RIP Tommy Nobis

First time I saw him play was against TCU in Ft. Worth. I was sitting in the end zone with some buddies. I was in Junior High. He was the best defensive player I ever saw. Knocked people down, really, like a laser guided missile.

He would fly to the ball, run through the back, they would disappear onto the ground, and half the time he would run through the collision site 3-4 yards. The back was always flat on the turf.

I never saw anyone break his tackle. People just went down like they'd been shot. I remember it like yesterday. And that was 55 years ago.
 
He's the reason I'm a Longhorn fan ... I lived in SA in the late 50's early 60's and went to see Tommy play Baylor. I left that day still a huge Tommy fan but knowing I'd bleed burnt orange even after Nobis would move on. This one hurts even more than DKR ... R I P
 
My favorite stories about Nobis:

Falcons former head coach Norm Van Brocklin once pointed to Nobis' locker and said, "There's where our football team dresses." Larry Csonka, the great Miami Dolphin running back, once said "I'd rather play against Dick Butkus than Nobis."

After UT, Nobis was a prime target in the AFL-NFL signing skirmishes. He was drafted by both the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) and Houston Oilers (AFL). Astronaut Frank Borman radioed in from Gemini 7: "Tell Nobis to sign with Houston."

Still the standard by which all UT linebackers are measured.:bow:
R.I.P. sir!
 
My Parents met and married in Austin while at Texas. Nobis was always their favorite player. My Dad went to HighSchool with Nobis although he was a few years ahead of him. They knew each other from San Antonio Jefferson HS and UT. I will give Dad a call today about Tommy Nobis' passing. He will appreciate that. He loves to reminisce about the Darrell Royal days and Tommy Nobis.
 
caryhorn said:
First time I saw him play was against TCU in Ft. Worth. I was sitting in the end zone with some buddies. I was in Junior High. He was the best defensive player I ever saw. Knocked people down, really, like a laser guided missile.

He would fly to the ball, run through the back, they would disappear onto the ground, and half the time he would run through the collision site 3-4 yards. The back was always flat on the turf.

I never saw anyone break his tackle. People just went down like they'd been shot. I remember it like yesterday. And that was 55 years ago.
Click to expand...

 
I played intramural softball with Nobis. The first time he came to bat , he launched a bomb over the left fielders head. The next time up. the left and center fielders backed up about 10 yards and he launched another bomb over the center fielders head. The third time up, both outfielders went back again to the edge of the playing field. Tommy was determined to not just take the easy double and hit one that bounced off the parking lot, which was beyond the intramural toward then Memorial stadium. Besides being a great football player, he was really a nice guy. He will be missed. Too many of my heroes have passed, I am old.
 
He has been the Gold Standard by which all UT linebackers have been measured since JFK was President. It was an thrill as a little kid to see him play, and an honor as an adult to meet him. I was at Memorial Stadium when his jersey was retired in 2008. I recall hearing talk at the time that he was doing less work with his Foundation in Marietta, Georgia, due to what was being described as early stage dementia. Hearing that was like a gut punch. My brother had already been taken by CTE and there was only 4 years difference in their ages.

His health issues of the last several years, are likely the results of CTE. I am hopeful his family allows an autopsy to determine same. A positive diagnoses will do nothing to dim his shining star as Longhorn Royalty. Rather it may help lead to additional safety equipment and measures to save our sons. CTE is a disease. It is not a disgrace. And it is 100% preventable.

Just as Edith established a Foundation named for DKR to raise money and awareness for alzheimer's victims and their families, if indeed we lost #60 to CTE, it needs to be part of the national conversation.

I have lost a brother and a parent to the ravages of these two diseases, so perhaps I am overly sensitive. Tough. Tommy Nobis was a great Longhorn and a great man. The work of his Foundation, to provide job training for the disabled, is God's work. Sabre's comment that this school and it's football program could have no greater ambassador than Tommy Nobis, is almost an understatement. And for those who know and love Sabre, "understatement" isn't exactly his strong suit!

RIP Tommy. Your work here is done, but the shadow that you cast is evident in both DJ's and Malik's tweets. That #60 is more revered now than ever. Be at peace Big Man. May memories comfort your wife and family. Hook Em!

:hookem::texasflag::usflag::hookem:
 
I heard on several radio shows how interesting it was that Nobis was such a physical player but didn't have any of the concussion/brain issues as many other players. I just watched a compilation video posted on the HF home page and noticed in not one single tackle did his head directly hit anyone or anything. He tackled head up with his shoulders and body.

He should be the model for young players how to be a physical tackler without thinking your head is the tip of a missle.
 
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