Lam, Ham & Jam

ESPN has become largely unwatchable.

I assume that our fans in attendance will still sing "The Eyes" on their own when the game ends. Don't need the band.

When I think about the Eyes of Texas I think about the unbounded joy to the point of tears that took place in the stands after the 2005 season Rose Bowl win over USC. I think about twenty family members standing and singing with the team while watching on a TV in Texas. I think about the students in the Sugar Bowl who got to enjoy a big win and sing “The Eyes” after the win over Georgia in 2018. I think about singing in the stands with the team after brutal lopsided losses like 50-7 to Baylor in ’87, like 63-14 to OU in 2000 and like 65-13 to OU in 2003. The reason you stay to the end of the game, like so many other fans, is to show support for the team and let them know they don’t have to stand and face an empty stadium even though they just got their asses kicked. You could get close to the field, you could see their faces, and they could see yours. I would like to think these were times of unity and defiant Longhorn pride, even though by staying to the end of the game, you had to fight traffic and devote an extra hour and a half to your team. I think about Freddie Steinmark, standing with crutches on one remaining leg at the Cotton Bowl against Notre Dame, with horns held high and tears of joy in his eyes, 3-4 weeks after playing the game of his life against Arkansas and a few days after losing his leg to cancer. I think about Earl Campbell’s toughness and dignity in his last game, a Cotton Bowl loss to Notre Dame for the national championship. I think about Darrell Royal being carried off the field by his team after wins over Alabama in the Cotton Bowl after ’72 season, and over Arkansas in his last game at Memorial in ‘76. The image of him standing with his team during “the Eyes” while flashing Hook ‘Em after that Arkansas win is iconic Royal. I think about a funeral I attended where “The Eyes” made the playlist and we wore orange ties. I think about it being maybe the first song I ever learned. Curious what the alma mater means to other Longhorn fans.

What kind of head coach would allow his team leader and quarterback to stand alone to sing the school's alma mater after a game?

Long live "The Eyes".