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Brisketexan

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 50,012

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HOLY SHIT... RIP BILL 🙏🙏🙏

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 3:57 mark is Bill Little narrating

 

 

 

Football 11.23.2005  

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Bill Little commentary: A reason to be thankful

Quote

It was, and remains today, one of the most powerful pieces of journalism I have ever read. Fred Steinmark, the little safety on the 1969 National Champion Longhorn team, had just died. Blackie Sherrod, one of the best writers in a time of simply great sportswriters in Texas, had co-authored a book with Freddie.

Blackie wrote a column about Steinmark, and he closed it with a story about the dedication of the book. At the time, Freddie was an athlete dying young. He was in his early 20s, with a promising life ahead of him. He was a gifted athlete, whose leg had been removed from the hip because of the cancer that would kill him.

"Freddie has written a book about his experiences," wrote Blackie. "It will be published this fall. The editor noticed after Freddie was hospitalized, that he had not made a dedication of the book and he asked to whom Freddie wanted to dedicate his story.

"Freddie said to the Lord, who had been so good to him."

In trying to write a column about Thanksgiving, 2005, I have thought a lot about that. Our wonderful world in Texas athletics is juxtaposed with a really hard year in America. With a little over a month remaining in this calendar year, Longhorn athletics are at an all-time high.

It began with the Rose Bowl win on January 1 in Pasadena. Baseball, and women's track, claimed National Championships. Collectively, the athletes at The University of Texas, despite competing in fewer sports than their counterparts, finished second in the competition for the trophy honoring the most successful collegiate athletic program in the country. The Autumn of the year continued to be promising. An undefeated football team, and both the football and basketball teams ranked No. 2 in the country.

But in the real world, and reality in this case really does bite, the picture dims. Natural disasters. War. Heart-breaking tragedy. Even the cost of a tank of gas. And if we do have a chance to begin to feel good, all around us there are those who will remind us just how miserable we ought to be.

In the midst of all of this, we turn to sport as a release. We celebrate success, because it reminds us that the human spirit can conquer. In most cases, it is a game or a season. In the case of Freddie Steinmark, it was more than that.

"His friend thought it was rather a miracle, Freddie having played regularly on a national championship team with the tumor already gnawing at his leg, and had survived the amputation and returned to active life...had been able to move back into society, to tell people how he felt, to squeeze another 17 months out of precious life," wrote Sherrod when Steinmark died a year and a half after his cancer was discovered following UT's last regular season game of the National Championship season of 1969. Freddie had started every game of the season, including the famous "Game of the Century" with Arkansas.

But Sherrod continued, "Freddie didn't think it was a miracle; it was what an athlete was supposed to do and now that same fierce competition kept him hanging on for days, weeks, after the average person would have let go."

We get that in sports. We get the competitor, we get the pride, we get the joy of victory, and we even at some level feel and understand the agony of defeat.

But where in the world do we really begin to understand Steinmark's final words. How in the world, do we look beyond the pain, beyond the hurt, and be thankful on Thanksgiving Day?

I remember Dr. Gerald Mann, then pastor of Riverbend Church, saying the only way to deal with grief is to replace it with gratitude. If that's the case, then it is incumbent on us to open our eyes, and our hearts to what we have to truly be thankful for.

The origin of the day is about that. We are told that the first Thanksgiving Day was observed by pilgrims who had lost family, friends and had endured many hardships as they left their roots to begin life in a new land. The bounty they were thankful for was meager, but somehow they found power and conviction to persevere.

In many ways, there are thousands of people in America today who can relate. Driven from their homes by the forces of nature, their choice is to grieve over what was, or to be hopeful of what can be.

On Thanksgiving morning, as they have for the last eight years, Mack Brown's football team, the players and the coaches only, will gather in the team room at the Moncrief-Neuhaus football facility for a meeting. They'll hear a brief inspirational message, and then each player or coach will have a chance to stand up and tell his teammates and coaches what he is thankful for.

It is a powerful, emotional time, where the common thread of togetherness, the strength of the love of each other, bonds 100 or so guys in an incredible way. The challenge of saying what's in your heart can only be accomplished in a space of complete safety, and Thanksgiving morning in Austin, the sanctuary of the Longhorn football dressing room is the safest place on earth for the players and coaches.

Outside, toward the field of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Freddie Steinmark's picture hangs in the tunnel by the scoreboard that bears his name.

He would be proud of the session in the room, just a few paces away, because it reminds all of us that it is important to see the good in life, to sift through tough things and tough times.

What you hope is, hard lessons teach positive futures. Today, the cancer that killed Freddie is almost completely curable, because of the research done in the years since 1970. We hope that peace comes in our world, and when it does, it will be in part because of the sacrifice of others.

In athletics at The University of Texas, we are arguably in the very best of times, and there is reason to be thankful for that, not because the Longhorns win, but because the manifestation of team success is a celebration of individual achievement, and we salute that.

More than that, however, these are young people who have not only touched each others' lives, they have touched our lives. They have given us joy, and they have allowed us to share in their fun.

They have allowed us to vicariously live in the distinct quality of a dream, to feel the celebration, to appreciate the success. They remind us every day that youth and team and character and excellence are gifts.

And for that, on this day, in this particular window of life, we have reason to be thankful.

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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Armybrat

Armybrat 41,421

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8 hours ago, cochamps said:

Will always believe Bill helped win the 63 aggy game.  RIP & Hook ‘em!

Yes, he showed the ref how to make the correct call on the bobbled interception that wasn’t. 
The very beginning of the BOMC.

Rest in peace with all the other great Longhorns.

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Bozo_Casanova

Bozo_Casanova 26,878

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10 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

Goodnight Sweet Prince of Puff

 

21 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

man did i love to make fun of his writing especially during the mack years. but he was a good one. RIP good sir. 

I laughed at Bill Little's writing as much as anybody, but he rendered decades of faithful service to the University we love.

Here in the hottest summer of all, I've often thought back on this all-time classic Bill Little off-season banger of scattershot from the last hottest summer, here comes fall.

Hook em.

Quote

Aug. 25, 2011

Bill Little, Texas Media Relations

Dr. Paul Tucker, one of Austin's great cardiologists, tells the story of an encounter when he was the Chief Medical Resident in the renowned heart complex in Houston. He was standing at the elevator with the legendary heart surgeon and UT graduate Denton Cooley when the doors opened and a distraught woman walked out.

"Dr. Cooley, Dr. Cooley, " she said. "I have to know...is George going to be alright?"

To which Dr. Cooley placed his hand on her shoulder and reassuringly said, "Yes, George will be fine."

Doctors Cooley and Tucker then stepped alone in the elevator, and as the doors closed, Cooley said, "Paul, I have no idea who that woman was...but I can't stand a doctor who is a pessimist!"

That kind of positive attitude is why I love Bill Hecke, the weatherman on the easy listening station which awakens us every morning. The other day, in the midst of the heat and drought, as we all fight to keep fires away and trees, grass and plants alive, Mr. Hecke gave the usual "heat advisory" and talked about the remote possibility that some storm would come from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and save us.
And then he said this, and I am paraphrasing here; as he looked at the weather maps, north of Canada, he could see the stirring of atmospheric phenomena which meant one thing:

Fall is coming.

 

Tuesday morning in the midst of the hottest summer ever recorded in Austin, the Texas Longhorns went through their 22nd practice of their two-a-day drills in preparation for the start of the football season on September 3rd.

While the work in the meeting rooms and at practice has been extensive, there have also been opportunities to listen and learn from other sources. On Sunday, August 14, the Longhorns boarded buses after practice for a short trip to Camp Mabry, the historic home of the Texas National Guard and training facility for other important military reserve units. The plan had been to actually practice on the drill field, but what had germinated as an idea in the cool spring was frustrated by grass that had turned to brittle straw. Still, the players had a chance to meet and sign autographs for military personnel, their families, and families of those who are deployed.

Then, they heard from the commanding general and the chief aide to the Adjutant General of the State of Texas. They heard of the cold, and the heat, of the remote places in the Middle East where American service men and women stand in harm's way for our freedom.

A week of practice followed, and then came a visit with two very diverse Longhorn legends. First was Red McCombs, who as one of The University's major benefactors has both the business school and the "Red Zone" (the north end zone) at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium named for him (and he shares the softball field name with his wife, Charlene).

Red's annual talk to the team triggered a memory and a challenge.
In the late 1960s and 1970s, the University of Southern California dominated the sport of college baseball as no team has ever done before or since. Each year, eight outstanding college teams would qualify for the College World Series in Omaha. Seven of the teams journeyed to America's midlands in pursuit of their dream--they went "hoping" to win.

Southern Cal, on the other hand, went "expecting to win."

And they did.

That was the challenge Red offered to the Longhorns of 2011--regain that swagger that brought Texas football to a similar place in the first decade of the 21st Century.

He then revived a familiar phrase that was part of Texas' campaign that took them to the national championship game in 2009--go "All In."

At the Sunday practice on August 21st, as temperatures even inside the "bubble" (the indoor practice facility) reached into the 90s, the team heard from the other part of that Longhorn history tandem.

Eric Metcalf, who arguably was the best Texas football player in the decade of the 1980s, has been a frequent visitor to Longhorn games over the years. The former NFL star and world class Olympian came with a special message this time, however. With UT President Bill Powers and his wife, Kim Heilbrun on hand, Metcalf told the team he liked what he had seen in practice, and how the young guys should embrace their opportunity. He was no stranger to some of the players. Co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Major Applewhite has put together a tape of the legendary Longhorn runners to show his young players, and Metcalf is part of that highlight reel.

But this day, he talked of something beyond just the game. Eric Metcalf played his last down of football for Texas in the season of 1988. And in the fall of 2011, he stood before this latest version of the Longhorns as a brand new college graduate. So when he spoke of taking care of your work in the classroom, he spoke from the heart.

As classes started at Texas on Wednesday and the final scrimmage closed pre-season practice Thursday, game week is only a few days away. Friday, the Longhorn Network will launch its live telecasting of all things associated with The University of Texas.

Following Sunday's practice, Mack Brown took time to visit with the members of the Longhorn Band, who have also begun their practice in anticipation of the 7 p.m. meeting with Rice which will open the season on September 3rd.

Two years ago, the summer of 2009 was one of those times where everything was centered on "expectations." The excitement carried all the way to the national championship game.

The excitement that has been building this year (brick-by-brick, by the way) has been focused on "anticipation." And in that space, we celebrate with Dr. Cooley in his mandate for optimism, and rest assured by Mr. Hecke.

Fall, after all, is coming.

 

Edited by Bozo_Casanova
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hayden_horn

hayden_horn 11,402

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19 minutes ago, troph said:

There are a few voices that are instantaneously recognizable as the voice of Texas to me. Bill Little was one of them. In the voice of another one, Bill Livingston, “good bye, and good luck.”

 

18 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

"F, as in, Frank"

class was....

....

....

...

....

....

NOT added. 

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realgreggym

realgreggym 838

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This is so sad. I knew Bill well when I was in college. He would travel with us to out of town games. No one loved UT more than Bill. He will be missed.

Someone mentioned Dr Cooley. In addition to being a UT grad, he was also a UT basketball letterman. I suspect that about now, Bill and DR Cooley are talking with Coach Black about UT hoops, 

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 55,870

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9 hours ago, honolulu horn said:

I worked at the Erwin Center during undergrad, and I met him several times during basketball games. He didn't have to be nice to me -- or to anyone -- but he always was to me, and to everyone. Cut from a different cloth. RIP.  

I did media a couple of years, and when you walked into the press box, you just knew he owned it -- but that was because he learned your name and always welcomed you.  

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Rimbo

Rimbo 27,055

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16 hours ago, hayden_horn said:

man did i love to make fun of his writing especially during the mack years. but he was a good one. RIP good sir. 

 

Yeah. I mean, we gave him heck for it, but portraying the world as it appeared through the burnt orangest of burnt orange sunglasses was literally his job. And he did it well.

RIP, you beautiful man.

 

15 hours ago, hayden_horn said:

 

class was....

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...

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NOT added. 

 

14 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

This section is full

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And all other sections of this course are full.

 

Trigger GIF by MOODMAN

still too soon

 

6 hours ago, Deej said:

"Get that idiot off the goal post!"

 

28 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

That was Wally Pryor, not Bill Little. 

RIP, Bill. And Hook’em! 🤘

 

Yeah, that was Wally. Another legend. "Someone just handed me the Slippery Rock score..."

RIP to both of 'em.

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Jiggy-Z

Jiggy-Z 3,509

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On 8/20/2023 at 12:53 AM, TrashMaster G said:

That was Wally Pryor, not Bill Little. 

RIP, Bill. And Hook’em! 🤘

My Wally Pryor CSB:

I was in LHB back in the mid to late 80's (trumpet), and in addition to the the volunteer gigs we had to do, every once in awhile something came up where we got paid.

I was enlisted to go play the "call to the post" at some charity "Kentucky Derby" fake gambling party at the Austin Country Club. It paid $100 plus food and booze and that was a lot of money for a college student back then, so I took the gig.

So I wrangled up a tux and complimented it with my LHB colonel Sanders clip on for the chef's kiss.

My only job was to go around the club and play the call to the post for about the first 45 minutes of the event while the guest were arriving and mingling.

I got fed before the event along with the staff, but I was allowed to eat at the guest tables, I guess because I was wearing a tux. Before I knew it, I had a fresh mint julip in my hand and they just kept coming.

So when the time came, I went and did my job hammered on mint julips.  The only problem was is that I wanted to keep drinking, and the only way to do that was to keep playing... and I did as only a desperate college student could. So eventually, they asked me to stop, and me and the remnants of my last mint julip were escorted out of the ball room to the back patio.

There sitting on the couch all alone  was an equally hammered Wally Pryor. Wally, no doubt instantly recognized my colonel Sanders clip on and with a far off bourbon drunk look in his eye shouted "heeeeeeeeey uuup" and the threw me a wobbly hook 'em.

Seeing I had made a new friend, I grabbed a chair opposite Wally and responded "Is there a way a guy can get a drink around here?"

Seeing a kindred spirit, Wally obliged and we sat out there until dark bull shitting and drinking.

Wally had to go when a couple of his handlers came out and cut him off because he apparently had a habit of getting over served at these type of things when he had an audience.

The same gig came up a year later, but for some reason I was not selected.

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RomaVicta

RomaVicta 30,607

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What a fabulous time span to live as a Longhorn. Little was a great guy to represent this state and this university.

The '63 Aggie game was a sham from kick-off. Aggies had watered the field all week long and then painted the mush green. This effectively slowed down the Texas offense. Royal was spitting mad.

The tape of the "controversial (weeahhhh! because, even cheating, we lost!) call doesn't look controversial at all to me. The Aggies claim the call was about his feet being out of bounds. The photo they use, a still of course, shows the Aggie with his feet in bounds. They wuz robbed.

The call was actually that the receiver did not have possession. At least that's the way I remember it from the excellent Longhorn Network documentary about that championship season.

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