1963 Team - 1st Longhorn National Champions!

[msucolt45 3978]

They are going to be honored prior or during the Rice game. I was hoping for a night game, but I digress. It’ll be the 2nd time I’ve been able to take a picture of my Dad on the Jumbotron, or whatever they call it now.

 

There’re mostly 80+, so they are going to squeeze them into suites on the South or West side, after going on the field. I’ll be sweating my ass off on the North end taking pictures of him on the big board!

 

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

They’re- Fng Beer fingers!

Hook’em!!!

[LTtxfan 48823]

[Tex Long 4308]

The second-best game that season was at College Station, Thanksgiving Day, less than a week after JFK was murdered.

Chilly 50s, gray skies, rain off and on, wet fans, wet field, and aggy had us knocked off the #1 pedestal, dead to rights. We scored first, with a shoeless Tony Crosby FG, but hadn't scored again, while aggy put up 13. We finally scored early in the 4th, but as the clock ticked away, we still trailed by four points. We were so desperate at the end that we were actually throwing forward passes. aggy intercepted us. Sealed the deal, all they had to  do was take a knee and run out the clock. But no, they had to run it back. We closed in on the guy with the ball. All he had to do was take a knee and run out the clock. But no, he had to lateral to one of his aggy teammates. aggy only had eleven men on the field, no twelfth man, so the lateral went haywire, we leaped on the soggy, bouncing ball. First and ten. We stuffed it down their throat, scored on a Duke Carlisle sneak with about a minute left, and the rest is history.

The best game was kicking the living shit out of #2 Navy and their Heisman winning QB in the Cotton Bowl. You might have heard of Roger Staubach? But that's another story.

[statsman 5369]

It started in tragedy. Pre-season two a days in 1962, and a player died from the heat. Texas, like every other team (and the US Army), practiced water denial to build toughness. Royal was so broken up, he swore he wouldn’t deny water again, even though everything he had been taught told him that his team would be weaker for it. 
 
In 1963, Texas didn’t have its characteristic “off” game. They started the season strong and stayed strong throughout. Imagine that!

Edited August 12, 2023 by statsman

[msucolt45 3978]

Dad always said that the year prior, in the Cotton Bowl vs LSU, was the trigger to change. Even though the score was close, LSU out “physically” played the Horns from beginning to end. He said that following off-season Spring and Fall camp prepared them more than ever before. Rooster Andrews literally turned up the heat and worked their butts off inside the West side locker room/weight room.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

It started in tragedy. Pre-season two a days in 1962, and a player died from the heat. Texas, like every other team (and the US Army), practiced water denial to build toughness. Royal was so broken up, he swore he wouldn’t deny water again, even though everything he had been taught told him that his team would be weaker for it. 
 
In 1963, Texas didn’t have its characteristic “off” game. They started the season strong and stayed strong throughout. Imagine that!

Not to be a “sheltered child”, but my Dad didn’t agree with the fictional book “Meat on the Hoof” about UT Football, just like my Uncle didn’t like the movie “Platoon”. He was a helicopter pilot and did three tours and he said all the movie showed was “them” getting drunk and high during their off-time. Definitely Hollywood!

Hook’em!!!

[Hagbard Celine 10657]

my frosh/soph jester crew included olen underwood's son so i visited their home in conroe one time

underwood was one of juniors that played a lot in '63

drafted by the ginas in '65 he went to the oilers in '66, spent 5 years and then finished in '71 with 1 year in denver

there were 2 photos on the wall, 1 each in action for the oilers and broncos

he didn't have a lot of nfl memorabilia in his house, and only 1 football that i saw; i didn't ask about it

still alive and a judge in conroe age 81

i wonder how many are going to be there?

 

[msucolt45 3978]

Dad said last week that there is less than 40 of them.

Hook’em!!!

[Hagbard Celine 10657]

this is most definitely the last gathering

there will be a handful alive in '33

does your dad have one of these?  how many on the '63 roster earned one?  iirc you had to letter *twice*

 

[Hagbard Celine 10657]

do you have any siblings?  who gets this?:

[msucolt45 3978]

Yes - he wears that and his “T-Ring” to all UT events. He usually just wears his T-Ring, as it’s enscribed from Coach Royal on the inside. Back when he started the “T Ring” Coach Royal paid for it himself, then UT took over for college athletes that graduated.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

My Dad will be buried with his T-Ring. I might get his ‘63 ring, but it might go with him too.

Hook’em!!!

[Hagbard Celine 10657]

is that his decision or your intention?

[msucolt45 3978]

He did say that his T - Ring will go with him.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

I’ve told this story before, probably on the previous site, but my Dad was like “Rudy” a decade before there was a “Rudy”,

Part of his “partial” scholarship was to work in the Athletic Dining Hall during the evenings.
Can you imagine busting your ass off, then hurrying up to shower so you can “platter serve” dinner with guys you just practiced with. Then help clean up the kitchen afterwards. All in order to do the same the next day.

Hook’em!!!

That was his Freshman year.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

He won’t really reflect on his years on the 40 and his time being on the team, as he always referenced the success of the Team. He was truly a “Team Player”, as he didn’t “letter” until his Senior year in 1963.

Hookem!!!

[TornACL 7666]

Who died in 1962? Can't recall ever hearing that story.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21780]

Reggie Grob.  He has a high school stadium named after him I believe.  Three players collapsed at practice.  Two recovered, but Grob died of kidney failure a couple of weeks after being admited to the hospital.

[msucolt45 3978]

is that his decision or your intention?

No - he’s always said that his T- Ring will go with him, as he earned it and was given to him by DKR Himself . Coach Royal was actually recruiting in the Houston area and he attended my parents wedding in 1967. Deer Park was his first job coaching, where he met my mother.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

Reggie Grob.  He has a high school stadium named after him I believe.  Three players collapsed at practice.  Two recovered, but Grob died of kidney failure a couple of weeks after being admited to the hospital.

My Dad was there, as they used to cross the creek bed to get to practice. All I can say that it was a hydration issue, as all my Dad was a “scout team” player his first couple of years.

He actually had over 50 stitches to his face/body from practice, yes they had face masks and we’re talking about practice!

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

Back then all players had a 2nd position on the other side of the ball. Tommy Nobis was actually an offensive guard his Sophmore year and my Dad said he hated having to go up against him in practice, yes we’re talking practice!

Hook’em!!!

[Armybrat 40648]

[msucolt45 3978]

ArmyBrat - you were there. It was a different era compared to today.

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 3978]

It’s getting “dusty” in my house, so I’ll leave this thread alone.

Hook’em!!!

[Armybrat 40648]

57 minutes ago, msucolt45 said:

Back then all players had a 2nd position on the other side of the ball. Tommy Nobis was actually an offensive guard his Sophmore year and my Dad said he hated having to go up against him in practice, yes we’re talking practice!

Hook’em!!!

We heard at the time prior to practices at the field across the west side of Waller Creek that Nobis would “warm up” by running into one of the oak trees with his shoulder pads.

My SIL tutored him for his English class one semester - a photo from that class appeared in the newspaper (or Sports Illustrated, don’t recall which) when they did a feature story about him. RIP

SIL went on to be something of a longtime (44 years) legendary AP English teacher at Round Rock High School.

[tejas60 3521]

If Mr. Buckalew is there, tell him an old Sargent neighbor says hello. Heard some good stories from that man. 

[Ignatius 3990]

6 hours ago, msucolt45 said:

Not to be a “sheltered child”, but my Dad didn’t agree with the fictional book “Meat on the Hoof” about UT Football, just like my Uncle didn’t like the movie “Platoon”. He was a helicopter pilot and did three tours and he said all the movie showed was “them” getting drunk and high during their off-time. Definitely Hollywood!

Hook’em!!!

What do you mean by ‘fictional’?

[msucolt45 3978]

I was told that the author had “loosely based” access and was highly opinionated. I digress and never read it.

It’s kind of like being a Cowboys fan and not agreeing with the movie “North Dallas 40”.

Hook’em!!!

[Royale with cheese 1431]

23 hours ago, Tex Long said:

The second-best game that season was at College Station, Thanksgiving Day, less than a week after JFK was murdered.

Chilly 50s, gray skies, rain off and on, wet fans, wet field, and aggy had us knocked off the #1 pedestal, dead to rights. We scored first, with a shoeless Tony Crosby FG, but hadn't scored again, while aggy put up 13. We finally scored early in the 4th, but as the clock ticked away, we still trailed by four points. We were so desperate at the end that we were actually throwing forward passes. aggy intercepted us. Sealed the deal, all they had to  do was take a knee and run out the clock. But no, they had to run it back. We closed in on the guy with the ball. All he had to do was take a knee and run out the clock. But no, he had to lateral to one of his aggy teammates. aggy only had eleven men on the field, no twelfth man, so the lateral went haywire, we leaped on the soggy, bouncing ball. First and ten. We stuffed it down their throat, scored on a Duke Carlisle sneak with about a minute left, and the rest is history.

The best game was kicking the living shit out of #2 Navy and their Heisman winning QB in the Cotton Bowl. You might have heard of Roger Staubach? But that's another story.

The aggy idiot (is that redundant?) who tried the ill-fated lateral was John Brotherton of Mineola. Played against him. Bad dude. Lots of muscle. Most of it between his ears. Obviously. 

[LTtxfan 48823]

1963 Longhorns...

 

2013 for 50th Aniversary

 

 

[Armybrat 40648]

msucolt45 - you have a private message.

[Laga4 1270]

5 hours ago, Royale with cheese said:

The second-best game that season was at College Station, Thanksgiving Day, less than a week after JFK was murdered.

I've got to put that 7-0 Baylor game at Memorial Stadium right there with the aggy game.  

That was one of the most exciting games I have ever seen.  

Trull and Elkins went up and down the field all day but couldn't score and then the Carlisle interception to end it.

Good stuff. 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Laga4

[Ignatius 3990]

23 hours ago, msucolt45 said:

I was told that the author had “loosely based” access and was highly opinionated. I digress and never read it.

It’s kind of like being a Cowboys fan and not agreeing with the movie “North Dallas 40”.

Hook’em!!!

You have been grossly misinformed; Meat On The Hoof was a work of non-fiction written by a scholarship athlete who played under Royal, and was a member of the team over whom this thread was started. That’s not ‘loosely based’, he wrote what he saw and expressed his opinions about it. It infuriated a lot of people who thought DKR and Frank Medina could do no wrong, but he was there and we weren’t.

North Dallas Forty was never billed as anything other than fictional, even though the author based much of it on his actual experience as a Cowboys receiver. Neither of this were written by someone with ‘loosely based’ access…

[Armybrat 40648]

At the time, most seemed to discount it as written by a disgruntled player. As you can imagine, it didn’t sell well in Austin. 
It did stir a minor controversy in the Austin newspaper.
He probably wasn’t the only one, but Royal didn’t quite go all “Junction Boys” on his teams, from what I heard second hand.

[msucolt45 3978]

Dad sent this to me from last nights dinner at the UT Golf Club. ‘63 Team Anniversary.

Hook’em!!!