DKR last night

C

Chaz

< 25 Posts
Last night I went to the Texas Exes meeting in Bryan-College Station. It was held in conjunction with a scholarship meeting for Will Birdwell from Bryan,class of '96, who died in a car wreck last September.Coach Royal was the speaker and the place was packed with Horns and Aggies from the area. My good friend Bill Payne gave the introduction for Coach Royal. Bill told about how Coach was noted not only winning with class but for exhibiting the same class when he lost. Bill told the story about losing to Arkansas in '65. For those who do not remember Texas was ranked #1 before the game.
Texas was driving for a touchdown on the first series. Phil Harris got hit at the line and the ball popped out to an Arkansas player who caught the ball in mid-air and went about 90 yards for a touchdown. Shotrly thereafter Harris fumbled a punt and the Hogs recovered in the end zone for a second tohchdown. By now we were down 14 points and the Hogs did not even have a first down.We came back and the score was Texas 24 and the Hogs 20 late in the game. The Hogs had trouble moving the ball all day. They took over with a few minutes left and about 80 yards to go. QB Jon Btittenum got hot and kept completing pass after pass to Bobby Crockett on down and outs. Finally Crockett caught a touchdown pass on the Hogs only drive of the game to win 27 to 24.The papers the next day blamed the loss on Phil Harris. On the Darrell Royal show the next day Coach had Phil sitting next to him. Coach wanted to let every one know that Phil Harris was one of the heroes because even if he made mistakes he was a member of the Longhorn team and he helped bring the team back to the brink of victory and was not even on the field when Arkansas drove down for the winning touchdown. He even congratulated Arkansas for their victory. He did this in a classy way and did not whine or make excuses.I also got to shake his hand and tell him about how I always remember the 1964 Cotton Bowl when Wayne Hardin,coach of #2 Navy, told national television that when #2 beats #1 they become #1. In response Coach simply said " We're ready" We then promptly drilled Roger Staubach and Navy 28 to 6.He also had goods things to say about Mack Brown and the way the program is heading, how he(Coach Royal) was hired in 1957, how Mack was hired and other things that I cannot remember. But the best thing that he said was how The University is bigger than athletics.It was wonderful sharing some old memories with old Horns and some of the old Aggies about the DKR days.I also saw Crown Prince Liam who is a friend of mine.Also Coach Royal told about how the Hook 'Em Horns started along with saying that the Longhorn and Aggie Bands were the heart and soul of each football game.Hook 'Em[This message has been edited by Chaz (edited 04-12-2000).]
 
Chaz - thanks for the report -- very enjoyable early morning reading; in fact, it was a nice step up from reading the legal reports that are the hallmark of today's sports sections.Apparently, DKR has maintained his standards. If you were at the Spring game, you probably appreciated -- as so many of us did -- Mack's comment about Darrell stopping the rain.Interesting also that both Horns and Aggies enjoyed the evening together. We lost some of our perspective during the past three decades, but it looks like Mack is getting it back.
 
Through "the luck of the draw" I have, since I was a small boy, been able to socialize occasionally with Coach Royal. It has always been impressive to me that a man who is regarded as "a legend" is always friendly and warm. At one function a person introduced himself to Coach Royal with a statement something like "I just always wanted to meet you so I came up just to shake your hand." Coach Royals response was "Well, I'm very glad you did." He then took a couple of minutes to chat with the stranger and showed as much interest as if the person was a close friend. My retelling of this story loses something in the retelling, but the point is that Royal is genuine to a rare degree.He is deserving of his "Legendary Status".------------------
Hail! Hail! The gang's all here.
 
I knew Will Birdwell. he was a great person and is missed. that is all
 
Darrell is just a tremendous person. He never stops growing as a human being. I guess that's what impresses me most about this man.If you ever want the proper perspective on what the A&M/Texas rivalry should be .....go talk to Coach Royal, ....he has it. Not one ounce of vitriol.Asked what his thoughts were about playing for Oklahoma and then coming down the tunnel for Texas, he compared it to a kid's pickup game of 'shirts versus skins'. No matter whether you are a shirt or a skin, you try to win the game. Be loyal to yourself. Darrell transcends 'okieness' (see next post below).He talked about the Wishbone and how Emory Bellard took what the Nederland Bulldogs were doing and made a few minor adjustments ......then how Mickey Herskowitz gave it a name.He spoke of "The Call" against Arkansas in '69 .....disected it from every possible angle and used it to compare the setbacks we all have in life. "Sometimes you just have to swing from the ground."He also talked about the often misunderstood Willie Nelson and gave us some insight into his soft side.He spoke of Bud Wilkinson and how the 'Great One' was his mentor, but he never copied the man. 'Be your own person.'When the list of names came out of prospective candidates for the Texas job in 1957, there were 124 names on the list. Darrell Royal was not one of those names. The first two guys, Bobby Dodd at GaTech and Duffy Daugherty at MichSt. turned the job down. The committee realized that they should probably take a chance on a new, young coach, and asked both of these men who they would recommend. Independently, they named Royal .....and the rest is history.Royal talked about the fit of Mack Brown and UT......how the double edged sword of high expectations is both the strength and weakness of support for Texas football. He mentioned that, in his opinion, Mack Brown will be here for the long haul. "You might hear people say that he won't stick around .....they're wrong".Advice to prospective coaches, "Go some place where they care." Interesting, you can hide at the Rutgers or Utah States, but you can never achieve the things in life that you want to achieve.Privately, I had a chance to trade a few Buckshot Underwood stories. Anybody from the Golden Triangle in the '50's and '60's knows about 'the legend' of Port Arthur.John David Crow, Darrell Royal, Charlie Gray and Bill Birdwell all talked about the tragic loss of life that each has experienced in their families. It was a very emotional evening.Football is just a game.[This message has been edited by CrownPrinceLiam (edited 04-13-2000).]
 
Yup. Ol dkr is just your average, typical okie. Friendly, genuine, down-to-earth and well-liked by all. Good to see ya'll supporting one of us fine, upstanding Oklahomans.
 
C&CD,I grew up in Tulsa and will agree with you 100% about how (nearly all) Okies are "Friendly, genuine, down-to-earth and well-liked by all." One of only a handful of occasions where I'll actually agree with you on this board. B O B[This message has been edited by Burnt Orange Bevo (edited 04-12-2000).]
 
NTBob - appreciated your observations re the way DKR gives strangers more than their due. I first met him in my salad days -- fresh out of school. My wife and I stopped by the department of athletics unannounced on a trip through Austin, and to my everlasting amazement, he invited me into his office and sat and talked with me like I actually deserved the conversation. It's as good a first impression as I've ever had of a man.To this day, my wife and I laugh about who got the better deal that day: while I was in talking with Darrell, she met Cotton Speyrer (who was waiting for his conference with Royal) and passed the time chatting with him.
 
You know, it always amazes me how Sooners come out of the woodwork to point out that DKR was born in Oklahoma and played for OU but during the 20 years he coached at Texas they said the most vile things about him, attempted to trash his character and generally held him in contempt. Few of them even know that while in the Air Force in Tampa he asked a member of the UT freshman team named Kenny Baker to write a letter to UT coaches asking for a try out. Only after he received no word from them did he wind up at OU.In 1966 OU offered DKR a pile of money to "come home" and coach the Sooners. He politely declined. That, ladies and gents is called "voting with your feet."
 
Is there some place where I can go to find out more about DKR? I'm young, but I know who he is and have read a bunch of his quotes. But I would love to find a site or book that I could get some more of the good 'ole DKR stories. Thanks for your help.Hook 'em!
 
JS Horns 03,
Go to Amazon.com and type in Darrell Royal. There are a couple of books and the video tape that came out a couple of years ago. I thought that the video tape was pretty good, plus you get to "relive" "The Shootout". Well, if you are young, as you say, it won't really be to "relive" but "experience for the first time."------------------
Hail! Hail! The gang's all here.
 
I got the chance to meet Coach Royal when I played in a Longhorn Foundation Golf tourney. I was looking for the cart that I was assigned to. The carts are always lined up with your name and the name of the athletic staff member that you are going to play with. I walked up to the cart and there was my name and then D.ROYAL. Well, I thought, hmm, must be some guy named Dave Royal or Doug Royal that works in the athletics department. I wonder who that is? Thinking that it would only be impossible that it was actually DARRELL ROYAL. So I put my bag on the cart and went off to register and all that. Then went back to the cart and there he was. Coach Royal. Well, I about fell over. I couldn't believe that it was himself.I was so nervous. I am not a great golfer by any standard and I knew he was a pretty fair player and competitive about it as well. I'm thinking, Oh great, my one chance to be with Coach Royal and I am going to make a complete *** of myself in front of him. So I just told him, Coach, I'm not much of a player and I'm so nervous having to tee off in front of you that I just don't know if I can handle this. He just said, Well, I don't know why you would be nervous in front of one of your friends. Lets just go out there and have some fun together.He put me completely at ease and made me feel like we had known each other for 20 years in about the span of 5 minutes.The rest of the story only gets better. I got to spend 18 holes of golf with him and we talked about everything, even a little football. I came away even more impressed with him than my image of him before I met him. It was a great blessing to be with him and he truly is a fine and good man. I'll never forget that three and a half hours.
 
rugby,Out of the woodwork? Really? I've commented on dkr's "okieness" probably 10-15 different times. What's really funny is how some of you try to claim he's sworn his "okieness" off. Guess what? "He's a' Sooner born, and Sooner bred, and when he dies, he'll be Sooner dead. Rah Oklahoma, rah Oklahoma, rah Oklahomaaaaaaaaa, OKU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That just kills ya'll don't it?
 
CP LIam: Bear Bryant was a close friend of DKR, and he also lobbied hard for UT to hire Darrell. This was while Bear was still at A&M.Nice report, guys.
 
Dean, sorry, no. DKR's a Texan through and through. as I said earlier, he had a great opportunity to go back to Oklahoma, coach the Sooners and be rich to boot but he said "I'll take Texas.""Oh, you know what they say; home is where the heart is. Well my heart is in Texas. I never want to coach anywhere but the University of Texas and I never want to live anywhere but Texas. I was raised by my Grandma Harmon and she was a Texan, I think she'd be happy to know I'm a Texan too."
-- DKR in the Houston Post on why he turned down an offer to coach the New England Patriots.His bones will go into the ground south of the River Red right where his heart is.Funny thing, Bud Wilkinson (from Minneanapolis, Minn.) made his name coaching the Sooners from 1947 to 1963. And yet when his coaching career came to a halt he chose not to live in Oklahoma but in St. Louis, Missouri. Wonder why?Ouch.
 
Awesome posts guys. I got to meet DKR following last year's spring game, and he exuded such class, warmth, and sincerity that it made me even more impressed with him. As many have noted, he makes people feel important, no matter who they are. In that and other areas, he and Mack Brown are very similar. I recall a former North Carolina player rave about Mack that same way as we do DKR. He talked about how he was just a benchwarmer in the early 60's, but Mack made him feel like he was a Heisman Trophy winner. Darrell seems to have that quality in bucket fulls.
 
Darrell and Mack both seem to be aware of a very important, but seldom applied, principle in the art of living -- that is: you should show some respect for every one of your fellow human beings. For one thing, you never know who the "stranger" might turn out to be. DKR and MB would probably be the first to tell you that they often have received help from sources that could not have been anticipated.It's only fair that you can't plan those things -- to reap the benefits (many of which are intangible) of that approach, you have to actually be that kind of person consistently and naturally. That's probably why there aren't many, and the few are held in such high regard.If we actually have two of these guys associated with Texas football, we are blessed indeed. And, yeah, we may win a few games.
 
About 10 years ago my mother passed away and I found myself at Dallas Love Field waiting to pick up a relative for the funeral. For some reason I waited outside until the plane arrived and while there I looked over and saw Darrell Royal waiting to be picked up also. I wanted to go over, meet him and thank him for all he had done for UT but I did not have the guts and just stood there, dejected about my mother and feeling really low. Well, his ride came and as he drove by he looked over at me and smiled and waved at me. It was as if all my problems evaporated with that wave and smile. It was for me a remarkable moment. I later wrote him and told him my story and thanked him as I should have that day. He wrote me back the nicest letter that I still have and told me that the next time I saw him to come up and say hello. He also wrote some very touching things about my loss. With that wave and smile he lived up to all of my expectations and hopes about what kind of man he really is. A great man.
 
These are great stories from the others, and I am glad to have had the chance to share my thoughts on this topic.Just wanted my 100th post to get DKR ttt -- right where he belongs.
 
Simply an outstanding thread. Thanks for posting all these great anecdotes. Many of them gave me chills.My late father, who never attended The University (he was a mechanic), but who instilled a love for all things Texas in my brothers and me, once spoke with Coach Royal in my presence after the Orange/White game in '72. After the conversation Dad looked at me and said, "Every young man should grow up to be like that". Those words, and the subsequent respect for Coach Royal, follow me to this day. Thanks, Coach. ------------------
Come and take it.
 
DKR is and has always been one of my heroes. Him, Tom Landry and Cliff Gustafson. We are so lucky to have had his presence at Texas for the last 45 years. Hopefully he'll still be around for a long time to come. It's not his fault he was born in Oklahoma. Hook'Em
 
Another great story...Grew up idolizing Coach Royal and have all my life. Played underneath him one year as a walk on in'71. But my best story of him occured two and half years ago.It was a couple of years or so ago when Barnes and Nobles was having a book signing in NW Austin for Darrell and John David Crow, and Doak Walker. We arrived there a little early before the book signing actually started, and we were browsing around the store downstairs checking out some interesting books. Was there with my Mom and Dad, my wife and our new born son. Well, my wife and I were standing at one end of the store looking at a couple of books and talking about them, when I looked down the lengthy aisle in which we were standing. There at the end of the aisle (which led directly to the men's/women's restrooms) was Coach Royal standing next to the wall, having a great conversation with my 79 year old Mother. They apparently had both just exited from their respective bathrooms each at the same time. Coach Royal went out of his way to introduce himself to my Mom, and as I approached them, it was obvious that they were having a great time, laughing and talking. I introduced myself, and he was very cordial but had to excuse himself to get up to the book signing.Ever since that occasion, and whenever I'm with my Mother, I always make sure that I go to the restroom with her so that if she happens to run across 'the Coach' again, I will be there to take in the whole conversation. Coach Royal, if you're reading this, thanks for being so nice to my Mom, and thanks for everthing that you've done for us at the University thruout your lifetime. Hook'em
 
As I mentioned in my first post, "dumb luck" gives me the opportunity to visit with Coach Royal on occasion. Maybe I'm his yard man or something. If you folks will keep the smack talk under wraps, I will print this thread and pass it on to him next month. Any memories of his wife Edith would also be nice. She is a swell lady.I will make liberal use of the black marker if people can't drop the smack, or just trash the whole thing (this means you, C&CD).------------------
Hail! Hail! The gang's all here.
 
Sports Illustrated mentioned this story about Edith -- it takes place in 1967, which was supposed to be "The Year of the Horns". Some of you may recall the bumper stickers that proliferated as a result of the enthusiasm for the Horns' chances that year. Unfortunately, UT got off to a rocky start (USC and OJ) that year and didn't quite accomplish everything the fans had in mind. Supposedly, Edith was driving in Austin sometime during that Fall and, as SI reported it, she almost wrecked the car when she saw a new bumper sticker that read: "Would you believe '68?"As we all know, the story has a happy ending: the 30-game winning streak started in '68, and many of the players on the '67 team were a big part of the Horns' success. Needless to say, the bumper stickers were not Darrell's idea.
 
ntbob,Smack? C'mon man, I respect the hell out of dkr. He's a fellow okie. Trust me, when I call someone an okie, it is very much a compliment. Also, even if I did say something negative I think his shoulders are broad enough to handle it. Geesh.
 
Scrap Iron,Here's a quick Buckshot Underwood story.One year, Underwood was coaching the South team while Emory Bellard was coaching the North squad in the annual Texas high school all-star game.The teams were to meet at the hotel on Sunday afternoon, check-in, find their rooms and be prepared for a big team meeting to organize for practices.Bellard walks into the hotel and is surprised to see so many young men standing around in the lobby. On second look, he notices that these kid's are scraped up with bruises and nicks and, in fact, all are on the South team.Bellard walks up to one of the kid's and says, "Son, what in the world happened to you guys....was there a fight!"The kid responds, "Oh,.....it's nothing coach, we've just been practicing for three days."
Clarence "Buckshot" Underwood was one tough hombre.[This message has been edited by CrownPrinceLiam (edited 04-13-2000).]
 
This was a very strange situation for me. I knew Will Birdwell as a child, but hadn't spoken to him in many years. And a couple of weeks ago, I came across a post describing this Birdwell Foundation. How horribly sad; he was a great guy.
 
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