Texas Longhorns football
| Texas Longhorns Football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1893 | ||
| Head coach | 13th season, 133–33 (.801) | ||
| Stadium | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (capacity: 100,119[1] Record: 101,437) | ||
| Field | Joe Jamail Field | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Austin, Texas | ||
| Division | South | ||
| All-time record | 850–324–33 (.718) | ||
| Bowl record | 25–22–2 (.541) (.531) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 4 | ||
| Conference titles | 32 | ||
| Heisman winners | 2 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 56[2] | ||
| Current uniform | |||
| File:Big12-Uniform-TX.PNG | |||
| Colors | Burnt orange and white | ||
| Fight song | Texas Fight | ||
| Mascot | Bevo | ||
| Marching band | The University of Texas Longhorn Band | ||
| Rivals | Oklahoma Sooners Texas A&M Aggies Texas Tech Red Raiders | ||
| Website | mackbrown-texasfootball.com | ||
The Texas Longhorns football team is the intercollegiate football team at The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns have won four recognized Division I-A national championships — in 1963, 1969, 1970 and 2005 and 32 conference championships. 129 (53 consensus & 22 unanimous) Texas players have been named to All-America football teams. Two Longhorn players have won the Heisman Trophy, college football's highest individual honor: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998). Seventeen Longhorns have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame,[3] while four are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.[4]
Other Longhorn players have also received recognition for their performance. The Texas Longhorn football program has had at least one player selected in each of the last 71 NFL Drafts dating back to 1938.[5] Texas has one the most prestigious, historical, and tradition-rich football programs of all time. In 2008, ESPN ranked the Texas Longhorns the 7th most prestigious college football program since 1936.[6]
As of the end of the 2009 season, the Longhorns' all-time record is 845–318–33 (.720) which is the second most wins in football in NCAA history; only the University of Michigan has won more football games all-time. Only Notre Dame and Michigan have won a greater percentage of games played than Texas.[7] Texas also ranks 2nd in number of bowl game appearances (49), and 8th in number of games played (1196).[8] From 1936 to 2009 the Longhorn football teams have been ranked 64 out of 74 seasons (85% of the time). The Horns have also finished these seasons ranked in the top twenty-five 47 times and the top ten 28 times, in either the Associated Press or the Coaches Poll.
History
For Notable Games see List of Texas Longhorn football games
Early history (1893-1926)
The University of Texas fielded its first permanent football team in 1893 managed by Albert Lefevra, the secretary-treasurer of the UT Athletic Association. The team played four games, a pair in the fall and two more in the spring winning all four games while shutting out all four opponents. The first was against the Dallas Foot Ball Club that claimed to be the best in the state. Held at the Dallas Fair Grounds, the game attracted a then-record 1,200 onlookers. It was a tough and spirited match, but when the dust had settled, the "University Eleven" had pulled off an 18–16 upset. "Our name is pants, and our glory has departed," growled the Dallas Daily News. The Texas club would go on to a spotless record and earn the undisputed boast of "best in Texas."[9]
After the inaugural season Texas officially hired its first coach, R.D. Wentworth, for $325 plus expenses. Wentworth shut out the first six opponents, outscoring them 191-0 before miserably losing their final game to Missouri 28-0. There were a number of firsts in Wentworth's one and only season as head coach at Texas. Texas' first ever meeting against Texas A&M occurred in 1894 and resulted in a 38-0 shutout victory for Texas in Austin. Texas also faced Arkansas in the first meeting between the two schools in 1894. The game resulted in a 54-0 shutout victory for Texas as well. These two firsts set the ground for the long extensive rivalries with the Aggies and the Razorbacks over the next century in which Texas would dominate both series with the two schools. Texas quickly established itself as a winning tradition in its first seven years of football going 36-11-2. In 1900, Texas also had its first ever meeting with Oklahoma, a 28-2 victory for Texas. The lopsided win for Texas was the beginning of one of college football's most heated rivalries to date. Texas also began rivalries with TCU, Texas A&M, Baylor, and Vanderbilt teams during this time where Texas quickly became the powerhouse and favored team. The Texas football program quickly rose to prominence during the early 1900s with winning records each season including undefeated seasons in 1914, 1918, and 1920. Over the next 30 years Texas had a slew of coaches none with a tenure longer than four years, however the University of Texas football team's record over this tumultuous period was an astounding 207-57-12, quickly becoming one of the winningest college football programs. Texas was also selected as National Champions in 1914 by the Billingsley Report Ratings and again in 1918 by the Cliff Morgan Ratings when both teams went undefeated.[10] Texas participated in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913-1917 winning two titles in 1913 and 1914. In 1915, Texas joined the upstart Southwest Conference winning the conference championship in 1916 and 1918. Texas then won their first, outright SWC Championship in 1920 with an undefeated record. 1920 was also the year in which the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry took hold with this historical meeting as both teams entered the game undefeated and unscored on that season. 20,000 onlookers (the largest in state history at the time) witnessed Texas defeat Texas A&M, 7-3 on Thanksgiving Day. The game gave the Aggies their first loss in two years and closed another undefeated season for Texas.
The Littlefield era (1927-1936)
Clyde Littlefield was the first superstar to both play for and coach the Longhorns. In his first season as head coach, he led Texas to a 6-2-1 record, bettering Edward Stewarts previous record of 5-4. His first season included a hard fought victory over a then tough Vanderbilt team in Dallas 13-6. During his second season, he won the SWC in 1928 going 7-2 including huge shutout wins over TCU and Texas A&M. Littlefield also won another SWC Championship in 1930 and led his team to a near perfect 8-1-1 record. The 1930 season was most remembered by the 98 yard touchdown drive against Oklahoma where both teams were tied 7-7 going into the fourth quarter. Texas managed to tack on a field goal to put the game away, 17-7 and their fourth straight win over the Sooners at the time. The 1930 team was selected as the National Champion that year by several sportswriters however the school does not officially recognize this year. Littlefield almost captured another SWC Title in 1932 by finishing 8-2 but lost to SWC foe, Texas Christian University. Coach Littlefield only had one losing season, in 1933, mainly due to younger players and injuries to starters. After finishing the 1933 season 4-5-2, the Longhorns first losing season in program history, many people called for his resignation. He resigned as the Longhorns football coach but stayed on as a very successful track coach. To this day, he is still the 5th winningest coach for the University of Texas with a record of 44-18-6.[11]
After the resignation Jack Chevigny, a national celebrity and ex-Notre Dame player, was hired in 1934. His first season as head coach included a stunning victory over Notre Dame, 7-6, in South Bend, Indiana which was considered the greatest moment of his career. After his initial winning season of 7-2-1(often credited to Littlefield), his career at Texas came crashing down when the Longhorns went 4-6 in 1935 and 2-6-1 in 1936 after which he resigned. Chevigny died as a United States Marine Corps first lieutenant in the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. Another legend surrounding Chevigny is that, after the 1934 victory over Notre Dame, he had been presented a fountain pen with the inscription "To Jack Chevigny, a Notre Dame boy who beat Notre Dame," and that on September 2, 1945, the pen was discovered in the hands of one of the Japanese envoys on the U.S.S. Missouri; and that the inscription was changed to read, "To Jack Chevigny, a Notre Dame boy who gave his life for his country in the spirit of old Notre Dame."[3] To this day, Chevigny is the only head football coach in Texas history with a losing record of 13-14-2.[12]
The Bible decade (1937-1946)
After the 1936 season Texas decided to pursue a head coach with extensive experience in the position. The coach chosen to replace Jack Chevigny after the 1936 season was Dana X. Bible. In the middle of the Great Depression, Texas courted and hired Bible from his successful head coaching job at the University of Nebraska, to be the coach and athletics director at the University of Texas. Dana X. Bible had tremendous success at Nebraska and previously Texas A&M. It was a bold move by the university and a decision that would lay the foundation for the Texas Football program for years to come. The Bible era debuted in 1937 with a 25-12 victory over Texas Tech in Austin. Fans were anxious to witness Texas once again dominate the college football scene however the program would be in a transition period for a short time, but with the experience that Bible brought Texas was again recruiting good athletes. After two initial rough seasons where Texas only won three games, Bible successfully transformed Texas into a national powerhouse. The turning point came in October 1939 when Texas was playing Arkansas in Austin. Down 13-7 with under 30 seconds to play, and with many fans heading for the stadium exits, Texas fullback R.B. Patrick flipped a short pass to Texas' halfback Jack Crain and ran 67 yards untouched for the score in the waning seconds of the game to tie Arkansas at 13. Those same fans that were leaving the stadium came pouring back in and onto the field. After the field was cleared Crain booted the extra point and Texas defeated Arkansas 14-13. This game became known as the "Renaissance Game" of the Dana X. Bible era, and the win revitalized the Texas football program in 1939. National championship talks began thereafter when Texas compiled their first All-American's with Malcolm Kutner, Jack Crain, and Noble Doss. The 1939 season was pivotal in providing momentum for the following decade. After an 8-2 season in 1940 where Noble Doss made the infamous "Impossible Catch" to set up Texas' 7-0 victory over Texas A&M kept the Aggies from repeating as National Champions and appearing in the Rose Bowl, Bible then led the Longhorns to their 1st No. 1 ranking in 1941 during the season and finished the year 8-1-1 where many sportswriters named the 1941 team National Champions however they were not selected by the AP Poll that year. Texas anxiously awaited their opportunity to receive a Rose Bowl bid having turned down bids from the Cotton, Orange, and Sugar Bowls that year. Rose Bowl officials elected not to award the bid to Texas since they had one remaining game against Oregon, who had already lost to Oregon State earlier that year. After not being awarded the bid, Texas then took out its frustration on Oregon, overwhelming them 71-7. The Longhorns of 1941 were featured on the cover of Life Magazine, and are still to this day considered one of the greatest Texas teams of all time. In 1942, Bible led Texas to a 9-2 season record and their first ever bowl game where the Longhorns beat the highly ranked Georgia Tech 14-7 at the Cotton Bowl Classic. Previous to the game, radio announcers in Georgia proclaimed that Texas did not belong in the same league as Georgia Tech. In 1943 Bible again led Texas to the SWC Conference Title and another Cotton Bowl Classic berth where they faced the only military institute to play in that bowl game, a 7-7 tie with Randolph Field. Bible's teams went 32-6-2 from 1940-1943. 1944 was a reloading year for the Horns as many starters graduated the previous season. A young quarterback named Bobby Layne took over the starting position and again Texas was dominating its opponents. In 1945, with the help of legendary quarterback Bobby Layne, and All-American Hub Bechtol, Bible led the Longhorn to their first 10 victory season which ended in a dramatic 40-27 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Missouri of which Lane score all 40 points. The 1945 team was even selected by several sportswriters as the National Champion, but again the AP poll did not select them. The following year in 1946 Texas was picked as the pre-season number 1 team again, but 2 losses dropped them in the polls. 1946 was highlighted with a dominating victory over #1 Oklahoma. Bible's final season as head coach in 1946 resulted in an 8-2 record, going out with a 24-7 win over rival Texas A&M. Over his tenure at Texas, Bible acquired 3 SWC titles in 1942, 1943, 1945 and two Cotton Bowl Classic victories with a post season record of 2-0-1. In 1946 Bible retired from coaching but stayed on as athletic director and is credited for the hiring of the legendary Darrell Royal. Bible is still to this day the 4th winningest coach in Texas history with a record of 63-31-3 and responsible for revitalizing the Texas football program. Despite not winning a recognized national championship, the legendary Bible laid the foundation for the Texas football program and for future head coaches. Through his "Bible Plan", he inspired his players not only to succeed on the field but also to succeed in the classroom and in life. He is credited for originally revitalizing the Texas football program in the late 1930s and regarded as the first legendary head coach for the Texas football program. His teams of the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s are still regarded as some of the best in school history.[13]
From best to worst (1947-1956)
Handpicked by Bible as his successor, was Blair Cherry in 1947. Cherry in 1947 with a veteran squad, including All-American quarterback Bobby Layne, led the Longhorns to a near-perfect record of 10-1, defeating No. 6 Alabama 27-7 in the Sugar Bowl and finished the year ranked fifth nationally in his first season of 1947. The 1947 team was even selected as National Champions by the Massey Ratings, but again the AP poll did not select them. Cherry's 1948 team was 7-3-1, including a 41-28 win over No. 8 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Cherry's 1950 team was considered one of the best in Texas history. Only a one point loss to Oklahoma kept Texas from a perfect season that year. Texas went on to win the SWC title going 9-2 overall and was ranked No. 3 nationally, however during mid-season Cherry announced that he would be leaving Texas to enter the oil business at the conclusion of the 1950 season. When Cherry quit he suffered from an ulcer and insomnia and later disclosed that the over-emphasis on winning led to his resignation. During his 4 year reign Cherry was 32-10-1 leading the Longhorns to three bowl games (two victorious) and two of top-five national rankings. The 1950 team was also selected as National Champions by several polls, but AP poll kept Texas ranked third.[14]
After Cherry’s abrupt resignation, Ed Price was promoted to head coach in 1951. In his first three seasons, Price carried over the success of Bible and Cherry, leading the Longhorns to three winning seasons, a victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and two SWC titles. From 1939-1953 Texas had dominated the college football scene with a record of 115-35-3 (77%), but in 1954 Texas went 4-5-1, its first losing season in 15 years. After capping a string of three losing seasons with a 1-9 season (the worst record in the school's history), Price tendered his resignation in 1956. Price compiled a record of 33-27-1 in six seasons.[15]
The age of Royal (1957-1976)
Darrell K. Royal, a native Oklahoman, previously coached at Mississippi State and Washington before being hired by Athletic Director Dana X. Bible for the head coaching job at Texas. In his first season he immediately turned things around for the program, taking the previous 1-9 Longhorns to 6-4-1 in 1957. The '57 Longhorns obtained a #11 ranking and played in the Sugar Bowl. The following year proved even better as Texas went 7-3 in 1958. In 1959 Texas opened the season with a 20-0 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln. Texas also defeated #2 Oklahoma 15-14 to end a six game losing streak to their rival and posted a 9-1 record in 1959 along with a Cotton Bowl Classic berth against Syracuse. Royal's teams of the 1960s and 1970s are regarded as some of the best in school history. The Texas team of 1961 posted a 10-1 record, achieved a #1 ranking along with a Cotton Bowl Classic victory and the team of 1962 posted a 9-1-1 record with a Cotton Bowl Classic berth. In his seventh season, Royal, with the help of star linebacker Tommy Nobis, led Texas to their first officially recognized National Championship in 1963 posting a perfect 11-0 record with a victory over Navy in the Cotton Bowl Classic. 1964 was almost perfect as Texas went 10-1 on the season and beat Joe Namath and #1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, 21-17 with a famous last second goal line stand keeping Namath out of the endzone in the first televised bowl game at night. Royals teams of the early 1960s went 40-3-1. The next three seasons posted a 19-12 win-loss record, but in 1968 Royal became the first coach to install the Wishbone formation in the backfield led by a group of players that became known as the "Worster Bunch" consisting of All-Americans Steve Worster, James Street, Billy Dale and Cotton Spreyer. With this powerful new offense in effect the 1968 team went 9-1-1 with a demolishing 36-13 victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl Classic. With the momentum carried over from the previous season, Texas began the 1969 season by defeating all opponents by an average score of 44 points. The final game of the regular season had #1 Texas against #2 Arkansas in the true "Game of the Century" for the 100th year of college football. The game saw Arkansas leading throughout the game when the Longhorns came from behind in the 4th quarter to win 15-14, capturing their second officially recognized National Championship. Texas would then go on to face and defeat Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl, which was the Irish's first bowl game since 1924. In 1970 Texas again was ranked #1 throughout the season and finished undefeated when Texas defeated Arkansas 42-7 capturing their third recognized National Championship in 1970. The Longhorns record from 1968-1970 was an amazing 30-2-1, which included winning 30 straight games. Texas was also in the hunt for national titles again in 1972 and 1975, but those teams finished 10-1 and 10-2 with top 5 rankings. Royal is also credited for winning the Southwest Conference Title six years in a row from 1968-1973 along with six straight Cotton Bowl Classic appearances. He successfully revitalized the Texas football program in 1957 and put the team back to national prominence over the next 20 seasons. Over the course of his 20 year career DKR never had a losing season, led the Longhorns to 3 National Championships, 11 Southwest Conference Titles, 16 bowl games, and 9 top 5 poll rankings, 15 top 25 poll rankings, 30 straight victories, and a record of 167-47-5 which till this day is the winningest coach ever to coach at the University of Texas. His final game at Texas was against Arkansas in Austin at the end of the 1976 season. Texas won convincingly 29-12 in his final game. After retiring from coaching football in 1976, Royal continued his role as athletic director for many years. In 1996 the University of Texas officially honored him by renaming Texas Memorial Stadium to the Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.[16]
The Akers years (1977-1986)
After Royal's retirement, he assumed that his long time assistant coach Mike Campbell would take over as head coach, however the University had other plans. They picked a younger, former assistant coach of Royal's, Fred Akers who has had some success at Wyoming. With his new staff, implementation of the "I" formation, and some help from future Heisman trophy winner Earl Campbell; Akers led the '77 Longhorns to 11-0 and would have acquired UT's 4th National Championship if not for a loss to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The following year Texas went 9-3 on the season including a 42-0 whipping of Maryland in the Sun Bowl. 1979 had high hopes for the Longhorn faithful as Texas was again in the hunt for a national championship. Only a loss to Texas A&M in the final game of the season kept Texas from playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that year. After a few winning seasons, Akers once again almost captured a National Championship in 1981 by beating Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic landing his team at #2 in the final polls. The 1982 season had high hopes for the Horns once again but 2 losses during the regular season kept Texas from playing for the title. A 33-7 victory over Arkansas in 1982 closed the season for Texas and they carried that momentum over the following year. In 1983 Akers had his Texas team on the hunt for a National Championship that had eluded him twice before and led the Longhorn to an 11-0 season but were defeated by Georgia in the Cotton Bowl Classic, 10-9. Akers teams from 1981-1983 produced an incredible 30-5-1 record over three seasons. The 1984 season had Texas once again ranked #1 in the polls but soon dropped after a tie with Oklahoma and 3 straight losses to end the season. A year later Texas was once again ranked in the top ten but finished the season with a disappointing 8-4 record. During his career at Texas he was praised for his winning seasons but drew ire from the Longhorn faithful for not winning a national championship. In 1986, Akers had his first losing season 5-6 due to many key injuries.And having two of the counties best running backs from high school being freshmen that year , Eric Metcalf ,from Bishop O'Connel high school, Arligton County,and Andrew Jastal, from Santa Fe high school, Santa Fe Texas. This was Texas' first losing season since 1956. After nine winning seasons, nine bowl games, 2 SWC titles, and 1 Heisman trophy winner; Akers' tenure ended at the University of Texas with a 86-31-2 record, 3rd best in UT's history.[17]
The rebuilding (1986-1998)
After the exiting of Akers, Texas hired David McWilliams who was a former assistant coach at UT. McWilliams had just had his first promising year at Texas Tech before accepting the Texas head coaching position. With a solid 7-5 first season and a Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Pittsburgh in 1987, McWilliams initially reminded people of Darrel K. Royal. However, after two losing season of 4-7 in 1988 and 5-6 in 1989, the luster had worn off. But after an opening victory of Penn State in 1990 McWilliams began the "Shock the Nation" tour leading his team to 10-1, only losing to the eventual 1990 National Champions, Colorado. The 1990 Longhorns went to the Cotton Bowl Classic where they were defeated by Miami. After the 1990 season, many Texas fans had hope of National Championship in 1991, but were eventually disappointed when Texas finished with a 5-6 record which caused McWilliams to resign. At the end of his coaching career McWilliams led Texas to 2 bowl games, 1 SWC title, and a 31-26 record.[18]
The forcing out of David McWilliams, allowed UT to hire John Mackovic as head coach from Illinois. Having coached in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys, Mackovic brought a fresh perspective to Texas. He had a great ability to recruit fresh talent, like future Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. Mackovic also pushed to renovate the University's facilities, which offended some of his supporters. Mackovic was determined to rebuild the Longhorns from the ground up. In 1992 and 1993, the Horns went 6-5 (but were not bowl eligible due to one win over a D1-AA school), and 5-5-1 respectively. The Longhorns began to see some hope in 1994, when they finished the regular season 7-4 and shared the SWC title. Texas also won its first bowl game in 7 years at the Sun Bowl in a come form behind victory against North Carolina. In 1995, the Horns went 10-1-1 under Mackovic and won the SWC title outright. However, they were defeated in the Sugar Bowl by Virginia Tech. 1996 brought about the formation of the new Big 12 Conference and new talks about Texas winning a National Championship. But after going 4-3, the Horns struggled just to stay bowl eligible. Texas then rallied winning 5 straight including an upset victory in the inaugural Big 12 Championship Game over then two-time defending National Champion, Nebraska. Texas went on to the Fiesta Bowl where they were defeated by Penn State. After an embarrassing loss to UCLA at the beginning of the 1997 season, and finishing the season 4-7, Mackovic was reassigned within the athletic department leaving his UT coaching record at 41-28-2.[19]
The Brown legacy (1998-Present)
The Longhorns started 1998 with a new coach and a new college bowl system called the Bowl Championship Series. The BCS created a series of elite bowls in an attempt to pick a consensus National Champion. Since 1998, the Longhorns have been coached by Mack Brown who came to Texas after being head coach at North Carolina. Brown's first season was an incredible turnaround from the disappointing 4-7 1997 season. Texas went 9-3 and upset Nebraska, 20-16, in Lincoln, NE; which snapped the Cornhuskers streak of 48 straight home victories. After a 26-24 last minute win over rival Texas A&M, Texas went on to face and dominate Mississippi State in the 1999 Cotton Bowl Classic, their first New Years Bowl victory since 1981. After a great start in 1998, the talk of national championships began in 1999. However, the talk quickly died after a rocky start, but Texas rebounded with a huge third straight victory over #3 Nebraska in Austin and finished the season 9-5. The 2000 season had many people speaking of a championship run with the loaded talent recruited from the previous year. There were growing pains during the season as Texas finished 2nd in the Big 12 and 9-3 overall. In 2001, Texas was heading towards a National Championship but were upset in the Big 12 Championship by Colorado, who they had previously beaten soundly in the regular season. Texas finished the year with an exciting win in the Holiday Bowl over Washington, finishing the season 11-2 ranked in the top five. In 2002, Texas was again ranked in the top 5 of the polls with hopes of another championship run. Two conference losses set Texas back in the polls where they finished 11-2, beat LSU in the Cotton Bowl, and finished in the top five. After the 2003 season, Brown had a 59–18 (77%) win-loss record but had not managed to win the Big 12 conference or to lead the Longhorns to a Bowl Championship Series game. He was often lauded for his recruiting while being criticized for failing to win the big games and most importantly, championships. Texas would finish the 2003 season with a 10-3 record again finishing 2nd in the Big 12 conference. The 2004 Texas Longhorn football team became that first championship team for Mack Brown by going 10-1 and playing in their first BCS Game, the 2005 Rose Bowl, against the Wolverines of the University of Michigan the first meeting between the two teams. The Longhorns defeated the Wolverines 38–37 on a successful 37-yard field goal by place kicker Dusty Mangum as time expired. It was the first time the Rose Bowl had ever been decided on the closing play. The Rose Bowl victory earned the 11-1 Longhorns a top 5 finish in the polls for the season.
The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team was given a pre-season #2 ranking (behind defending National Champions University of Southern California) which they maintained throughout the entire 2005 regular season. Texas was tested early in a 25-22 victory against Ohio State at Columbus, OH which was the very first meeting between the two schools. However, throughout the remainder of the season, Texas dominated every team they faced including a 45-12 victory over Oklahoma which ended the five year losing streak to their arch-rival. The 12-0, undefeated #2 Texas faced #1 undefeated USC in the BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl. Texas won 41-38 in the final 20 seconds of regulation by a Vince Young rushing touchdown on 4th down and 5, giving the Longhorns a perfect 13-0 season and an undisputed National Championship. Vince Young (who did not win a Heisman) had beaten USC, Matt Leinart (2004 Heisman Trophy winner) and Reggie Bush.
The 2006 Texas Longhorn football team hoped to repeat as national champions even though quarterback Vince Young elected to go the NFL early which left freshman Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback. After an early loss to Ohio State, the Longhorns with Colt McCoy at the helm went into November undefeated in Big 12 play. But in a game against Kansas State, Colt McCoy suffered a neck injury on a quarterback sneak which led to a 45–42 Texas loss. This was followed by a 12-7 upset loss against Texas A&M, when Colt was again knocked out of the game. As a result of these losses, Longhorns played in the Alamo Bowl and defeated Iowa 26-24, ending the 2006 season with a 10-3 record.
Texas entered the 2007 season ranked in the Top 10 but then suffered back-to-back losses to Kansas State (41–21) and Oklahoma (28–21). Texas surged back winning the next 5 games in a row and appeared to be poised to gain a BCS bowl berth, however, a 30–38 loss to Texas A&M dashed these hopes. The 2007 Longhorns finished the season 10–3 with a demolishing victory over Arizona State, 52-34, in the 2007 Holiday Bowl.[20] The Longhorns had problems off the field that culminated in the 2007 Texas Longhorns football suspensions.
The 2008 Texas Longhorns started the season ranked eleventh nationally but moved to fifth and then first after beating Oklahoma. They retained their number one status by beating top ranked #11 Missouri and #7 Oklahoma State, until the Longhorns lost to #6 undefeated Texas Tech on a last second, game winning pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree. A later loss by the Texas Tech Red Raiders to the Oklahoma Sooners caused a three way tie in the Big 12 South, between Texas, Tech, and OU each with only one loss to each other. The Big 12 tiebreaker would be decided by who was ranked highest in the final BCS standings.[21] When released and the Sooners were ahead of the Longhorns by .0128 points,[22] sending the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship Game and eventually the BCS National Championship Game, and the Longhorns to the Fiesta Bowl. At the conclusion of the regular season, Colt McCoy was one of the three finalists for the Heisman trophy along with Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford who won the 2008 trophy. On January 5, 2009, the 3rd ranked University of Texas defeated 10th ranked Ohio State, 24-21, in the Fiesta Bowl the third meeting between the two schools. With under a minute to play, Texas WR Quan Cosby caught the game winning touchdown, ending the Longhorn's season with a 12-1 record at number 3 in the AP Poll.
The 2009 Texas team went undefeated (13-0) in the regular season and played Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game which they won 13-12 by a last second Hunter Lawrence field goal, becoming the 2009 Big 12 Champions. The #2 Longhorns later faced #1 Alabama in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Beginning with the sixth play of the first drive for Texas, true freshman quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, would play due to an early shoulder injury to Heisman-nominated starting quarterback Colt McCoy. Gilbert brought the team within 3 points in the fourth quarter, however the Texas would eventually lose the game 37-21.
Home stadium
The Longhorns play their home games in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (formerly just "Memorial Stadium" and "Texas Memorial Stadium") on Joe Jamail Field. The stadium is located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. The current official stadium capacity is 100,119,[23] making it the largest football venue in the state of Texas,[24] the largest in the Big 12 Conference,[25] the 5th largest on-campus stadium in the NCAA, and the 7th largest non-racing stadium in the world. A stadium, Big 12 Conference and then state of Texas attendance record of 101,297 was set on September 19, 2009.[26] - - The stadium has been expanded several times since its original opening, and now includes 100,119 permanent seats, the nation's first high definition video display in a collegiate facility nicknamed "Godzillatron,"[27] and a newly renovated Joe Jamail Field with FieldTurf. The current DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and Big 12 attendance record was set on September 25, 2010, as 101,437 spectators saw Texas lose to UCLA 34-12.[28] - - The final planned phase of the stadium's expansion includes the construction of permanent seating and an upper deck in the south end zone, completely enclosing the playing field. The stadium's seating capacity is expected to reach 112,000 once the south end zone is fully enclosed, which would mean DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium would surpass Michigan Stadium as the largest football stadium in North America.[29] However, the date of the final construction phase to fully enclose the south end zone has not been set nor have any funds been raised. Varying sources claim this phase may not take place for upwards of 10 to 15 years.
Uniforms
Colors
The 1883 team did not always wear orange. They also wore gold and white uniforms. In 1895, the Texas Athletic Association moved to orange and white colors. In 1897, the Association moved to orange and maroon to save cleaning costs. The Cactus Yearbook at the time listed the University colors as either gold or orange and white until the 1899 Cactus declared the University colors to be gold and maroon. Students at the University's medical branch in Galveston (UTMB) were in favor of royal blue. By 1899, a UT fan could have worn any of yellow, orange, white, red, maroon, or even blue.[30]
The Board of Regents held an election in that year to decide the team colors. Students, faculty, staff and alumni were asked vote. 1,111 votes were cast, with 562 in favor of orange and white. Orange and maroon received 310, royal blue 203, crimson 10, and royal blue and crimson 11. For the next thirty years, Longhorn teams wore bright orange on their uniforms, which faded to yellow by the end of the season. By the 1920s, other teams sometimes called the Longhorn squads "yellow bellies," a term that didn't sit well with the athletic department. In 1928, UT football coach Clyde Littlefield ordered uniforms in a darker shade of orange that wouldn't fade, which would later become known as "burnt orange" or "Texas orange." The dark-orange color was used until the dye became too expensive during the Great Depression, and the uniforms reverted to the bright orange for another two decades, until coach Darrell K. Royal revived the burnt-orange color in the early 1960s.[30]
Helmets
From 1961 to 1962, the Longhorns' helmets featured the individual player's number on the side in burnt orange above the "Bevo" logo, which was also in burnt orange, with a large burnt-orange stripe down the middle of the helmet.
The burnt-orange stripe was removed in 1963 and the helmet featured only the burnt-orange Bevo logo below the player's number, which was also in burnt orange.
In 1967, the team abandoned the individual player's number above the logo, and moved the burnt-orange Bevo logo to the center of the helmet's side. With the exception of the 1969 season, this remained the team's helmet design until 1977.
In 1969, the helmet design commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first college football game. The player's number was replaced by a large burnt-orange football above the Bevo logo. Inside the football was a white number "100" that indicated the anniversary year.
In 1977, the team moved to the current helmet design by changing to a white facemask. This helmet design is the one that is seen in the infobox at the beginning of this article.
For its appearance in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic game against Alabama, Texas used a special version of the longhorn logo which included between the "horns" of the Bevo logo the words "COTTON BOWL CLASSIC" and a picture of a cotton boll.
A special helmet design was used during the 2005 home game against Louisiana-Lafayette and the 2009 away game against Texas A&M. This helmet was similar to the 1963-1966 helmet, but featured the current white facemask.[31]
Championships
Recognized National championships (4)
* Texas retained a #1 ranking in the UPI Poll which at that time released its final rankings prior to bowl games. Nebraska was #1 in the final AP Poll, conducted after the bowl games. Texas has also been awarded national titles which are not recognized by either the NCAA nor the University:
Conference championships (32)Texas has won a combined 32 conference championships. Texas won the Southwest Conference 27 times, 21 times outright, the Texas-Intercollegiate League twice, and has won the Big 12 Conference three times. Texas ranks 6th in total conference championships won among all NCAA teams[32]
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