Met Ernie Koy...

[J.R.69]

I was on a short road trip Monday and stopped at Tony's in Sealy for lunch. As I was finishing, I overheard a conversation at the table behind me, where this guy was introducing Ernie Koy to (I guess) his in-laws.

We converged at the cashier and I introduced myself as a fellow UT alum and one who well-remembered his 80-yard TD run against Alabama in the '65 Orange Bowl. He seemed genuinely surprised and pleased that someone not only knew who he was, but something he had done 45 years earlier. As if I wouldn't recognize Longhorn nobility!

He's a very nice and friendly man, and looked like he could suit up and play again tomorrow. I reckoned him to be about 6' 3", 230 or so, and extremely fit. With arms like a blacksmith's, he looked like he could probably bench press Bevo.

An enjoyable encounter, just thought I'd pass it along.

 

[Oilfield]

Cool story. I was fearing bad news when I opened this.

 

[J.R.69]

Oilfield: Thanx....I edited subject line

 

[LonghornCatholic]

 

[Bill in Sinton]

 

[WorsterMan]

Here is the SI cover photo of that 80 yard run:

 

[yelladawgdem]

Tommy Nobis still looks like he is prepared to put on a uniform too.

 

[accuratehorn]

Ernie Koy was one of my all-time favorite Horns. Glad to hear he is doing well. He was a tremendous punter, which most people don't remember, and he was the middle of three generations to star for UT.

 

[rivet]

In 1959 I met Ernie Koy. He ran around right end and ran me over. It was during a scrimmage in Bellville. I watched him practice punting then and he could boom em. I missed seeing most all of his college games although I read about some of them as I was in the service at the time. The '63 football season was awesome for the Longhorns and would have been a great year if my commander-in-chief had not been murdered.

 

[J.R.69]

Ernie Koy was the punter in '63 until he got hurt, at which time he was replaced by the unlikely Kim Gaynor. Not surprisingly, Gaynor's punt average was not up to the Koy standard, and Royal was asked why he was the new punter.

This gave rise to the infamous response, "old ugly is better than old nothing," meaning, of course, that Gaynor at that point was the best available.

Kim Gaynor's mom, however, took major offense at this and lit into Royal for saying her son was ugly.

Thereafter, Texas' punter was known as "Pretty Ol' Kim Gaynor".

 

[Oilfield]

That's one Royal quote I use all the time. (Not in reference to Mrs Oilfield, of course.)