Clanking Stones - DKR & The Game of the Century in 1969

[closetojumping 62,740]

It’s the doldrums of the offseason, so I figured it would be interesting to visit an event that’s always intrigued me in various ways.

I wasn’t even born yet, or close to being born yet, when the so-called “Game of the Century” was played in Fayetteville in 1969 between Texas and Arkansas. My dad played ball at Rice and was recruited by Texas as a DB until he tore a knee up during his senior year. He grew up a Texas fan and that’s how he raised his boys, even if we also got to see quite a few Rice games growing up as well. The first CFB game I ever watched with him, mostly because the neighborhood kids were all out of town, was the 1984 Cotton Bowl between Texas and Georgia. After the end of that gut-wrenching experience, my father stayed parked in front of a tv, still as a statue, for hours. That Texas/Georgia game may have scarred him but it woke me up to something that was dormant for the first 7 years of my life. If he could be that obsessed with this “college” team, whatever college was, well, then I could get hooked too.

The first and most repeated story I heard from that New Year’s Day to this day about the fabled Longhorn program before my days was the “Game of the Century” – Fayettville, AR, December 6, 1969, Texas vs. Arkansas. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve revisited that story on my own, in part to understand reality vs family sports myth, and in part because it’s actually a pretty fascinating event within the sport I love religiously. There are documentaries I’ve watched and books I’ve read about it, and I’ve often asked people who were alive and cognizant at that time to share their thoughts. Outside of the way my dad explains it, my two other favorite versions of the game come from “Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming: Texas vs. Arkansas in Dixie’s Last Stand”, largely because it’s comprehensive and well told, and then separately, there’s an old documentary on the life of DKR that I can no longer remember the name of, but covered this game through the eyes of various people involved.

Anyway, who gives a shit, 49 years later, right? Well, honestly, if you’re a fan of one of the two programs, or the sport itself, you shouldn’t be able to help yourself from being somewhat fascinated. Consider the following elements:

• Beano Cook called the shot that this game could decide the nation title winner during the summer of 1969. He was a young executive for ABC and convinced Roone Arledge to take a shot at moving this game to the last game on the schedule, in December no less. With Arledge on board, they then worked to convince the two programs to move the game and they somehow pulled it off. Frank Broyles usually loved to see Arkansas scheduled to play Texas the week after the Texas/OU game every year, so he wasn’t exactly gung ho about the concept of moving the game. Having the game in Fayetteville, as well as promising him ABC coverage against Stanford to open the 1970 season, gave him enough comfort to let it happen. Royal was on the opposite end of the spectrum, and was all too happy to see the game moved.
• This might have been the first conference championship game ever played in December. It wasn’t touted as such, but it turned out that way.
• Texas turned the ball over 6 times in this game and still won.
• Richard Nixon, a sports fan in a major way, invited himself to the game and ultimately declared Texas the national title winner in the locker room after the game.
• Nixon’s decision to attend stirred up all kinds of trivia. First, Fayetteville doesn’t have an airport close enough to handle Air Force One, so they had to land at Fort Smith, some distance away, and then have Marine One brought in to deliver the president to the game on time. Second, Vietnam protesters attended his appearance en masse in an effort to heckle and shame him. Third, an urban legend arose that one of those protesters, in fact the one who climbed up in a tree with a sarcastic sign about the war, was none other than a young Bill Clinton. Apparently, that last part has been invalidated due to Clinton being in Oxford, England at the time. Finally, there was another future president in attendance of the game, however, as George HW Bush, a congressman from Texas at the time, attended as part of Nixon’s entourage.
• A side effect of Nixon granting Texas the national title in the locker room was that another undefeated team, Penn State, felt they had a legitimate claim on the national title as well. Joe Paterno, a future piece of human shit who covered up child rape by one of his friends in order to maintain order within his regime at Penn State, whined endlessly about the slight for years. In fact, the Cotton Bowl actually invited Penn State down to settle the argument on the field against Texas on New Year’s Day, 1970. Paterno instead decided to take his team instead to the Orange Bowl, and whined from afar to the press at that game, and continued to do so right up until a grand jury opted to pursue Jerry Sandusky as a monster. I like to think that Joe Paterno has to watch the game of the century and Nixon handing Texas that trophy on repeat down in whatever level of hell he’s been thrown.

Anyway, there’s a remaining odd lot of random shit that’s interesting about the surroundings of this game, but that isn’t the true purpose of this tome. What really brings me back to this game and a higher meaning for it in my life is the behavior of Darrell Royal leading up to this game and in the fourth quarter. Any time I think about strategy, forethought, cajones and courage under fire, this game is one of the random thoughts that pops in.

Specifically, I find two things fascinating about DKR’s leadership in this experience.

1. The man showed a mastery of game theory for his craft. Ahead of the game being played, and I believe on the flight up there, he talked to James Street about what they’d do if they were down by two touchdowns in the second half. Royal told Street that when UT scored the first time, they would then go for 2 points. Street asked him if he was sure, and Royal confirmed. Mathematically, this is actually the right maneuver, if rarely deployed. If they missed, they’d still have the chance to go for 2 later if they scored again, which maximizes their opportunity for either a win or a tie. A few years before, Ara Parseghian had played for a tie against Michigan State in a match-up of 1 vs. 2 and it paid off as Notre Dame eventually won the 1966 national title. DKR saw the world differently and hadn’t gotten as far as he had playing for ties, and he wouldn’t do so if given his own choice. As it turned out, Texas was down 14-0 in the 4^th quarter when Street came unhinged on a keeper and scored from way out. They then called the play they’d discussed and converted the 2 point conversion. Awesome. Tom Osborne was later vilified, as it turns out on that same New Year’s Day in 1984 as the Texas/Georgia debacle, when he failed the game theory test and went for 2 points on the last score of the game against Miami, as opposed to going for 2 on the prior score. We discussed this in another offseason thread on Shaggy that I enjoyed at this link: http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/108875-The-1984-Orange-Bowl-Game-Theory-amp-Tom-Osborne-s-quot-Folly-quot
2. Most importantly,  the call on 4^th and 3 from UT’s own 43 with just under 5 minutes left in the game on the play “Right 53 Veer Pass” where, in effect, Street’s only target on the passing tree was a rarely used tight end on a deep route. The TE was Randy Peschel and he was double covered on the play, yet he still came down with the catch, 44 yards downfield and in the Arkansas red zone. Before the play, Street basically asked DKR if he knew what he was doing and Royal responded with biting certainty. It’s an insane play call and the probability of success had to be incredibly low. Arkansas wasn’t even fooled as they had guys draped over Peschel when he came down with the freaking ball. Over time, DKR has taken on mythical proportions within the sport and particularly within the program at Texas. The man could turn a phrase, he won 3 national titles, he was an innovator and a hard ass, he hated cheaters and Barry fucking Switzer, and he won. That considered, my true belief is that none of that other shit matters in proportion to his mythology if he doesn’t call that fucking play and his guys don’t execute flawlessly.

My view is that I hope to have the stones in my own life to pull stunts like that, as it’s a great example to me of a life being fully lived, and bringing so many others along on the same damned ride. I’m thankful to root for a school with legends like that in its repertoire, too.

Thoughts?

[BurntOrangeAss 91]

As a 20 year-old junior at Texas, me and my buddies tried to get tickets for this game, but I vaguely remember being told that Arkansas had only allocated 500 tickets to UT, and the Longhorn Band got a sizable chunk of that.  We didn't make it to Fayetteville.

After the game, the drag was clogged with a ton of ecstatic fans, which reminded me, at the time, of the crowds in Dallas on a Friday night before Texas-OU.  Later that evening, we made the trip to the old Austin Airport to see the National Champs come into town on an orange Braniff Airways jet and then seeing the team come off the plane.  Mueller Airport was jam-packed.  

Good times!  The 6 turnovers were gut wrenching.  But it seems like the USC game - we just knew we weren't going to lose.  No way. We'd come too far for that.

Edited June 7, 2018 by BurntOrangeAss

[mdleast 8,295]

Definitely worth a read:

[BurntOrangeAss 91]

I forgot to add the total devastation that followed the week after, when news broke about Freddie Steinmark having his leg amputated just days after the game.  Talk about coming back down to earth very quick when that reality set in. But then I remember seeing him on the sidelines for the Notre Dame game on January 1st.  Very emotional.

[Domedriver 655]

 I was 9 years old and watched on TV with 5 of my elementary school friends.  Myself and 2 of my friends were die hard Longhorns, my best friend was a Razorpig,, and the other 2 were Ohio State fans who rooted for Arkiepig.  At halftime we went to and played football in my backyard and it turned into a fist fight brawl.  Even us kids were totally involved in the drama of the game.

My best friend Skipper left with a bloody nose and we were never close again.

Randy Peschel came and spoke to my Cub Scout pack at Gullet and I got his autograph which I cherished, but lost over the years.

It was the event that turned my blood Burnt Orange forever.  That and being there when VY stunned USC.

Hookem!  Now I am the proud owner of the only Longhorn Hat that Jim Bertelsen ever autographed as I now live next to members of his extended family.  His son Andy is a brilliant singer guitarist who has a band, The Texas Renegard that you should check out!

[Sleepygrad 1,029]

great thread CTJ! Like you, I wasn’t alive when this game was played but I know it well through the stories of my uncle who played for DKR in the mid 60s and my mom  who’s as rabid a horn fan as anyone I know. 

I haven’t read the book yet but I will this summer for sure.

[cochamps 1,879]

I think the team spent the previous night in Ft. Smith and DKR had the PAT conversation w Street on the bus ride to the stadium on game day.  FWIW.  

Lots of interesting details regarding the game, but Arkansas choosing to pass on 3rd and goal during the 4th qtr looms large.  Montgomery threw one behind an open receiver and Danny Lester picked it off.  I was shocked they did not run on 3rd and let Bill McClard ice the game at 17-8 with a short FG.

 

[cochamps 1,879]

4 minutes ago, Sleepygrad said:

great thread CTJ! Like you, I wasn’t alive when this game was played but I know it well through the stories of my uncle who played for DKR in the mid 60s and my mom  who’s as rabid a horn fan as anyone I know. 

I haven’t read the book yet but I will this summer for sure.

The book is an excellent read, imo.

[Machinator 32,099]

[Cairn Horn88 8,265]

I was dating a girl at UT at the time, whose uncle was a UT professor, living in Westlake.  She invited me to go over to his house and watch the game.  Boy was I shocked when we showed up and we go inside his beautiful home, only to sit down in front of an 11" black and white TV to watch the most important game of the century!  But, we won, which was great, of course.  That was my last date with her, as I recall.  That night there was a bonfire in the middle of the Drag, right in front of the CO-OP.  Great game....great memories, for sure.

 

 

 

[Bullneck 19,103]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

 

Thoughts?

1. Keith Jackson

2.  The male cheerleader doing backflips on the field as Peschel gets untangled after the catch.

 

Those are my thoughts.

[closetojumping 62,740]

2 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

1. Keith Jackson

2.  The male cheerleader doing backflips on the field as Peschel gets untangled after the catch.

 

Those are my thoughts.

Can you expand for those of us who weren’t alive and have only seen the game in snippets?

[Bullneck 19,103]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

That considered, my true belief is that none of that other shit matters in proportion to his mythology if he doesn’t call that fucking play and his guys don’t execute flawlessly.

The Griffin int in the 2006 Rose Bowl falls into that hopper as well.  We were reeling at that point, and that play bought us some breathing room.  Every MNC season has a play like that.  

[Bullneck 19,103]

Just now, closetojumping said:

Can you expand for those of us who weren’t alive and have only seen the game in snippets?

Well, like Dome Driver I was a 9 year old at the time.  But my thoughts are based on the video that Sleepygrad posted.  Jackson at :11 and the cheerleader at 2:45.

[closetojumping 62,740]

6 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

Well, like Dome Driver I was a 9 year old at the time.  But my thoughts are based on the video that Sleepygrad posted.  Jackson at :11 and the cheerleader at 2:45.

Got it. Is that really Keith Jackson? I didn’t recognize his voice at all. The cheerleader on the field after the play is insane.  That would be a huge flag in this day and age. I’d never noticed him. 

[Machinator 32,099]

Keith Jackson is timeless. The voice of college football.

Edit: that doesn't sound like him in the video, though.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Machinator

[bluto 4,929]

chris schenkel and, oddly enough, bud wilkinson, were on the call

[SaucyJack 3,488]

Not Jackson.  Chris Shenckel and Bud Wilkinson.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Texas_vs._Arkansas_football_game

Edited June 7, 2018 by SaucyJack
bluto got it.

[Bullneck 19,103]

23 minutes ago, bluto said:

chris schenkel and, oddly enough, bud wilkinson, were on the call

Holy moly, you're right.  

 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Bullneck

[Sleepygrad 1,029]

James Street giving the ball to the Ark DB after his 42 yd Td was interesting. And the Db took it...that would cause a fight in today’s game

[Bullneck 19,103]

Edited June 7, 2018 by Bullneck

[SaucyJack 3,488]

Thursday night was card night.  Had this litho and Randy's catch hanging over the table in the early 80s.  /csb

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

I wasn't around to see this classic (as my parents were still teens), but I damn sure miss watching the rivalry with Arkansas, doesn't arkie owe UT a return visit to DKR..?

 

[SHOOTER12 8,810]

14 hours ago, closetojumping said:

It’s the doldrums of the offseason, so I figured it would be interesting to visit an event that’s always intrigued me in various ways.

I wasn’t even born yet, or close to being born yet, when the so-called “Game of the Century” was played in Fayetteville in 1969 between Texas and Arkansas. My dad played ball at Rice and was recruited by Texas as a DB until he tore a knee up during his senior year. He grew up a Texas fan and that’s how he raised his boys, even if we also got to see quite a few Rice games growing up as well. The first CFB game I ever watched with him, mostly because the neighborhood kids were all out of town, was the 1984 Cotton Bowl between Texas and Georgia. After the end of that gut-wrenching experience, my father stayed parked in front of a tv, still as a statue, for hours. That Texas/Georgia game may have scarred him but it woke me up to something that was dormant for the first 7 years of my life. If he could be that obsessed with this “college” team, whatever college was, well, then I could get hooked too.

The first and most repeated story I heard from that New Year’s Day to this day about the fabled Longhorn program before my days was the “Game of the Century” – Fayettville, AR, December 6, 1969, Texas vs. Arkansas. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve revisited that story on my own, in part to understand reality vs family sports myth, and in part because it’s actually a pretty fascinating event within the sport I love religiously. There are documentaries I’ve watched and books I’ve read about it, and I’ve often asked people who were alive and cognizant at that time to share their thoughts. Outside of the way my dad explains it, my two other favorite versions of the game come from “Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming: Texas vs. Arkansas in Dixie’s Last Stand”, largely because it’s comprehensive and well told, and then separately, there’s an old documentary on the life of DKR that I can no longer remember the name of, but covered this game through the eyes of various people involved.

Anyway, who gives a shit, 49 years later, right? Well, honestly, if you’re a fan of one of the two programs, or the sport itself, you shouldn’t be able to help yourself from being somewhat fascinated. Consider the following elements:

• Beano Cook called the shot that this game could decide the nation title winner during the summer of 1969. He was a young executive for ABC and convinced Roone Arledge to take a shot at moving this game to the last game on the schedule, in December no less. With Arledge on board, they then worked to convince the two programs to move the game and they somehow pulled it off. Frank Broyles usually loved to see Arkansas scheduled to play Texas the week after the Texas/OU game every year, so he wasn’t exactly gung ho about the concept of moving the game. Having the game in Fayetteville, as well as promising him ABC coverage against Stanford to open the 1970 season, gave him enough comfort to let it happen. Royal was on the opposite end of the spectrum, and was all too happy to see the game moved.
• This might have been the first conference championship game ever played in December. It wasn’t touted as such, but it turned out that way.
• Texas turned the ball over 6 times in this game and still won.
• Richard Nixon, a sports fan in a major way, invited himself to the game and ultimately declared Texas the national title winner in the locker room after the game.
• Nixon’s decision to attend stirred up all kinds of trivia. First, Fayetteville doesn’t have an airport close enough to handle Air Force One, so they had to land at Fort Smith, some distance away, and then have Marine One brought in to deliver the president to the game on time. Second, Vietnam protesters attended his appearance en masse in an effort to heckle and shame him. Third, an urban legend arose that one of those protesters, in fact the one who climbed up in a tree with a sarcastic sign about the war, was none other than a young Bill Clinton. Apparently, that last part has been invalidated due to Clinton being in Oxford, England at the time. Finally, there was another future president in attendance of the game, however, as George HW Bush, a congressman from Texas at the time, attended as part of Nixon’s entourage.
• A side effect of Nixon granting Texas the national title in the locker room was that another undefeated team, Penn State, felt they had a legitimate claim on the national title as well. Joe Paterno, a future piece of human shit who covered up child rape by one of his friends in order to maintain order within his regime at Penn State, whined endlessly about the slight for years. In fact, the Cotton Bowl actually invited Penn State down to settle the argument on the field against Texas on New Year’s Day, 1970. Paterno instead decided to take his team instead to the Orange Bowl, and whined from afar to the press at that game, and continued to do so right up until a grand jury opted to pursue Jerry Sandusky as a monster. I like to think that Joe Paterno has to watch the game of the century and Nixon handing Texas that trophy on repeat down in whatever level of hell he’s been thrown.

Anyway, there’s a remaining odd lot of random shit that’s interesting about the surroundings of this game, but that isn’t the true purpose of this tome. What really brings me back to this game and a higher meaning for it in my life is the behavior of Darrell Royal leading up to this game and in the fourth quarter. Any time I think about strategy, forethought, cajones and courage under fire, this game is one of the random thoughts that pops in.

Specifically, I find two things fascinating about DKR’s leadership in this experience.

1. The man showed a mastery of game theory for his craft. Ahead of the game being played, and I believe on the flight up there, he talked to James Street about what they’d do if they were down by two touchdowns in the second half. Royal told Street that when UT scored the first time, they would then go for 2 points. Street asked him if he was sure, and Royal confirmed. Mathematically, this is actually the right maneuver, if rarely deployed. If they missed, they’d still have the chance to go for 2 later if they scored again, which maximizes their opportunity for either a win or a tie. A few years before, Ara Parseghian had played for a tie against Michigan State in a match-up of 1 vs. 2 and it paid off as Notre Dame eventually won the 1966 national title. DKR saw the world differently and hadn’t gotten as far as he had playing for ties, and he wouldn’t do so if given his own choice. As it turned out, Texas was down 14-0 in the 4^th quarter when Street came unhinged on a keeper and scored from way out. They then called the play they’d discussed and converted the 2 point conversion. Awesome. Tom Osborne was later vilified, as it turns out on that same New Year’s Day in 1984 as the Texas/Georgia debacle, when he failed the game theory test and went for 2 points on the last score of the game against Miami, as opposed to going for 2 on the prior score. We discussed this in another offseason thread on Shaggy that I enjoyed at this link: http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/108875-The-1984-Orange-Bowl-Game-Theory-amp-Tom-Osborne-s-quot-Folly-quot
2. Most importantly,  the call on 4^th and 3 from UT’s own 43 with just under 5 minutes left in the game on the play “Right 53 Veer Pass” where, in effect, Street’s only target on the passing tree was a rarely used tight end on a deep route. The TE was Randy Peschel and he was double covered on the play, yet he still came down with the catch, 44 yards downfield and in the Arkansas red zone. Before the play, Street basically asked DKR if he knew what he was doing and Royal responded with biting certainty. It’s an insane play call and the probability of success had to be incredibly low. Arkansas wasn’t even fooled as they had guys draped over Peschel when he came down with the freaking ball. Over time, DKR has taken on mythical proportions within the sport and particularly within the program at Texas. The man could turn a phrase, he won 3 national titles, he was an innovator and a hard ass, he hated cheaters and Barry fucking Switzer, and he won. That considered, my true belief is that none of that other shit matters in proportion to his mythology if he doesn’t call that fucking play and his guys don’t execute flawlessly.

My view is that I hope to have the stones in my own life to pull stunts like that, as it’s a great example to me of a life being fully lived, and bringing so many others along on the same damned ride. I’m thankful to root for a school with legends like that in its repertoire, too.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the memories CTJ, it made my morning.  I was 12 years old when that game was played and it's as if it were only yesterday.

[Machinator 32,099]

6 hours ago, kopp0e said:

doesn't arkie owe UT a return visit to DKR..?

Other way around. We play them in Fayettenam in few years.

[hpslugga 4,062]

Well I'll offer two things:

1. As I wrote about 10 years ago, everyone with an interest in this game owes their appreciation to Michigan for defeating Ohio State two weeks before because without that outcome, Texas vs, Arkansas is a #2 vs. #3 game, Ohio State retains its UPI MNC (that was awarded pre-Bowl) and its AP title by default regardless of what Texas did to Notre Dame since the Big 10 had a rule that said no team could represent it in the Rose Bowl two straight years.

As it was put to me by Carolyn Ellison in an interview that I did with her, Woody Hayes had a sit-down meeting with her father, then QB coach Tiger Ellison at some restaurant in Columbus during the spring time at Ellison's request. Before Tiger was even allowed to say a word, Hayes informed him (since he assumed the meeting was about this topic) that he was prepared to hand the reigns of the offense completely over to Tiger with the understanding that he was going to implement his Run-and-Shoot system full-time for the so-called "Baby Bucks," as the seniors of the '69 team were called in '66 when Ellison first came aboard to coach the freshman team. Ellison's response was more or less "thanks for the offer, but I'm retiring from coaching and I'm moving with my wife to Florida." Hayes then regressed to his pre-1968 offense with Earle Bruce and George Chaump at the helm, which got them by for the first 8 games until they ran into Michigan and turned the ball over like motherfuckers en route to a 24-12 loss. Years later, Hayes maintained that the 1969 team was the best team he ever coached. I've no doubt that with Ellison still on the staff and in full control of the offense, they thump Michigan and this game is an afterthought.

2. My dad (pop999 from the old sites) wrote an essay called The 24 Hour Football Game, referring to the fact that he woke up at 4:30 am the day of the game to catch the Braniff flight at Love Field with his grandfather, R. Guy Carter (slorch and other Texas Tech fans may know who he was) and a friend of his. They had breakfast at some hotel at the table right next to Colonel Sanders', and then headed towards the stadium in a cab. Carter told the driver explicitly to meet them at that specific spot about 30 or so minutes after the game. They get there at that exact time and the motherfucker no-showed. They ultimately hitched a ride and headed to the Fort Smith airport in a limo with about 10 or so others. At the airport, the two elders of the group were so overcome with the adrenaline rush of the game, mixed very well with scotch, cigars and steaks at a restaurant in the airport that they fucking missed their return flight to Dallas. They had to opt for a rental car and drove all the way back to Dallas. By the time they got back to Carter's house, where this glorious journey began, Dad looked at that same clock when he woke up and saw once again that it was 4:30 am. Anyways, it's a great essay for a 14-year old and I'll try to re-post it as those motherfuckers at Hornfans lost it in one of their archive dumps. Not many can say they attended both the 1969 Arkansas game and the 2006 Rose Bowl, but he is one of them.

Edited June 7, 2018 by hpslugga

[tonedeaf 56]

I was 17.  Remember it well.  Beano Cook was the one that suggested that UT-Ark move their game to the last game of the season cause he predicted tOSU would lose at some point.  He was correct.

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

53 Veer Pass is arguably the ballsiest coaching call in the history of sports.  National title on the line.  You're a running team, period.  You just need 3 yards on a 4th down.  But you decide not only to throw on 4th but call a play that has to be executed without any room for error, and you pull the damn thing off.  I still think the Arkansas DB got his finger tip(s) on the pass but who cares?  It fell into Peschel's hands, and the rest is history.

I love many things about DKR and will forever be in awe of the size of his balls for making that call. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,907]

On top of that they had never even successfully completed that pass in practice

[Sgt Hulk 13,717]

The shag was the reason why I bought Nixon’s coming Dixie last stand book. Great read 

[TreatyOak 16,334]

It's a good read, for sure. This book about the Texas OU rivalry is also pretty entertaining and funny as heck. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Runnin-Big-Dogs-Twisted-Texas-OU/dp/0060852798 

[Caver60 395]

When I was about 12, I was home for the summer and watching PBS. They had a fund drive going, and they showed this game in its entirety.

I’d always been a Texas fan. My mom got three degrees from Texas and I watched Earl as a younger kid. But I’d never really known anything about this game other than that we won the 1969 National Championship.

So watching the game, knowing the outcome but not the story, was magical. The way the game was going, I just couldn’t see how Texas would ultimately win. And then that pass to Peschel! I’m not sure I celebrated any harder 20 years later when I watched Vince run it in.

If you haven’t watched this game, find a way. Thanks, ctj. Great post.

[77horn 216]

I was a HS Freshman in Wichita Falls.  WFHS was in the playoffs and had a game against Abilene Cooper that Saturday PM, in Lubbock, I think.  My Dad and I traveled to that game with a friend and his dad.  Listened to the Tex-Ark on the radio on the way.  We were gloomy when we got to the stadium.  We were there early and they played the radio broadcast of Tex-Ark on the PA system.  Crowd went nuts when Texas won.

Then my HS beat Cooper, and went on to win State.

That was a good year for football!

[MrPhlegm 3,413]

"Joe Paterno, a future piece of human shit who covered up child rape by one of his friends in order to maintain order within his regime at Penn State, whined endlessly about the slight for years. "

Joe Paterno, a future piece of human shit?

FUTURE?

Joe Paterno was NOT a FUTURE piece of human shit at that time
Not at all. Future that is. He was a piece of shit through and through long before 1969.

Roast in hell Jopa ya scumbag pile of dogshit.

[pch 1,259]

On 6/20/2018 at 11:25 AM, 77horn said:

I was a HS Freshman in Wichita Falls.  WFHS was in the playoffs and had a game against Abilene Cooper that Saturday PM, in Lubbock, I think.  My Dad and I traveled to that game with a friend and his dad.  Listened to the Tex-Ark on the radio on the way.  We were gloomy when we got to the stadium.  We were there early and they played the radio broadcast of Tex-Ark on the PA system.  Crowd went nuts when Texas won.

Then my HS beat Cooper, and went on to win State.

That was a good year for football!

Great story.  Future Longhorn Joey Aboussie was unstoppable in that game.

[Kilgorehorn 308]

I was on the flight line  on Okinawa recovering B52s when this game was played. It was the middle of the night on Okinawa and I was driving a panel truck coordinating maintenance on several bombers. I had a pocket-sized transistor radio hanging near my head so I could listen to the game on Armed Forces Radio. AFR lost their phone connection with Texas trailing 14-8 and didn't get it restored until 2 hours after the game was over. I spent that 2 hours convinced that Texas had lost and went absolutely apeshit when they finally relayed the final score.
 

[TreatyOak 16,334]

On 6/19/2018 at 2:56 PM, Caver60 said:

When I was about 12, I was home for the summer and watching PBS. They had a fund drive going, and they showed this game in its entirety.

I’d always been a Texas fan. My mom got three degrees from Texas and I watched Earl as a younger kid. But I’d never really known anything about this game other than that we won the 1969 National Championship.

So watching the game, knowing the outcome but not the story, was magical. The way the game was going, I just couldn’t see how Texas would ultimately win. And then that pass to Peschel! I’m not sure I celebrated any harder 20 years later when I watched Vince run it in.

If you haven’t watched this game, find a way. Thanks, ctj. Great post.

Insanely, I also first saw the game on a PBS fund-drive broadcast. We lived in San Antonio at the time. 

[TreatyOak 16,334]

18 minutes ago, Kilgorehorn said:

I was on the flight line  on Okinawa recovering B52s when this game was played. It was the middle of the night on Okinawa and I was driving a panel truck coordinating maintenance on several bombers. I had a pocket-sized transistor radio hanging near my head so I could listen to the game on Armed Forces Radio. AFR lost their phone connection with Texas trailing 14-8 and didn't get it restored until 2 hours after the game was over. I spent that 2 hours convinced that Texas had lost and went absolutely apeshit when they finally relayed the final score.
 

That finally solves the long-standing mystery of the B52 that crashed and dropped four H-bombs into the ocean. 

[Kilgorehorn 308]

1 minute ago, TreatyOak said:

That finally solves the long-standing mystery of the B52 that crashed and dropped four H-bombs into the ocean.  

That's pretty funny but the B52 that crashed with the H bombs was off the coast of Spain and several years removed from my time of service.

[TreatyOak 16,334]

6 minutes ago, Kilgorehorn said:

That's pretty funny but the B52 that crashed with the H bombs was off the coast of Spain and several years removed from my time of service.

I was hoping that you would not mention that minor discrepancy in my theory.   

[Kilgorehorn 308]

1 minute ago, TreatyOak said:

I was hoping that you would not mention that minor discrepancy in my theory. 

We were proud of the fact that we only lost one bomber during my time and it was a pilot error crash on a low-level bombing run on a training mission.

[TreatyOak 16,334]

Just now, Kilgorehorn said:

We were proud of the fact that we only lost one bomber during my time and it was a pilot error crash on a low-level bombing run on a training mission.

That's a great thing to be proud of, indeed. Thank you for your service, Kilgorehorn. It's incredible to think that that enormous plane is still in service 66 years after its introduction. 

My father and my wife's father were both proud Air Force pilots and both flew combat missions.

[Kilgorehorn 308]

Sorry for derailing the thread. We now return you to your regularly scheduled topic.

HOOKEM HORNS AND PHOOEY PIGS