Here's an idea: tie a Mack Brown critic to a train track. When he starts to complain about an approaching train comfort him with these words--"don't worry, as long as you've been tied up to this track no train has run you over yet--that means it is never going to happen." Ridiculous? Sure, but this is the type of argument that some Mack Brown critics like to use--Brown hasn't won a conference championship yet, so he never will. Well, as it turns out, Brown has some pretty good company.
Like Brown, after Darrell Royal's first 4 years he was still looking for his first outright conference championship. He had shared a 3 way title in 1959 with TCU and Arkansas--but a three way tie in a 7 team conference isn't much to hang your hat on. What made the 1959 tie even more disheartening was that we lost to TCU in the second to last game of the year; a game in which a win would have ensured the conference championship. Royal also had to put up with the fact that several teams had conference bragging rights: Rice, TCU, and Arkansas had all won outright championships during Royal's first four years at Texas. To make matters even worse, he hadn't been able to come through in a bowl game yet, with Texas going 0-2-1 during DKR's first four seasons on the 40 Acres.
Nevertheless, he had done quite a bit of good. Twice he finished in the Top 20, and one of those times he finished in the Top 5 (#4 in 1959). He just hadn't been able to win "the big ones."
In his 5th season, Royal still couldn't get the monkey completely off his back as he shared another title with Arkansas. However, that year he won his first bowl game against #5 Mississippi and the Horns finished #3 in the nation.
In his sixth season he won his first outright SWC Championship. That monkey was gone, but a new one jumped on his back. The Horns dropped to 1-3-1 in bowls under Royal and finished close but not quite in the MNC hunt at #4.
Finally, in his 7th season, all monkeys were shot dead and dropped off his back. It was 1963 and the Horns won the SWC, beat #2 Navy in the Cotton Bowl, went undefeated and won the MNC.
After failing to win an outright SWC championship in his first 5 tries, Royal went on to win 7 of them. He also won 2 AP MNCs and 3 UPI MNCs. And after failing to get a bowl win in his first 3 attempts, he managed to win 8 in his next 13 tries. Among those wins were victories over #1 Bama (1964), #2 Navy (1963), #4 Alabama (1972), #5 Mississippi (1961), #8 Tennessee (1968), #9 Notre Dame (1969), and #10 Colorado (1975).
After 4 years at Texas, Brown has won two Big 12 South titles, has won 2 of 4 bowl games, and has had 3 Top 15 teams (one of which was in the Top 5). Detractors will tell you, and anyone that will listen, that Brown has yet to win a conference championship. And while they may say that leads them to conclude that he's not a great game day coach and he won't ever win a championship, deep down inside I'm pretty sure that they realize that the train is on the track and it is only a matter of time until their worst fear is realized.
Like Brown, after Darrell Royal's first 4 years he was still looking for his first outright conference championship. He had shared a 3 way title in 1959 with TCU and Arkansas--but a three way tie in a 7 team conference isn't much to hang your hat on. What made the 1959 tie even more disheartening was that we lost to TCU in the second to last game of the year; a game in which a win would have ensured the conference championship. Royal also had to put up with the fact that several teams had conference bragging rights: Rice, TCU, and Arkansas had all won outright championships during Royal's first four years at Texas. To make matters even worse, he hadn't been able to come through in a bowl game yet, with Texas going 0-2-1 during DKR's first four seasons on the 40 Acres.
Nevertheless, he had done quite a bit of good. Twice he finished in the Top 20, and one of those times he finished in the Top 5 (#4 in 1959). He just hadn't been able to win "the big ones."
In his 5th season, Royal still couldn't get the monkey completely off his back as he shared another title with Arkansas. However, that year he won his first bowl game against #5 Mississippi and the Horns finished #3 in the nation.
In his sixth season he won his first outright SWC Championship. That monkey was gone, but a new one jumped on his back. The Horns dropped to 1-3-1 in bowls under Royal and finished close but not quite in the MNC hunt at #4.
Finally, in his 7th season, all monkeys were shot dead and dropped off his back. It was 1963 and the Horns won the SWC, beat #2 Navy in the Cotton Bowl, went undefeated and won the MNC.
After failing to win an outright SWC championship in his first 5 tries, Royal went on to win 7 of them. He also won 2 AP MNCs and 3 UPI MNCs. And after failing to get a bowl win in his first 3 attempts, he managed to win 8 in his next 13 tries. Among those wins were victories over #1 Bama (1964), #2 Navy (1963), #4 Alabama (1972), #5 Mississippi (1961), #8 Tennessee (1968), #9 Notre Dame (1969), and #10 Colorado (1975).
After 4 years at Texas, Brown has won two Big 12 South titles, has won 2 of 4 bowl games, and has had 3 Top 15 teams (one of which was in the Top 5). Detractors will tell you, and anyone that will listen, that Brown has yet to win a conference championship. And while they may say that leads them to conclude that he's not a great game day coach and he won't ever win a championship, deep down inside I'm pretty sure that they realize that the train is on the track and it is only a matter of time until their worst fear is realized.
