My dad was on Royal’s first Championship team in 1963. Never played an O/D snap until around 3:00 left in the game versus Navy. Although he did play special teams for years, it was those final minutes that he “lettered” at UT as a football player. Years of practice and no “playing time” earned his respect among fellow players. His first year on campus had him working the dinning hall as a partial scholarship. The kicker was, that it was the athletes’ dinning hall, so after practice and showering, he had to assist those who he had just practiced against and with. I’m proud of him just as if he’d been an All-American, but he was on the team and got a “T” ring upon graduation from Coach Royal and UT’s first football National Championship. When they had their 40th Anniversary weekend, prior to the Arkansas game, he was one of three asked to speak at the banquet with the team and Coach Royal. He came from a small school in Hardin County and could’ve gone to Rice on a full scholarship, but another fellow Hardin Co. guy, Tony Crosby (kicker from Kountze) helped talk him out of it - so I was told. When they had the 50th celebration a couple years ago, I got to see him on the “jumbo tron” scoreboard - his first and most likely last! As always - “Hook’em”!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk