A Streak That Turns 60

hpslugga · October 7, 2022

Ten years ago on the old pre-scat shaggy site, I posted the DMN article commemorating pop999's (and our old Okie neighbor's) streak of 50 consecutive Texas-OU games attended.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2012/10/14/texas-ou-fans-from-park-cities-mark-50-years-of-a-friendly-rivalry/

Yes I'm aware of the DMN paywall.

Spoiler

Texas, OU fans from Park Cities mark 50 years of a friendly rivalry

Whether the result is up or down, Malcolm Robertson (left) and Bond Beams still love to watch their two schools play each other. “It’s being there. It’s the memories. It’s the relationships,” Robertson said.

Sometimes it takes slipping a $50 bill to the ticket taker at the stadium turnstile.

Sometimes it means setting family rules so your children never make wedding plans for the second Saturday in October.

For Bond Beams and Malcolm Robertson, two fans from Park Cities, nothing has kept them from attending 50 straight Red River Rivalry games, including Saturday’s 63-21 Oklahoma victory at the Cotton Bowl.

They are neighbors with their college allegiances proudly flying in front of their homes. Beams, a 1976 OU graduate, displays crimson-and-cream flags on his property, while Robertson, a 1977 University of Texas alum, shows off his burnt orange.

Team-specific yard art is nothing new in residential areas. But for these two friends, who teach Bible study together at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, the decorations show not only school loyalty, but a deeper respect.

With Fair Park as the game day locale, Robertson, 57, finds it fitting to compare the rivalry to the pirate ship ride in the midway. “It goes back and forth. Oklahoma fans aren’t like other ones; they know the ship will swing back the other way,” he said.

The ship is swinging the Sooners’ way for now, and Robertson will have to wait another year for the hull of the galleon to come back after Oklahoma’s commanding victory.

“One of the things I learned a long time ago was there are a lot more Texas fans around me than Oklahoma fans,” said Beams, 60. “Everyone that knows me knows I’m a Sooner, but it’s not something I get in people’s faces about.

“I don’t typically go around big-doggin’ Oklahoma. … It’s a good, healthy rivalry.”

Beams’ son Colin, 28, echoes his father’s sentiment.

“Growing up as a Sooner in Texas, you’re in the lion’s den,” said Colin Beams, an OU legacy.

Pregame rituals

While Beams and Robertson differ on which games are their favorites, they can agree on a unified pregame ritual. Two hours before kickoff, they stop by the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand with their kids, just another two families in a sea of burnt orange and crimson.

“I’ll get there, eat a couple corny dogs, drink a cold belly washer and then enjoy watching the crowd,” Beams said.

“It’s the breakfast of champions,” Robertson said.

The champions label is fitting as Texas holds a slight edge over the last 50 games. Texas has 24 victories, while Oklahoma has 23. Three times, their visits ended in ties.

Playing favorites

With half a century of football between the two, there are plenty of notable ballgames in memory.

Watching Steve Worster run through former Bryan Adams High School standout Bruce Stensrud with the winning touchdown in 1968 was part of Robertson’s top game. But the 26-20 Texas victory was not the last time Stensrud’s and Robertson’s lives would overlap.

A little more than a decade later, Robertson, fresh out of South Texas College of Law, was interviewed for a job by the former Sooners defensive back.

Stensrud, who still resides in Dallas, is a client and friend of Robertson’s, and their Texas-OU rivalry is one of mutual respect.

“You never know who you might run into at the Texas-Oklahoma football game,” Robertson said. “I doubt I’ll get another game that great, but I’ll still keep going.”

For Beams, the dominance of the Sooners in the early 1970s gives him bragging rights and his fondest memories at the Cotton Bowl.

“Everything was clicking,” he said. “Rod Shoate was linebacker, Jimbo Elrod was defensive end, Joe Washington was the running back. … It was just an incredible team, and it was awesome.”

From 1971 through 1976, the Sooners went 5-0-1 against Texas.

“It was tough,” said Robert Porter, a 1979 UT-Austin graduate and friend of Robertson’s. “When you go to as many as we’ve been to, the wins and losses kind of run together. We’ve beat them bad before, and they’ve beaten us bad before.”

This year’s game, with 92,500 in attendance, ranked as one of the more lopsided losses for Texas, but Robertson remained true to his team and stayed to the end. The same could not be said for some other Texas fans who filed out of the stadium during halftime.

After the clock expired, Robertson joined the remaining UT fans in singing “The Eyes of Texas.”

Back and forth

After three consecutive Oklahoma victories, Beams is careful to keep his crimson emotions in check.

“I don’t even have to say a word to my Texas friends. I just have to walk by,” Beams said, “This game is too emotional, and I wouldn’t want them to razz me.”

But wins and losses are merely numbers for Robertson and Beams, who sit in separate sections in the Cotton Bowl.

For four hours on an overcast Saturday in October, they were savoring an afternoon with their children, who are now all grown.

“After you’ve gone 25 or 30 years, you realize the game that day isn’t about winning or losing,” Robertson said. “It’s being there. It’s the memories. It’s the relationships.”

With 50 games down, neither plans to make this his last trip to the Cotton Bowl.

“If I get to 70 straight, I want people to carry me onto the field, so I can wave at the children one more time,” Robertson said.

A year later, HLN did a piece on them on Robin Meade's show in the morning. Before I post it, let me explain the following:

A preemptive "fuck you" to anyone who gives me shit about wearing a red shirt to this. I was given the wrong time for arrival and had no time to change out of that work shirt, which was for Gold's Gym in Garland. This interview was being shot from a bar on Ross and 75. When I was asked if I was coming, I had to cancel my next two PT sessions, jump into my 2008 Mustang and drive all the way from Belt Line and Garland Road to this spot. I had 27 minutes to make this drive of 16 miles on city streets. Not an easy task. I sped, ran red lights, whipped a quick left turn in front of oncoming traffic to get into the parking lot merely 5 minutes before this live shot took place.

Anyways, here it is:

Now for the rest of the story:

Ten years later, both streaks (as well as my own of 31 as of tomorrow) remain miraculously intact. I say "miraculously" because we did manage to get in for the 2020 COVID game, and that was no easy task, either. Pop999 does have the tiebreaker on Beamer by virtue of the fact that we both went to the 2018 Big 12 Championship game while he did not, so his streak is restricted to Cotton Bowl games only. Of course, those are the ones that matter. Anyone who's been to at least 3 of these games can attest to how both unique and special every one of them is, win or lose. Here's to hoping the 60th turns into the most special for him.

MeerkatBong · October 7, 2022

It's not about winning and losing eh? Sounds like a fake fan, to me.

Surly Bevo · October 7, 2022

Been every year since 88, going again tomorrow so will be at 35. Don't see 60 though, something will come up. And yea 2020 was fucking weird....before the 4OT shitshow.

Call · October 7, 2022

May the 60th be a good curb stomping of the filthy dirt thieves.

AUS-97HORN · October 7, 2022

this is 30 in a row for me.

i really dont see me being able to do this another 30 years

GringoSalado · October 7, 2022

well sack up son

Beau Vine · October 7, 2022

Sooooo...this is you?

You're kinda hawt.

Kennythetiger · October 7, 2022

2 hours ago, hpslugga said:

Ten years ago on the old pre-scat shaggy site, I posted the DMN article commemorating pop999's (and our old Okie neighbor's) streak of 50 consecutive Texas-OU games attended.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2012/10/14/texas-ou-fans-from-park-cities-mark-50-years-of-a-friendly-rivalry/

Yes I'm aware of the DMN paywall.

Reveal hidden contents

Texas, OU fans from Park Cities mark 50 years of a friendly rivalry

Whether the result is up or down, Malcolm Robertson (left) and Bond Beams still love to watch their two schools play each other. “It’s being there. It’s the memories. It’s the relationships,” Robertson said.

Sometimes it takes slipping a $50 bill to the ticket taker at the stadium turnstile.

Sometimes it means setting family rules so your children never make wedding plans for the second Saturday in October.

For Bond Beams and Malcolm Robertson, two fans from Park Cities, nothing has kept them from attending 50 straight Red River Rivalry games, including Saturday’s 63-21 Oklahoma victory at the Cotton Bowl.

They are neighbors with their college allegiances proudly flying in front of their homes. Beams, a 1976 OU graduate, displays crimson-and-cream flags on his property, while Robertson, a 1977 University of Texas alum, shows off his burnt orange.

Team-specific yard art is nothing new in residential areas. But for these two friends, who teach Bible study together at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, the decorations show not only school loyalty, but a deeper respect.

With Fair Park as the game day locale, Robertson, 57, finds it fitting to compare the rivalry to the pirate ship ride in the midway. “It goes back and forth. Oklahoma fans aren’t like other ones; they know the ship will swing back the other way,” he said.

The ship is swinging the Sooners’ way for now, and Robertson will have to wait another year for the hull of the galleon to come back after Oklahoma’s commanding victory.

“One of the things I learned a long time ago was there are a lot more Texas fans around me than Oklahoma fans,” said Beams, 60. “Everyone that knows me knows I’m a Sooner, but it’s not something I get in people’s faces about.

“I don’t typically go around big-doggin’ Oklahoma. … It’s a good, healthy rivalry.”

Beams’ son Colin, 28, echoes his father’s sentiment.

“Growing up as a Sooner in Texas, you’re in the lion’s den,” said Colin Beams, an OU legacy.

Pregame rituals

While Beams and Robertson differ on which games are their favorites, they can agree on a unified pregame ritual. Two hours before kickoff, they stop by the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand with their kids, just another two families in a sea of burnt orange and crimson.

“I’ll get there, eat a couple corny dogs, drink a cold belly washer and then enjoy watching the crowd,” Beams said.

“It’s the breakfast of champions,” Robertson said.

The champions label is fitting as Texas holds a slight edge over the last 50 games. Texas has 24 victories, while Oklahoma has 23. Three times, their visits ended in ties.

Playing favorites

With half a century of football between the two, there are plenty of notable ballgames in memory.

Watching Steve Worster run through former Bryan Adams High School standout Bruce Stensrud with the winning touchdown in 1968 was part of Robertson’s top game. But the 26-20 Texas victory was not the last time Stensrud’s and Robertson’s lives would overlap.

A little more than a decade later, Robertson, fresh out of South Texas College of Law, was interviewed for a job by the former Sooners defensive back.

Stensrud, who still resides in Dallas, is a client and friend of Robertson’s, and their Texas-OU rivalry is one of mutual respect.

“You never know who you might run into at the Texas-Oklahoma football game,” Robertson said. “I doubt I’ll get another game that great, but I’ll still keep going.”

For Beams, the dominance of the Sooners in the early 1970s gives him bragging rights and his fondest memories at the Cotton Bowl.

“Everything was clicking,” he said. “Rod Shoate was linebacker, Jimbo Elrod was defensive end, Joe Washington was the running back. … It was just an incredible team, and it was awesome.”

From 1971 through 1976, the Sooners went 5-0-1 against Texas.

“It was tough,” said Robert Porter, a 1979 UT-Austin graduate and friend of Robertson’s. “When you go to as many as we’ve been to, the wins and losses kind of run together. We’ve beat them bad before, and they’ve beaten us bad before.”

This year’s game, with 92,500 in attendance, ranked as one of the more lopsided losses for Texas, but Robertson remained true to his team and stayed to the end. The same could not be said for some other Texas fans who filed out of the stadium during halftime.

After the clock expired, Robertson joined the remaining UT fans in singing “The Eyes of Texas.”

Back and forth

After three consecutive Oklahoma victories, Beams is careful to keep his crimson emotions in check.

“I don’t even have to say a word to my Texas friends. I just have to walk by,” Beams said, “This game is too emotional, and I wouldn’t want them to razz me.”

But wins and losses are merely numbers for Robertson and Beams, who sit in separate sections in the Cotton Bowl.

For four hours on an overcast Saturday in October, they were savoring an afternoon with their children, who are now all grown.

“After you’ve gone 25 or 30 years, you realize the game that day isn’t about winning or losing,” Robertson said. “It’s being there. It’s the memories. It’s the relationships.”

With 50 games down, neither plans to make this his last trip to the Cotton Bowl.

“If I get to 70 straight, I want people to carry me onto the field, so I can wave at the children one more time,” Robertson said.

A year later, HLN did a piece on them on Robin Meade's show in the morning. Before I post it, let me explain the following:

A preemptive "fuck you" to anyone who gives me shit about wearing a red shirt to this. I was given the wrong time for arrival and had no time to change out of that work shirt, which was for Gold's Gym in Garland. This interview was being shot from a bar on Ross and 75. When I was asked if I was coming, I had to cancel my next two PT sessions, jump into my 2008 Mustang and drive all the way from Belt Line and Garland Road to this spot. I had 27 minutes to make this drive of 16 miles on city streets. Not an easy task. I sped, ran red lights, whipped a quick left turn in front of oncoming traffic to get into the parking lot merely 5 minutes before this live shot took place.

Anyways, here it is:

Now for the rest of the story:
Ten years later, both streaks (as well as my own of 31 as of tomorrow) remain miraculously intact. I say "miraculously" because we did manage to get in for the 2020 COVID game, and that was no easy task, either. Pop999 does have the tiebreaker on Beamer by virtue of the fact that we both went to the 2018 Big 12 Championship game while he did not, so his streak is restricted to Cotton Bowl games only. Of course, those are the ones that matter. Anyone who's been to at least 3 of these games can attest to how both unique and special every one of them is, win or lose. Here's to hoping the 60th turns into the most special for him.

Which one are you?

And Robin in burnt orange? Maybe god really is on you slapdicks’ side.

hpslugga · October 8, 2022

35 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Which one are you?

And Robin in burnt orange? Maybe god really is on you slapdicks’ side.

Right behind the interviewer. You’ll see when he steps to his right at his beginning

GreenspointTexas · October 8, 2022

17 straight for me

/csb

Armybrat · October 8, 2022

Dbeasy · October 8, 2022

I’ve been to so many I’ve lost count. I quit going a few years ago, but those games still remain some of the greatest experiences of my life. The intensity. The emotions. The sights and smells. Just an incredible experience. I loved those games.

Surly Bevo · October 8, 2022

Oldest daughter (no pics) is a Soph at UT. Her first game was the Charlie Strong surprise. My poor 15 year old son got his first venture there last year. His twin sister is not a UT fan and is interested in animal sciences (though thinks aggy is weird and so probably won't want to go there)

Armybrat · October 8, 2022

7 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I’ve been to so many I’ve lost count. I quit going a few years ago, but those games still remain some of the greatest experiences of my life. The intensity. The emotions. The sights and smells. Just an incredible experience. I loved those games.

Getting a nutty bar at the kiosk by Hans Mueller’s tent and “cheap” (for the Fair) beer at that stand in the front corner of the food court building.

Horny Bull · October 8, 2022

20 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Oh how the times have changed. I would do vile things for a $5 ticket.

ImissWallyPryor · October 8, 2022

5 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Ticket stubs are so… 2018.

ImissWallyPryor · October 8, 2022

11 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

Oldest daughter (no pics) is a Soph at UT. Her first game was the Charlie Strong surprise. My poor 15 year old son got his first venture there last year. His twin sister is not a UT fan and is interested in animal sciences (though thinks aggy is weird and so probably won't want to go there)

So, you’re not claiming her as your daughter? Damn turncoat kids.

Edited October 8, 2022 by ImissWallyPryor

Foosters · October 8, 2022

I thought you were the guy playing the guitar in the background. Woulda been cooler, tbh

Hermanator · October 8, 2022

So you broke all sorts of laws and almost caused wrecks rushing to get to a location not to be interviewed but to be a guy photo bombing in the background?

This year will break a streak of 1 for me. I go about every other year. I enjoy it but, especially in recent times with it being so damn hot every year, I just don't feel the need to go every year. Probably has a lot to do with football being the one sport I enjoy on TV more than in person no matter the game.

Armybrat · October 8, 2022

6 hours ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Ticket stubs are so… 2018.

Well, I am so 1952.

hpslugga · October 9, 2022

On 10/7/2022 at 3:42 PM, hpslugga said:

Here's to hoping the 60th turns into the most special for him.

49-0 will do

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