Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
247Sports recently released their rankings of the top college football facilities in the country for 2021.
Everything is bigger in Texas. Continue reading “Texas has one of the top college football facilities in the country”
News broke on Monday that former Texas Longhorns head coach Fred Akers passed away at the age of 82. He is the 3rd winningest coach at UT.
On Monday former Texas Longhorns head football coach Fred Akers passed away at the age of 82. Akers was the first head coach to follow in the footsteps of legendary coach Darrell K. Royal in 1977. His first year he helped lead the team that led to Earl Campbell winning the Heisman Trophy. The Longhorns finished 11-0 in the regular season that year and were the No. 1 ranked team but fell to No. 5 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.
He would lead the team to another 11-0 regular season in 1983 where once again they entered the Cotton Bowl. This time as the No. 2 ranked team in the country but would lose to Georgia by one point. Overall, Akers is the third-winningest coach in school history behind Royal and Mack Brown. He was never able to win that National Championship like the other two top coaches.
Akers played at Arkansas in 1958-59 along with a coach he would face every season in Barry Switzer. After coaching a year at Lubbock High School, Akers joined the Longhorns staff as the co-offensive coordinator and would take the head coaching job at Wyoming before returning as the head coach in 1977. At Texas, Akers record finished at 86-31-2.
Under his watch, Akers produced a record 18 NFL Draft selections from that 1983 team. He was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2015, as well as the Texas Sports and Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2016.
“It’s a very sad day with the news of the passing of one of our Longhorn Legends in Coach Akers,” head coach Tom Herman said. “In the opportunities I had to spend time with Coach, he was always so warm and gracious. The many, many great players he had at Texas have always shared such fond memories, too. He had tremendous success here and was a highly respected, all-time great in our coaching fraternity and beyond. On behalf of the Texas Football program, we send our sincere condolences to his family, friends, the numerous Longhorns he coached and worked with, as well as the many people whose lives he impacted.” – Herman on Akers
It is a sad time for all of the Texas Longhorns family and fan base. Rest in peace coach Fred Akers.
Texas Athletics released a lengthy list of safety measures on Monday that will be in place for football games this fall.
Texas Athletics announced a significant list of safety measures for upcoming football games this fall. Continue reading “Texas announces COVID-19 safety guidelines for football games”
With ongoing discussions regarding the Mount Rushmore of Texas football, the staff weighed in on their own versions.
It seems that every media outlet, social media account, or on-air personalities have attempted to put together their own “Mount Rushmore” of a certain topic. There are no shortages of notable names for the Texas football program, so we’re going to jump on board and give it a shot. From legendary coaches to players on the field, there is quite a pool of talent to choose from.
It is difficult to put together a top four list that doesn’t involve Coach Royal. The stadium is named after him and he brought the Longhorns three National Championships and 11 conference titles in his 20-year run as head coach. The Longhorns were just 1-9 the season the season before Royal’s hire and went 6-4-1 in that first year including an invite to the Sugar Bowl. Overall he finished his coaching record with the Longhorns at 167-45-5 which included two undefeated seasons.
When people think of Texas, many remember the play in the Rose Bowl on fourth down. Vince Young willed a team that many felt would fall to USC en route to their third-straight National Championship. The highest rated recruit ever at the University of Texas provided many memories, including a National Championship that immortalized Young at Texas.
The Texas Longhorns hadn’t won a National Title since 1970, when Mack Brown came to town it changed a lot for the Longhorns. During his tenure, Mack led the Longhorns to nine-straight seasons with double digit wins. Two National Championship appearances and one championship. While at Texas, Mack won 158 games putting him just nine short of Royal’s mark.
It would be an incomplete Mount Rushmore without Earl Campbell. The Tyler Rose won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 when he rushed for 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns. It was the first time a Longhorn had won the trophy. Overall, Campbell finished with 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns. His rushing yards total was the best in school history until Ricky Williams came along. Still the 3rd highest in school history behind Williams and the late Cedric Benson.
Updated images of the South End Zone project show luxury suites with balconies on each side of the jumbotron.
The University of Texas began a $175 million project on the new South End Zone facility at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium last May. It is expected to be completed prior to the 2021 football season.
While this will enclose the stadium and enhance the gameday atmosphere for the fans, head coach Tom Herman explains the importance of the project for the players.
“When you come to The University of Texas, you deserve to train in the finest facilities in the country. We’re close right now with the renovations that we did when we first got here with our locker room and weight room, and this new project will certainly put us in the upper echelon of training facilities nationwide.”
Amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has cancelled many sporting events around the world, Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman gave Longhorns fans some excitement to look forward to.
Here's a little pick-me-up for you Texas fans. I found some new images of the new south end zone project. I'm betting these are closer to what it'll look like. pic.twitter.com/KkhOdePjib
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) March 19, 2020
These updated images show an incredible upgrade to the South End Zone, including more permanent seating and luxury suites with balconies on each side of the jumbotron.
Although the stadium has been home to the Longhorns football team since 1924, it has been expanded several times since its original opening.
Head coach of the Texas Longhorns Tom Herman made history for the school Tuesday night in San Antonio.
When the Texas Longhorns came calling before the 2017 season for Tom Herman, the school was hoping that he could rekindle some of their magic they had lost since the days of Mack Brown and before him the legendary Darrell K. Royal.
After going 22-4 in two seasons where Herman led teams were perfect at home (14-0), against AP ranked teams (6-0) and against power five conference teams (5-0). It was feeling a bit like Texas made the right hire in terms of putting the Longhorns back on the map in the college football landscape.
While the Longhorns have made some strides, it feels like they are just on the brink of getting to where they want to be. Their recruiting classes have been some of the best in the nation so this year is likely going to be a season that really puts the pressure on Herman to get his guys to win the conference and fight for a National Title.
Even though there have been some growing pains, with the Alamo Bowl victory, Tom Herman became the first head coach of Texas to win his first three bowl games since 1942. He has a ways to go to match the likes of Royal or Brown but Herman is on the right road.
Texas Coaches in First Three Bowls:
Tom Herman (3-0)
Dana Bible (2-0-1)
Blair Cherry (2-1)
Fred Akers (1-2)
John Mackovic (1-2)
Mack Brown (1-2)
Darrell K. Royal (0-2-1)
