Darryl K Royal

RIP. Great man!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
RIP. Great man!

He was a true gentleman of the game, and a very nice guy.
I was very impressed on the few times I was able to be with him.
He never varied and he never heaped praise on himself and gave credit where credit was due.

He was one of a kind, and he will be missed.

Originally posted by shortcircuit
He was a true gentleman of the game, and a very nice guy.
I was very impressed on the few times I was able to be with him.
He never varied and he never heaped praise on himself and gave credit where credit was due.

He was one of a kind, and he will be missed.

I daresay only Bear Bryant has a reputation that comes close to Royal's. I have always admired men like him deeply. You are lucky to have met him in person.

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
I daresay only Bear Bryant has a reputation that comes close to Royal's. I have always admired men like him deeply. You are lucky to have met him in person.

Darrel Royal was awesome. (Too bad Mack Brown could not have already retired -- as gracefully as Royal.) Darrel Royal brought UT football into the modern world. With Royal, the Longhorns finally began winning beyond the leather helmet and no-face mask days. With that said, Royal is often mistakenly given the credit for developing the wishbone which was actually developed by Emory Bellard while under Royal and who went on to coach at Texas A&M. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emory_Bellard

In 1967, Bellard was hired as the linebackers coach at the University of Texas at Austin and was moved to offensive coordinator in 1968. It was at this time that he developed and implemented the wishbone formation.

Like Bellard, Bear Bryant also had a history with A&M. The only Bear Bryant player to win the Heisman was an A&M player. Further, the only piece of jewelry Bear Bryant wore was his A&M Junction Boys ring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Bryant

On his hand at the time of his death was the only piece of jewelry he ever wore, a gold ring inscribed "The Junction Boys".

Originally posted by moon1969
Darrel Royal was awesome. (Too bad Mack Brown could not have already retired -- as gracefully as Royal.) Darrel Royal brought UT football into the modern world. With Royal, the Longhorns finally began winning beyond the leather helmet and no-face mask days. With that said, Royal is often mistakenly given the credit for developing the wishbone which was ...[text shortened]... was the only piece of jewelry he ever wore, a gold ring inscribed "The Junction Boys".[/quote]

Are you kidding me? Your history is a bit flawed. Let me enlighten you.

Darrel Royal didn't leave of his own desire. I know, I was there.
They hadn't won in a while and Daddy D had his worst season in 1976.
He resigned under pressure, and they brought Fred Akers back from Wyoming to
replace the legend. In Akers first season, the Longhorns were undefeated going into
the Cotton Bowl to face Notre Dame and Joe Montana. Of course. ND upset Texas
that day. Fred Akers fate was short-lived as well. They ran him off because he couldn't
bring home a National Championship. When he left, and to date, he has the highest
winning percentage among coaches.

They went through several coaches, unsuccessfully, until Mack Brown came on the
scene. He delivered a National Championship and wrote his ticket. They are
grumbling again at the 40 Acres. I think he will survive this season, but another
season without winning conference at least will probably seal his fate.

Originally posted by shortcircuit
Are you kidding me? Your history is a bit flawed. Let me enlighten you.

Darrel Royal didn't leave of his own desire. I know, I was there.
They hadn't won in a while and Daddy D had his worst season in 1976.
He resigned under pressure, and they brought Fred Akers back from Wyoming to
replace the legend. In Akers first season, the Longhorns were un season, but another
season without winning conference at least will probably seal his fate.

Good points. While my perception was that the Royal ending was more graceful than what Mack is now going through, I agree with and remember well everything you say. I definitely remember Fred Akers, and of course who could forget the ND game. I know a couple of people till this day who still hate Montana because of that game.

And that was not justified or smart to force Akers out. And I also remember the subsequent "several coaches" you allude to. From McWilliams to that guy with the brain issue. Was not pretty.

Lastly, I do remember Mack coming in as the savior, and becoming the best recruiter college ball has ever seen, and arguably still is, but he never seemed to be able to coach very well on the field. Some of the Brown/Sims games were not fun, and so on. But he enhanced the national recognition of UT and deserves credit.

It just seems now Mack is getting senile. A couple of years ago, after the Iowa St. game, he was weird in that press conference, blaming his coaches and players, and saying he had dreamed they would lose. i was stunned. Normally the guy is incredibly articulate and does very well with the media. I mean they had just lost to Iowa St, but still.