Texas Longhorns football

The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Texas is one of the most prestigious and historic football programs of all time. In 2008, ESPN ranked the Texas Longhorns the seventh most prestigious college football program since 1936.^[3] The program began in 1893 and is one of the winningest football programs of all time. At the end of 2011 season, Texas' all-time record is 858–330–33 (.723) which ranks second as the winningest football team in NCAA history. Texas is also recognized for their post-season appearances ranking second in number of bowl game appearances (50), ranked fourth in bowl game victories, and eighth in total number of games played (1221).^[4] From 1936 to 2011, the Longhorn football teams have received poll rankings 65 out of 76 seasons (85% of the time), finishing these seasons ranked in the top twenty-five 48 times and the top ten 28 times, in either the Associated Press or the Coaches Poll since the polls began in 1936. Since the polls began Texas has won four recognized Division I-A national championships (1963, 1969, 1970, and 2005) and 32 conference championships. 129 (53 consensus & 22 unanimous) Texas players have been named to All-America football teams while 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,^[5] while four are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.^[6] 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.^[7] The team is currently coached by Mack Brown and games are played at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

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."^[8]

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 including several anticipated games. 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 1900, 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 at the time. 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.^[9] Texas participated in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913–1917 winning two titles in 1913 and 1914 with a 7–1 and 8–0 record those years. 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. Throughout the 1930s Texas' main in-conference foe was TCU as both teams sought after recruits within the state. Coach Littlefield only had one losing season, in 1933, mainly due to younger players and injuries to starters. From 1893–1932 Texas had 40 consecutive winning seasons. 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.^[10]

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 and one of Texas' biggest victories at the time. 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's coaching tenure never fully developed after the victory at Notre Dame. After his resignation he joined the Marine Corps as many people enlisted during the early stages of World War II. 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.^[11]

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 1939 season would prove different as Texas opened with a shutout win over Florida 12–0. Then 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 as Texas would again become one of the winningest teams throughout the 1940s. 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 represented the Southwest Conference in the 1943 Cotton Bowl Classic. Texas defeated the highly ranked Georgia Tech 14–7 in the game and this would be the first of 22 appearances in the Cotton Bowl Classic for Texas. 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 or were serving in the military. 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, two Cotton Bowl Classic victories with a post season record of 2–0–1 while the teams of 1941 and 1945 were selected as National Champions by various polling organizations. 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 as a national powerhouse. 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.^[12]

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. Layne would finish his career at Texas with a best 28-6 record and was named the MVP of the 1948 Sugar Bowl win against Alabama. The 1947 season saw Texas defeat rival Oklahoma for the eighth straight season. 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 led by fullback, Tom Landry, went 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 highlighted by a 23–20 win over #1 SMU where Texas held their number one leading rusher with a negative 27 yards. 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.^[13]

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 from 1951–1953, a shutout 16–0, 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. 1954 started off with a 20–6 victory over LSU however the season was downhill from that point as Texas went 4–5–1. The 1955 season did not fare any better as Texas went 5–5 on the season. The Price era never kept the Texas football program up to their standards of earlier decades. The program went from one of college footballs top ranked and winningest programs to one of the worst in one season. After capping a string of three losing seasons with a 1–9 season (the worst record in the school's history) in 1956, Price tendered his resignation in 1956. Price compiled a record of 33–27–1 in six seasons.^[14]

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. With the guidance of former head coach Bible, Royal was tasked with bringing Texas back to prominence in 1957. He was destined to take the program to an even higher level. The Royal era of Texas football debuted in 1957 with a 26–7 win at Georgia. In Royal's first season he immediately turned things around for the program, taking the previous 1–9 Longhorns to 6–4–1 in 1957 the quickest turn-around among NCAA teams. The '57 Longhorns obtained a #11 ranking, defeated a highly ranked Texas A&M team 9–7, and played in the Sugar Bowl. The following year proved even better as Texas went 7–3 in 1958. The immediate turnaround by Royal was praised heavily by Texas fans and the media. 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 and quarterback Duke Carlisle, led Texas to their first officially recognized National Championship in 1963 posting a perfect 11–0 record with a 28–6 victory over Navy in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Prior to the game Pittsburgh sports writer Myron Cope said, "Tune in your television to the Cotton Bowl and you'll laugh yourself silly. Texas is the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the football public." Darrell Royal was asked about his comments moments before taking the field. Royal smiled, looked into the camera and said, "We're ready" and Texas went on to dominate the Navy team. The following year, 1964, was almost perfect. Texas was again ranked number 1 during the season only to lose by one point to arch-rival Arkansas 13–14. 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. Duke Carlisle, who played both defensive back and quarterback, would finish his career with a 30-2-1 record as a starter. Royal's 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-American's Steve Worster, James Street, Billy Dale, Chris Gilbert, and Cotton Speyrer. 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, one of the most complete and lopside wins in all statistics since the 1941 win over Oregon, 71–7. 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 in which President Richard Nixon declared Texas the champion after the game. Texas would then go on to face and defeat Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl Classic which solified Texas' place as the #1 team that year. This was also the Irish's first bowl game since 1924. Quarterback James Street would finish as the only Texas QB to win all games as a starter with a 20-0 perfect record. In 1970 Texas again was ranked #1 throughout the season. One of the most memorable games was against UCLA in Austin. With the Bruins leading 17–13 and less than 30 seconds left in the game, Texas quarterback Eddie Phillips hit receiver Cotton Spreyer over midfield and sprinted untouched for the winning score 20–17 with only three seconds left in the game. Texas finished undefeated when they 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. Royal described his team of '72 as "average as a day's wash" before the season began. Only a loss to Oklahoma kept the team from finishing unbeaten that season. One of the main highlights of the season was the final game against Alabama in the 1973 Cotton Bowl where Texas quarterback Marty Atkins ran the bootleg to perfection in a come from behind 17–13 win over the Crimson Tide. In 1975 Texas was in place to win the Southwest crown outright but a loss to Texas A&M at the end of the season sent Texas to the Bluebonnet bowl, a 38–21 victory over Colorado with a top with top 5 ranking. 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, 42 straight home victories in Austin from 1968–1976, 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 until retiring in 1980. In 1996 the University of Texas officially honored him by renaming Texas Memorial Stadium to the Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.^[15]

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 recognized 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. In 1980 members of the Southwest Conference decided to revise the game schedule and kicked off the new decade with Texas and Arkansas playing at the beginning of the season to commemorate a rivalry that was dominated by Texas. Texas again knocked off Arkansas 23–17 to start the new decade and once again reached the number 1 spot in the AP poll for a period of three weeks before losing at home to SMU. After a few winning seasons, Akers once again almost captured a National Championship in 1981 by beating Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a remarkable 4th quarter comeback effort where Texas won 14–12 and landed 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 ranked #2 behind Nebraska the entire season. Texas went on to win the Southwest Conference again and faced Georgia in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Texas managed to hold a 9–3 led throughout the entire game despite entering Georgia's territory seven times. Only a muffed punt in the wanning seconds of the game gave Georgia the momentum they would need to defeat Texas 10–9. Later that evening, Miami would go on to stun top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl 31–30 and win the 1983 National Championship. 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. From 1957–1985 Texas continued to have winning seasons. In 1986, Akers had his first losing season 5–6 due to many key injuries.And having two of the countries best running backs from high school being freshmen that year, Eric Metcalf, from Bishop O'Connell high school, Arlington County, Virginia,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.^[16]

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. The period of the late 1980s and early 1990s would be detrimental to all footall programs in the Southwest Conference. At that time all schools were under scrutiny with the NCAA as sancations were handed due to violations of NCAA regulations and recruiting rules. The school that would suffer the most from the infractions was the SMU Football program as they were handed the death penalty from the NCAA in which there would be no team for two years and no games would be televised. The sanction handed to SMU would prove pivotal for other Southwest Conference schools as blue-chip recruits in the state of Texas would begin signing letters of intent to play in schools outside of the Southwest Conference and the state of Texas.

The forcing out of David McWilliams, allowed Texas 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, won the final SWC title outright and earned a bid to the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. The 1995 season was the final year of the Southwest Conference due to the various infractions and recruiting violations as all schools disbanded from the conference and joined other established conferences. Throughout the 80 year history of the conference Texas was the most dominant football program in its history, winning 27 conference championships and representing the champion in the Cotton Bowl Classic a record 22 times. 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 games which would earn them the Big 12 South Crown. The first season of the Big 12 included an upset victory in the inaugural Big 12 Championship Game over then two-time defending National Champion, Nebraska where the famous fourth and inches call "roll left" occurred as Texas quarterback James Brown rolled to his left and passed to Derek Lewis for 61 yards as Texas won 37–27. The game was considered the most stunning upset college football game of the 1990s. Texas earned the automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl where they faced Penn State. The close of the 1996 season and the five straight wins propelled by a high powered offense led by James Brown gave Texas fans high hopes for the 1997 season. In the opener, Texas defeated Rutgers but lost starting quarterback James Brown to an ankle injury. The following week Texas faced UCLA, their first meeting since a 28–10 win for Texas in 1971. After an embarrassing 66–3 loss to UCLA Texas went into a downward spiral and never fully recovered. The team finished the 1997 season at 4–7, their worst in over 50 years. After the season head coach John Mackovic was reassigned within the athletic department leaving his UT coaching record at 41–28–2.^[17]

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. Immediately after being hired on Brown would begin the rebuilding process by conducting a speaking tour through many Texas High Schools in order to turn around the relationship with coaches and schools that had previously been blocked out by previous head coaches. His ideas and ability to recruit would prove pivotal to the first several years in his position. He immediately reminded people of former coach Darrell Royal and some even compared him to the late Dana X. Bible. Brown's first season was an incredible turnaround from the disappointing 4–7 1997 season. The Mack Brown era officially debuted with a 66–36 lopsided win over New Mexico State in Austin. Texas was able to build on that momentum winning six straight including an upset win 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 went 10–1 on the season and was heading towards a National Championship appearance against Miami 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 shoot-out win in the Holiday Bowl over Washington where Major Applewhite would set a passing record of 473 yards in a come from behind 47-43 victory. Applewhite finished his career with a 22-6 record as a starting quarterback. Texas would finish 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 against #4 ranked Ohio State in Columbus, OH which was also the very first meeting between the two historical football programs. Prior to the game Buckeye linebacker, Bobby Carpenter, was quoted saying "our goal is to make sure that Vince Young is no longer a Heisman candidate after he leaves here." The #2 Longhorns went on to defeat Ohio State 25–22 at the Horseshoe in at Columbus, OH. 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 would face #1 undefeated USC in the BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl. During the month of preparation for the BCS National Championship Game, ESPN ran a series of 11 specials listing the 2005 USC Trojans second among the greatest college football teams of all time, while the 2005 Texas Longhorns were never listed nor mentioned. 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 had beaten USC, Matt Leinart (2004 Heisman Trophy winner) and Reggie Bush (2005 Heisman Trophy winner) and would finish his career with a 30-2 record as a starter, the best of any Texas quarterback at the time. The wins and awards accumulated by USC during the Reggie Bush era that seemed to justify such attention have been vacated due to NCAA violations.

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.^[18] 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.^[19] When released and the Sooners were ahead of the Longhorns by .0128 points,^[20] 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 Texas would eventually lose the game 37–21. Colt McCoy was not only the winningest quarterback of Mack Brown's tenure, but also the winningest quarterback in NCAA history with 45-8 record as a starter.

In 2010, after losing six players to the NFL Draft, the Texas Longhorns suffered their worst season under Mack Brown, going 5–7 and finishing last in the Big 12 South. Texas started the season at 3-0 before losing at home to UCLA. Texas never recovered during the early season loss and finished last in the conference for the first time since 1956. The 2010 season was a pivotal point in the Brown era where the string of nine 10 or more win seasons came to an end. The only signature win of the season was a 20–13 upset in Lincoln over #5 Nebraska in their final in-conference match-up.

The 2011 offseason saw a change-up in several assistant coaching positions. Bryan Harsin, known for his creative trickery with offenses was hired as the new offensive coordinator while Manny Diaz was hired to run the defensive. Texas began the season at 4-0 highlighted by a come from behind victory, 17-16, over BYU and a dismantling win over UCLA, 49-20, in the Rose Bowl. Texas then lost to both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State but rebounded with wins over Kansas and Texas Tech. After two close losses to Kansas State and Missouri, Texas went into College Station for the final meeting against rival Texas A&M. The Aggies led throughout the game but were unable to put away Texas as Case McCoy scrambled for 42 yards to set up a last second field goal win for Texas, 27-25. After a 7-5 season Texas was selected to play California in the 2011 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, the Longhorns 50th bowl appearance in its storied program history. After a slow start David Ash guided the offense to three touchdowns along with a swarming defense that forced five California turnovers. Texas won 21-10 and finished the 2011 season at 8-5 overall.

Home stadium

The Longhorns have played their home games in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (formerly just "Memorial Stadium" and "Texas Memorial Stadium") on Joe Jamail Field since 1924. The stadium is located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. The current official stadium capacity is 100,119,^[21] making it the largest football venue in the state of Texas,^[22] the largest in the Big 12 Conference,^[23] the fifth largest on-campus stadium in the NCAA, and the seventh largest non-racing stadium in the world.

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,"^[24] 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.^[25]

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.^[26] 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.

Before the Longhorns football team moved to DKR, they played their home games at Clark Field from 1894 to 1924. Clark Field was a wooden-structured stadium located on the University of Texas campus.^[27] The Longhorns last game at Clark Field before moving to brand new Memorial Stadium occurred on October 25, 1924. The Longhorns battled the Florida Gators to a 7–7 tie that day.^[25]

Uniforms

Colors

The 1893 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.^[28]

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.^[28]

For the 2009 Lone Star Showdown, the Longhorns wore a Nike Pro Combat uniform.

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.[29]

Championships and bowl games

Recognized national championships (4)