Fifty years later, Texas 69 national champions still cherish camaraderie, winning Game of t

June 12, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Bob McKay stretched out across his living room floor in his hometown of Crane, Texas. It was New Year’s Day, 1964. His eyes were glued to a television set as No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Navy faced off in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Head coach Darrell K Royal’s Longhorns won 28-6, capturing the program’s first national championship.

“I can remember it to this day,” said McKay. “It was such a big deal.”

The next time UT claimed a championship, McKay, an All-American offensive tackle, was on the field for it.

Texas captured its second national championship in 1969, going 11-0. And it was perhaps an even bigger deal than the first title run because of the Longhorns’ epic victory against No. 2 Arkansas in what’s often dubbed “The Game of the Century.”

A half-century later, No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson meet Monday night in New Orleans to crown the latest national champion.

Ahead of the contest, members of the Longhorns’ 1969 squad reflected on their unforgettable season — playing under the legendary Royal, coming from behind to beat the Razorbacks, making relationships that are still marked by weekly and monthly phone calls today. Their championship season also transpired amid societal change. They are the last all-white national championship team, and UT began integrating its varsity roster the following season.

“There’s not a week that goes by that I’m not reminded in some way or another of that season,” said former offensive tackle Bobby Mitchell, “and that championship game.”

Royal, who coached the Longhorns from 1956 to 1976, and died in 2012 at age 88, is remembered by his former players for his philosophy of keeping things “simple and straightforward.” The demands were simple in theory, but always required full effort. It led to him getting the most out of players. It helped that Royal’s staff was at the forefront of offensive innovation at the time. UT’s wishbone offense averaged 363.0 rushing yards, 109.1 passing yards and 39.5 points per game.

“Coach Royal had the standard,” said Ted Koy, a captain and running back on the ’69 squad. “And no one was bigger than the standard. It was a case that everybody on the team realized we were just a part of the team.”

“He was the type of coach, personality-wise, that you wanted to play for,” former receiver Cotton Speyrer added. “And win for.”

Members of the ’69 team cherish the squad’s camaraderie more than anything. Many of them remain close to this day, occasionally grabbing lunch, or going out to hunt or fish together. Different players chat up to three or four times a month to maintain contact. The team, with most members now in their 70s, was honored on Oct. 19 during the 2019 team’s contest against Kansas. UT wore throwback uniforms in its honor.

Gear up. Honor the past. This Saturday we pay tribute to the 1969 National Champions. 🤘#ThisIsTexas HookEm pic.twitter.com/l5fbaVa95c

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 15, 2019

“We always say Coach Royal did us a hell of a favor,” McKay said, “introducing some of our best friends 54 years ago. It’s amazing to stay together that long and that close.”

Those relationships were first fostered in the dorms — freshmen players weren’t allowed to live off-campus unless they had already married. The bonds strengthened on the field, where Royal put players through, as Mitchell put it, “horrendous” workouts. Back then, two-a-days were the norm. In the spring, they lasted five days with scrimmages on Saturday. During the offseason, they lasted for two weeks, fully padded and full-speed under the blazing Austin sun.

Koy still remembers intense workouts under trainer Frank Medina, a former Olympic trainer. Once, following an exhausting spring workout session, Koy removed his workout gear, passed the showers and caught a glimpse of Medina working with a group of players designated as “The Fat Men” because they were over their assigned weight limit. After having already completed the same full workout session that Koy had done, the players were lined up doing sit-ups. Medina barked, “Up! 499!”

“He’d push us as far as we thought we could go,” Koy said of Medina, “and then further.”

The training methods fell in line with the high standards Royal set for Texas. After delivering the 1963 championship, he led the Longhorns to a 10-1 record the following season. But UT went 6-4, 7-4 and 6-4 across the next three seasons.

Ahead of the ’68 campaign, Royal delivered a speech during a spring practice in an attempt to galvanize his team.

“Royal said, ‘Men, we’re not going to be 6-4,’” Koy recalled. “‘So we may be 0-10, we may be 10-0, but I guarantee you we’re not going to be 6-4 again.’”

“We were either gonna be real, real good or real, real bad,” McKay added. “We weren’t gonna be 6-4. That third 6-4 season and they were ready to fire Coach Royal. His job was on the line.”

The message resonated. UT notched a 9-1-1 mark that year, finishing No. 3 in the final polls and setting the stage for its breakthrough in ’69.

“It started in ’68,” McKay said. “We expected to win. It wasn’t anything that we didn’t work for.”

“We’d been through a lot,” Speyrer said. “There was anticipation. We felt like there was a realistic chance of things going right and us being special.”

Battle-tested, talented and hitting their stride, the Longhorns carried momentum into the ’69 season.

“There aren’t many teams that enter the season that feel like they have a realistic chance to make a run at the national championship,” Speyrer said. “We were one of them because we were a tight group and we were confident, but not cocky.”

UT opened the year with three easy victories. Then came a matchup with No. 8 Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. The Horns trailed 14-0 before star quarterback James Street completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Speyrer late in the first quarter. UT dominated the rest of the way en route to a 27-17 win.

“I think that’s when we really grew up as a team,” Speyrer said, “and realized that we could overcome bad breaks.”

The Longhorns breezed through the next part of the schedule. They scored 40 points or more in six of their games and limited every opponent to 17 points or less. Players recall the second-string players getting plenty of playing time.

“We were so dominant over so many teams that it was almost unfair,” Mitchell said. “We had such depth and competition amongst our own team.”

Despite their supremacy, the Longhorns appeared on track to finish No. 2 in the nation. Ohio State was ranked No. 1 entering its season finale against No. 12 Michigan. UT had a bye that week, with a Thanksgiving Day contest against Texas A&M on tap.

The Longhorns needed help, and got it. The Wolverines upset the Buckeyes 24-12, ending OSU’s unbeaten run and giving UT the top spot in the polls with two regular-season contests remaining.

“If we’d known how big a deal it was,” McKay said, “we’d probably been scared. But when you’re 21, 22 years old, you think you’re bulletproof anyway.”

Texas celebrated the 1969 championship team during the season. (Courtesy of UT Athletics)

The Longhorns rolled against Texas A&M, cruising to a 49-12 win and creating a de facto national championship game between top-ranked UT and No. 2 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., on Dec. 6, 1969.

Players expected Royal to be aggressive with so much at stake in the Southwest Conference finale. On the ride from the team hotel to the stadium, Speyrer said he learned that Royal told Street in confidence, “We’re not gonna play for a tie.”

“He would surprise people,” Speyrer said of Royal.

If the magnitude of the programs competing didn’t ramp up the drama, the period during which it took place did. The United States was in the midst of turmoil with the Vietnam War underway, numbers of individuals being drafted into the military and the civil rights movement coming to a close.

“People just needed something to hold everything together,” Mitchell said. “Something that everyone could look forward to.”

Texas-Arkansas aired on ABC, producing a rematch of the ’68 contest the Longhorns had won 39-29; the only loss on the Hogs’ ledger that season. Royal’s and Arkansas coach Frank Broyles’ squads had developed a rivalry.

Thus, all eyes were on the matchup. President Richard Nixon attended. Renowned evangelist Billy Graham delivered the pregame invocation. It delivered an incredible 52.1 television rating.

The game itself lived up to the hype.

The Longhorns fell behind early. Koy fumbled on their second offensive play to set up Arkansas’ first score, a 1-yard touchdown run by Bill Burnett. UT turned the ball over six total times during the contest (four fumbles, two interceptions). Late in the third quarter, the Razorbacks found the end zone again, when quarterback Bill Montgomery connected with receiver Chuck Dicus for a 29-yard score.

Trailing entering the final quarter, UT retained a sense of belief, even knowing the Hogs’ defense allowed only 6.8 points per game.

“We had survived a pretty good Oklahoma team that year after having been down 14-0,” Speyrer said. “So we didn’t feel like it was too big of an obstacle to be down 14-0 to Arkansas.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Street broke through for UT. He evaded a few Arkansas pass rushers before scampering for a 42-yard touchdown run with 14:47 left. Royal elected to go for 2 and the Horns converted on an option-keep by Street, trimming the Razorbacks’ lead to 14-8.

“We wouldn’t tie the ballgame,” McKay said. “That was decided before we ever played. That was just the way (Royal) went at it.”

The teams traded a pair of turnovers through the heart of the final quarter. With 4:47 left, UT held the ball at its own 43-yard line. Royal dialed up a deep play-action pass and Street connected with receiver Randy Peschel on a 50-yard gain. Two plays later, running back Jim Bertelsen plunged into the end zone from 2 yards out and kicker Happy Feller’s extra point gave the Longhorns a 15-14 lead with 3:58 remaining. UT defensive back Tom Campbell intercepted Montgomery with 1:13 left to seal the Longhorns’ victory.

“Everything kinda fell into place,” Speyrer said. “We were very fortunate that that played out at the end of the year that everything moved in the right place.”

“We had no idea then,” Mitchell said. “That’s one of the biggest things that’s ever happened to me.”

The elation of Texas’ epic victory didn’t last as long as most would have hoped.

Not long after defeating Arkansas, the Longhorns found out that defensive back Freddie Steinmark, who had played throughout the game, was battling bone cancer and had to get his leg amputated.

“So that took us … from an incredibly high emotion to having won the game where we’re the No. 1 team in the nation, and two days later, we find that our teammate is losing his leg to cancer,” Koy said. “The height of emotions and the depth of emotions were all in a couple days.”

Texas defensive back Freddie Steinmark (28) played against Arkansas in “The Game of the Century,” but had to have his leg amputated days later. (AP)

The Longhorns were tabbed to play in the Cotton Bowl against No. 9 Notre Dame on New Year’s Day. Steinmark’s perseverance served as motivation for several of the players. He attended, making his first appearance in the team locker room ahead of it.

“It was one of those surreal moments,” Koy said.

Steinmark even made an appearance on the field during pregame, a moment that Speyrer said is his most memorable from that season.

“To this day, I get chills thinking about that,” he said. “It was incredible. It was a great motivation for us.”

The Longhorns once again trailed early, as the Fighting Irish scored the contest’s first 10 points behind the play of quarterback Joe Theismann. But Bertelsen scored ahead of halftime to cut the deficit to 3. After trading scores in the fourth, running back Billy Dale scored a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with just more than a minute remaining. It clinched a 21-17 victory for UT, preserving its perfect season, as well as its national championship. Royal gave Steinmark the game ball afterward.

“It was a very emotional game,” Koy recalled.

The Longhorns’ success was commemorated in the form of their championship rings, which Royal designed and players voted on. Some players still wear theirs regularly. Mitchell attributes the rings’ understated style to Royal’s humble approach.

“The national championship rings that Royal designed were very, very conservative,” he said. “More of dressy, subdued gentleman’s ring, and as a result, you could wear it all the time. And it was very appropriate.”

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson was on hand to congratulate Texas quarterback James Street and coach Darrell Royal after they defeated Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1970. (AP)

Things have changed quite a bit around the Forty Acres since the ’69 season. The Longhorns won the national championship again in ’70, but didn’t claim their next until 2005.

The game itself has changed, too. UT’s ’69 squad marked the last all-white team to win the national championship and the last at UT. Julius Whittier, who became the first black player to join the Longhorns football team, was only a freshman that year, so he wasn’t eligible to play with the varsity squad, according to NCAA rules. Texas was one of the last teams in the nation to integrate, but it’s a matter that Koy said he’s happy to see changed.

“It was just the timing of when my era came along that they decided to make the transformations that were needed,” Koy said.

Schematics have changed, too. The wishbone is now considered archaic. Instead, run-pass options and aggressive passing schemes dominate. McKay said he favors rushing the football because he believes it’s a key component of a winning strategy. But he added that he marvels at the game he watches today.

“You’ve got such big players now,” he said. “I mean the kids are just phenomenal athletes. We’d have a hard time playing with them.”

The results haven’t been too kind to Texas across the last decade. But members of the ’69 Longhorns squad are mostly hopeful for what’s to come.

“Overall, I think we’re on the right track,” Mitchell said. “I like Coach (Tom) Herman. He’s a smart guy, he’s dedicated. Even though this year was a little disappointing and the way it turned out. I think there is a greater parity among the players and among the schools now in the Big 12.”

The Longhorns finished the 2019 season 8-5, ending it with a thumping of No. 11 Utah in the Alamo Bowl. It was a disappointing year, considering the high expectations surrounding the program after its Sugar Bowl win the season before.

But as Herman enters his fourth season, Koy said he notices some similarities to the state of the program and the scrutiny surrounding it that Royal endured during the program’s down seasons. He notes that in ’68 — the season when Royal delivered his speech about avoiding mediocrity — the Longhorns tied Houston and lost to Texas Tech before rattling off nine consecutive wins to close out the year.

“There was this big monkey hanging from an arch in the stadium,” Koy recalled seeing after the loss to Texas Tech. “It had ‘Coach Royal’ on it. I thought, ‘Things are getting pretty, pretty tense around here.’ Then, the next week, we started what turned out to be the 30-game win streak.

“You look at the program today, Herman has a team that goes 7-5 and people are saying the sky is falling. Then, they put it together and win the Alamo Bowl game and things are looking better. I understand the urgency as a fan. The fan part of me says, ‘Yeah, I wanna see them win.’ But the player part of me says, ‘It’s a process.’ It takes a lot of work. It’s important that the program’s heading in the right direction. I went through it as a player and am going through it as a fan. … I definitely think Tom Herman has this program headed in the right direction.”

Perhaps the contemporary Longhorns could channel the momentum that carried the ’69 team to glory. It will start with a revamped coaching staff, following the additions of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Chris Ash. On the field, UT will have rising senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger leading the way. A talented, young defense led by rising junior linebacker Joseph Ossai will have to improve greatly from 2019.

Key returners for UT’s 2020 squad point to camaraderie and togetherness as being essential to achieving desired heights. It’s the same ingredients that players from the ’69 team point to as reason for their success.

“We always had each others’ backs,” Speyrer said, “and nobody was going to or willing to let your teammates down. That’s what it takes, in my opinion.”

(Photo of Texas halfback Ted Koy in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 1, 1970: AP)

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