Tag: Fred Akers

Former Longhorns head coach Fred Akers passed away at age 82

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 Football: A look at recent head coaches in their fourth year

Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman is heading into his fourth year so we journey back in time to see how recent coaches have fared.

The Texas Longhorns are going into their fourth season under Tom Herman. Herman already made Texas history after the Alamo Bowl. He became the first Longhorns head coach to win his first three bowl games. The fourth season for Herman is a monumental one for him and the future of the Texas Longhorns. Prior to the Alamo Bowl Herman relieved Tim Beck and Todd Orlando of their coordinator duties. Hiring a whole new staff essentially, Herman gets a fresh start in 2020 but not exactly clean slate.

As Chris Del Conte stated, you get one opportunity to change your staff and now Herman has to make the most of his opportunity. There is tremendous pressure to perform in his fourth year. While it doesn’t appear that Herman is currently on the hot seat but a poor performance in 2020 could light that seat ablaze in a hurry.

With so much as stake for the team in 2020, we take a journey back to how the last five head coaches have performed in their fourth year at the helm.

Mack Brown’s fourth year (2001: 11-2)

  • Lost to Oklahoma 14-3
  • Finished 1st in the Big 12 South. Lost in the Big 12 Championship Game
  • Defeated Washington (47-43) in the Holiday Bowl
  • Final Ranking-5th in Coaches and AP Poll

John Mackovic’s fourth year (1995: 10-2-1)

  • Tied Oklahoma 24-24
  • Southwest Conference Champions
  • Lost to Virginia Tech (28-10) in the Sugar Bowl
  • Final Ranking-14th in Coaches and AP Poll

David McWilliams’ fourth year (1990: 10-2)

  • Defeated Oklahoma 14-13
  • Southwest Conference Champions
  • Lost to Miami (46-3) in the Cotton Bowl
  • Final Ranking-10th in Coaches Poll 12th in AP Poll

Fred Akers’ fourth year (1980: 7-5)

  • Defeated Oklahoma 20-13
  • Finished 4th in the Southwest Conference
  • Lost to North Carolina in the Bluebonnet Bowl
  • Did not finish the season ranked

Darrell K. Royal’s fourth year (1960: 7-3-1)

  • Defeated Oklahoma 24-0
  • Finished 3rd in the Southwest Conference
  • Tied Alabama (3-3) in the Cotton Bowl
  • Final Rankings- 17th in the Coaches Poll

The pressure is on for Herman to beat Oklahoma, finish in the top two in the conference to play for the championship and of course win whatever bowl game they qualify for. With a new staff the excitement is high and now as the season approaches he will need to lean on his seniors to lead the way.