether it’s politicking or running up the score.

  10. MadBevo said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 am

    “but when all is said and done, we shouldn’t allow the sorry bastards who perpetrated this mess to detract from the amazing season we have just witnessed.”

    I can’t get past letting it detract from the season. It is a big ol slap of “why do we follow this stuff?” Seriously, college football is worse than Survivor, and on par with Ice Skating. It sucks, and it completely sucks the joy out of following it.

    To say the whipping of a rival doesn’t matter leaves you wondering why you pay attention at all, much less put so much emotion into this stuff.

  11. dedfischer said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 8:26 am

    I agree with Huckleberry. It’s primitive and high school, but eliminates a lot of the BS. We should also go back to penetrations versus overtime for decided ties. Could you imagine Mack Brown, Mike Leach and Bob Stoops meeting at the Travel J Truck Stop in Weatherford for the coin flip? I think a playoff system would result in similar BS as well.

  12. kevwun said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 am

    We were in that same situation and we didn’t.

  13. TaylorTRoom said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Eyes, great tribute to an amazing team.

  14. 4th and 5 said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 9:54 am

    I got a little teary eyed reading that. Well done.

  15. Bobby Jack Akina said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am

    Roll Left, 1996 Big 12 Championship Game.

  16. Show Horn said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 10:50 am

    Great, great write up there Eyes. I too got a little misty eyed…must be my age catching up with me.

    You know I thought that with the addition of Muschamp this year that this team had a good chance at being good….just not this good. Congrats all around to a heady Horns team.

  17. Brandon 97 said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    I wanted someone to do something like this, and am glad that you stepped up to the plate.

    Before the season started, if you had told me that we would be 11-1 and have wins over ou and tamu, I wouldn’t have believed it. This was going to be a rebuilding year. The magic was supposed to wait until next year.

    And yet, here we are. I am upset at the way this ended, but am thrilled at the ride along the way. This team over achieved, and very few of Mack’s teams have done that.

    Hook ‘em.

  18. DBH said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    “In 1963 I was a kid in the knothole section when Texas QB/Safety Duke Carlisle stepped in front of All-American reciever Lawrence Elkins to intercept a pass from Don Trull and preserve a 7-3 win (and the #1 ranking) over Baylor.”

    srr50,

    I was out in my backyard (throwing passes to myself)listening to Kern Tipps describe that play on my transistor radio.

    Eyes, I’ve got two years on you but I only discovered the Horns a little earlier that year when they whupped #1 OkieSux and put Bud Wilkinson out to pasture. I remember the 1-1-64 Cotton Bowl and 1-1-65 Orange Bowl vividly. Great memories. Thanks for post…

  19. Trips Right said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm

  20. Demi said:

    December 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Thank you for the moving piece, Eyes. It’s a keeper. Beautifully done.

  21. J.R.69 said:

    December 3rd, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Eyes: Great post. I’d like to add a few that you, because of your youth, may not have been aware of. :-)

    * Royal’s immediate turn-around of the program from 1-9 in ‘56 to 7-3 in ‘57. (or was it 6-3-1?)

    * The Horns’ 15-14 victory over OU in ‘58, ending a long drought and the start of 8 straight over OU.

    * The incomparably powerful (except for TCU anomaly) ‘61 team. Such dominance as has never been seen since, including 2005. Except for TCU, every game was essentially over after the first possession, no matter which team had the ball. The defense was just as overpowering as the offense. The only other UT team that I’ve seen that approached this dominance was the ‘68 team after the OU game. They pimp-slapped everyone they played after OU.

    * The ‘65 Orange Bowl victory over Alabama and Namath. Although the Horns were underdogs to #1 Ala, I dreamed the night before that UT won 21-7. This turned out to be the halftime score and UT actually won 21-17. (Hell, maybe I just misread the numbers in my dream)

    Again, great read. Thanks.

    Oh, and SRR50, a couple of nits to pick: “i” before “e” except after “c”. :) And the ‘63 score was 7-0 UT over Baylor.

  22. BatesHorn said:

    December 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 am

    I’ll add one: the 70-7 over CU in 2005. Vindication for 2001, knowing we had just ended Barnett’s Career.

    I’ve never, never seen a more dominate football performance, even when Westlake was violating Anderson back in the early 90’s.

    Many great memories. Thanks Eyes.

  23. Bakhorn22 said:

    July 25th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    Great read! What about some earlier history of the program with DX Bible who put Texas on the map prior to Darrell Royal?

    The Renaissance Game of 1939 when Texas beat Arkansas by 1 point in the final seconds to revitalize the program.
    The great teams of the 1940’s. The Catch in 1940 setting up the TD over #1 A&M.
    The 8-1-1 team of 1941 ranked number 1.
    Texas’ first bowl apperance and bowl win against GA Tech in the 1943 Cotton Bowl. Stunning upsets over #7 Alabama in the 1947 Sugar Bowl, upset over Georgia in the 1949 Orange Bowl.

    Great read!

  24. Coder92 said:

    October 22nd, 2009 at 6:30 am

    He said that it is a converted pulp and paper plant, using lignin for process energy. ,

  25. Miss100 said:

    October 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 am

    Ford Prefect managed to change it a little before getting stuck on Earth. ,

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