A note from TLSN: Larry Carlson's following article is not the definitive list of Longhorn high school football factories. Several other high schools have become Longhorn football factories in recent decades.

Please send your comments to Billydale1@gmail.com. They will be chronicled in a special section of the TLSN website titled "Longhorn High School Football Factories. "

Longhorn Football Factories
by Larry Carlson Https://texaslsn.org

Ever wonder which cities and high schools have produced the most notable Longhorn footballers over the years? I have. Growing up on Texas football in the '60s, I pored over the game programs, memorized the 3-deep roster in Dave Campbell's Texas Football, and listened intently as lords of the radio, such as Kern Tips, regularly provided shoutouts to hometowns of heroes in burnt orange.

Below is a listing of some of the Lone Star State's most prolific producers of key Longhorn players from the DKR Era to the present. Keep in mind, though, there's nothing scientific about this. I just combed my mind and looked through some UT rosters from 1960 on. Many of the "old reliables" that Texas leaned on in, say, the '60s and '70s, have "dried up" as blue-chip breeding grounds. Some of the schools have closed.

Keep in mind that the state has grown exponentially, especially in the Houston and DFW metro areas. I'm bound to be missing several schools that have greatly benefitted the Longhorn football program. I didn't just count lettermen. I tried to go with players who were starters, made sizable on-field contributions, etc. So make your own list if you wish.

The Top 10 Longhorn Football Factory schools

#1) The Texas City Stingarees have cranked out Longhorns like Texas City produces petrochemicals. It started early in the Royal years, with tackles Eddie Padgett and All-American Don Talbert, followed by talented guard Marvin Kubin and versatile end Charlie Talbert, the second of the fearsome Talbert boys. He was a key player on both sides of the ball for UT's first national title in '63.

Clayton Lacy was another Texas City rock on that title team and then came the "baby" of the Talbert clan, Diron. He was a '66 cover boy for Texas Football magazine and had an illustrious NFL career, first with the Rams, then the Redskins. Defensive lineman Mark Weber 1978-1982 was a key piece for Fred Akers' only Cotton Bowl winner in the '81 season.

I wanted to make note of one valuable player left out of the Texas City Longhorns ….. Mack Brown's first signing class in '98 featured "the Texas City four," Everick Rawls, Tyrone Jones, Ervis Hill, and Jermain Anderson. The quartet had led the Stings to a state title, and each one made his mark as a starter while on the Forty Acres. The most decorated Texas City hero is D'Onta Foreman, Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's top running back in 2016. Foreman rambled for more than 2000 yards in his final season at UT and averaged 6.4 yards a carry for Charlie Strong's three teams before heading to a successful NFL career that is still churning.

#2 - PORT ARTHUR JEFFERSON/MEMORIAL: (Note: It's been called Port Arthur, Port Arthur Jefferson...and it merged into Memorial High in 2002...the flagship school of Port Arthur has pumped out Texas blue-chippers including several All-Americans. It's worth noting, too, that Dallas Super Bowl Coach Jimmy Johnson and Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famer and former UT student Janis Joplin are also grads.) Clarence Bray ('63), T Clayton Lacy ('64), SE Cotton Speyrer ('70), DB Terry Melancon ('74), C Billy Gordon ('76), QB Todd Dodge ('85), WR Brent Duhon ('85), RB Jamaal Charles ('07)

#3 AUSTIN WESTLAKE: DT Brad Shearer ('77), OG Rick Ingraham ('77), K Jeff Ward ('86), LB Duane Duncum ('89), QB/S Jimmy Saxton ('91), WR Ryan Nunez '99), K Justin Tucker ('11), QB Sam Ehlinger ('20) Note: Current players include DB Michael Taaffe and edge pass-rushers Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek.

#4 HOUSTON LAMAR: FB Ray Poage ('62), LB Corby Robertson ('68), DB Rod Babers ('02), DB Drew Kelson ('04), Brian Orakpo ('08), DB Holton Hill ('17), DB D'Shawn Jamison ('21)

#5 TYLER JOHN TYLER: RB Earl Campbell ('77), DE Tim Campbell ('78), LB Steve Campbell ('78), DB Joey Ellis ('94), DE Tim Crowder ('06), DB Aaron Ross ('06), DB Kitan Crawford ('23)

#6 SPRING BRANCH HIGH: C Jack Howe ('65), RB Chris Gilbert ('68), C Jim Achilles ('70), QB Donnie Wigginton ('71), C Bill Wyman ('73), RB Mike Luck ('83)

#7 AUSTIN REAGAN: DB Tom Campbell ('69), LB Mike Campbell ('69), DT Ray Dowdy ('71), DB Mike Bayer ('72), Tommy Keel ('73), K Billy "Sure" Schott ('74)

#8 SPRING BRANCH MEMORIAL: WR Les Koenning ('80), DE Kiki DeAyala ('82), OG Doug Dawson ('83), C Gene "Coke Machine" Chilton ('85), QB Shannon Kelley ('88)

#9 One small Texas town, Cleburne, stood out for producing Longhorn stalwarts in the Darrell Royal regime. Five former Yellow Jackets starred for Royal. Fiery LB Pat Culpepper was All-Southwest Conference in '62, David McWilliams stood out as a center and LB for the '63 national champs and served UT as head coach from 1987-91, leading Texas to the SWC title. Another linebacker, Tim Doerr, was a key contributor for the '63 champs and helped Tommy Nobis anchor the '64 defense that won the Orange Bowl. Howard Goad was an all-SWC guard in '66 and DB Fred Sarchet was a key defender for Royal's '75 team that shared the SWC crown. Remarkably, all but Goad were captains for the Longhorns.

#10 ODESSA PERMIAN: LB Glen Halsell ('69), RB Billy Dale ('70), Joe Bob Bizzell ('73), LB Britt Hager ('88), WR Roy Williams ('03)

Bonus Round- The winner for per capita Longhorn football players is White Deer, Texas. All were brothers.

Many Longhorn fans know that Earl Campbell played at Texas along with his twin brothers. Tim was a pass-rushing fiend at DE and Steve was a feisty, undersized linebacker, all from John Tyler High back home in the Rose Capital of Texas.

Three brothers at Texas is remarkable anyway, any time, but the story of the Thurman boys is even more unusual. They hailed from White Deer, a tiny town of 1,000 souls, about 35 miles northeast of Amarillo in the Panhandle. Rick, Ken, and Donnie Thurman were stairstep brothers (senior, junior, and soph) for the '75 Longhorns. Rick was a starter at offensive tackle and earned three letters. NO PHOTOS YET!

Another interesting factoid- San Antonio's Jefferson High rolled out four notable players on the '63 national champs. Tommy Nobis was just a sophomore but already a star. Wingback Phil Harris, a fellow sophomore, caught two touchdown passes (58 and 63 yards) from Duke Carlisle that sank Navy in the Cotton Bowl of 1-1-64. Hix Green and Anthony King were two more talented two-way backs and played big roles in the Horns' success from 1962-64.

Since 1977, almost 26 million people have visited the Super Drum. In 1980, after the passing of Frank Erwin, the Super Drum was renamed the “Frank Erwin Center.” Frank’s name never stuck on the conscious level of most people, but the name Super Drum did. The mission of the “Drum” was to “support the University of Texas and provide benefits to the Central Texas community. It was an academic, entertaining, sporting event center second only to the Astrodome in size in 1977. In 1986 fans of Van Halen paid a staggering ticket price of $16.00 to see Sammy Hagar singing and hanging from the catwalk unsecured.

For many who attended Texas, the most important function of the Drum was being the location for class additions and drops—a very important function indeed for Longhorn students.

Interesting Facts about the Frank Erwin Center

The Frank Erwin Center, which for 46 years hosted concerts, graduations, circuses, monster trucks, wrestling, Disney on Ice, and much more, can now only be visited by photos and memories.

1977- Construction of the Drum Cost $34 million.

2001-2003-Renovations and Expansions: Cost: $55 million- The Super Drum had life safety upgrades, new concession stands and restrooms, the addition of 28 suites, a new scoreboard and indoor electronic video signs, and the addition of outdoor electronic video sign, Lone Star Room (reception hall) renovations

First Event: UT Men’s Basketball vs. The University of Oklahoma
November 29, 1977 | Attendance: 12,650

First Concert: Lawrence Welk
March 12, 1978 | Attendance: 15,676

First Sellout: Lawrence Welk
March 12, 1978 | Attendance: 15,676

Largest Crowd: John Denver
May 6, 1978 | Attendance: 17,829

First Two-Night Run: Prince
January 29 & 30, 1985 | Attendance: 31,007

Other Two-Night Runs: George Strait
September 10 & 11, 1987 | Attendance: 25,368

Pink Floyd
November 19 & 20, 1987 | Attendance: 25,131

Janet Jackson
July 5 & 6, 1990 | Attendance: 25,228

Fastest Sellout: Garth Brooks | 47 minutes
October 15, 1992 | Attendance: 17,141

Most Recent Sellouts: Drake’s The Club Paradise Tour with special guests Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky February 27, 2012  Attendance: 11,669

Radiohead March 7, 2012  Attendance 11,689
 
Roger Waters The Wall Live May 3, 2012 Attendance 10,230
 
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with special guest Regina Spektor
May 5, 2012  Attendance 10,988

Highest Grossing Event: George Strait and Reba with special guest Lee Ann Womack January 14, 2011 | Attendance: 16,737

Special and Extraordinary Events:

Fire Relief Benefit Concert October 17, 2011

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas July 8-10, 2011

American Idol Auditions August 11, 2010

ESPN GameDay Live February 21, 2009

ESPN GameDay Live February 25, 2006

Neighbors in Need - Austin’s Katrina Relief Concert September 21, 2005

A Holy Talk with His Holiness the Dalai Lama September 20, 2005

American Idol Auditions August 23-27, 2005

Dixie Chicks Perform a Live Broadcast for the Academy of Country Music Awards May 21, 2003

Liz Carpenter Lecture Series featuring President Bill Clinton February 12, 2003

George W. Bush Presidential Announcement July 25 & 27, 2000

UT School of Liberal Arts Liz Carpenter Lecture featuring President Bill Clinton October 16, 1995

 Superdrum Memoir:  Lemons, Chrissie and Concerts

by Larry Carlson for https://texaslsn.org

Part I of 2

(TLSN writer Larry Carlson teaches broadcast journalism at Texas State University.  He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America, and actually won the 1978 Southwest Conference Press Tour

Singles championship in 1978, beating up on out-of-shape media members who wilted in Houston's August  humidity at the Rice University tennis complex.)

Okay, just being honest here.  I don't recall any details from the Texas Longhorns' basketball debut in the spanking new Superdrum, back in late November 1977.   Second-year coach Abe Lemons would pilot the burnt orange to a magical, 26-5 season.  Texas was unbeaten in 13 games at their new home. Abe's first team on the Forty Acres played in venerable, cozy Gregory Gym, and went 13-13, with an equally equal 8-8 mark in Southwest Conference play.  Nobody was raving about Lemons's second volume as the season approached but Texas was returning its top three scorers in Jim Krivacs, Ron Baxter and Johnny Moore, and the top two rebounders in Baxter and Gary Goodner, the center who stood only 6-7.  All that experience, and it was still a young team.  Among the starters, only Goodner was a senior.

But when the Horns lost a close opener to USC, 65-64, in La-La Land, not many in Austin even noticed.  The day of that West Coast opener, the top-ranked Longhorn football team was whipping up on A&M, 

57-28, in College Station, to put an exclamation mark on an 11-0 regular season.  Earl Campbell had bruised the Ags for 224 yards and even took a Randy McEachern pass sixty yards for a TD.  It was one of four scoring passes for McEachern and the table was now set for Earl to hoist the Heisman in two weeks.

But on Tuesday, Nov. 29, the hoops team opened up the sprawling new in the Special Events Center, as proper academic types wished for the arena to be called.  To Texas fans and media, it was the Superdrum or just the Drum.  Whatever it was, it had three times the seating capacity of Gregory, was loaded with burnt orange seats and even sported a Texas-sized scoreboard that loomed large, high above mid-court.

At least as far as furnishings went, UT had joined the basketball big-time.

The Horns' opener in their new digs was a beating of hated Oklahoma.  And the winning didn't stop.

The sardonic Lemons, resplendent in western-flaired leisure suits, prowled the sidelines while a smallish and hardly stylish team just continued to pick on – and beat – teams that looked much prettier in warmups.  The Horns would tie third-ranked Arkansas for the SWC title.  Left out of the NCAA tourney that then fielded just 32 teams, the Lemons crew made lemonade and went on the then-prestigious National Invitation Tournament in high style, wowing Madison Square Garden fans while Lemons' entertaining person bewitched the Gotham City media.  It remains, to this day, one of the greatest Texas seasons.

But now that the Superdrum has been converted to rubble and dust, I'm looking back fondly to events that highlighted the Drum's first 365 days, including concerts I attended featuring the Beach Boys in spring and Linda Ronstadt, at the time the hottest ticket in the USA, a few months later.

https://www.texaslsn.org/remembering-the-1977-nit-championship

The History of Longhorn Sports

www.texaslsn.org          

END OF PART I OF PROFESSOR CARLSON’S MEMORIES OF THE DRUM.           ****************                                 

Certainly! The Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, has hosted a wide array of musical artists and bands over the years. Here are some notable performers who have graced its stage:

1. Taylor Swift

2. David Bowie

3. Tina Turner

4. Lana Del Rey

5. Ariana Grande

6. KISS

7. U2

8. Bon Jovi

9. Pearl Jam

10. Paul McCartney

11. Def Leppard

12. George Strait

13. Garth Brooks

14. Van Halen

15. Rush

16. AC/DC

17. Pink Floyd

18. Prince

19. Guns N’ Roses

20. Rod Stewart

The arena has hosted three UFC mixed martial events: UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares in 2010, UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson in 2014, and UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros in 2018. Legendary professional boxer Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico had his debut fight there, knocking out Jason Doucet in the first round of a boxing show headlined by a fight between Mexican Jesus Chavez and American Tom Johnson, a contest won by Chavez by an eighth-round knockout on February 23, 2001.[14]

February 28, 2004, men’s basketball vs. Texas Tech set the attendance record with 16,837

For women’s basketball, on March 27, 1987, 15,303 set an attendance record against Louisiana Tech.

Superdrum Memoir:  Lemons, Chrissie and Concerts

by Larry Carlson for https://texaslsn.org

Part 2 of 2

What I recall with most clarity from the Superdrum's '78 files is a little bit personal.  Allow me to share it.

I was fidgeting a bit when the post-match World Team Tennis press conference was set to begin at the Drum, on a pleasant night the following spring.  Chrissie Evert, the number one player on the women's tour, was coolly staring me down from fifteen feet away.  Then she whispered something next to Rosie Casals, seated next to her.

A little background.  I was a 24-year-old guy, living the dream, wrapping up my first year as sports director for Austin's top-rated radio station, KVET.  Covering the Longhorns every day at practices and games, earning $750 monthly, well, life was good.  Even if I needed to regularly order cheeseburgers minus the cheese and drink water instead of iced tea for work-day lunches.  I mean, you couldn't call this work.

In early spring, news broke that Chrissie and other female pros would be coming to Austin for a serving of team tennis at the drum.  A former high school tennis player who could only hit off-speed junk at opponents, I loved following tennis.  And I thought Chris Evert looked muy hot.

So I popped off in the newsroom one morning and told the crew that I was gonna be asking Chrissie for a date when she landed in Austin later that spring.   I mean, why not?  I was not a cocky guy because I had nothing to be cocky about.  But in spite of the well-publicized news that Chrissie, often called "the Ice Maiden" for her cool court demeanor, had ended relationships with Jimmy Connors, then Burt Reynolds, I was undaunted.  Maybe she was bored with fellow celebrities and millionaires.

I could take her out for Italian food at The Red Tomato.  Maybe a drink at The Veranda or over at the Driskill.

The male, 24-year-old mind is a wonderful thing.  Nonsensical but wonderful.

I was sharing an apartment with my buddy and ol' college roomie, Paul Alexander, the toast of Austin TV as sports anchor for KTBC-TV.  Paul encouraged me to extend an invitation to Chris, even offering up the reward of one of those sizzling steaks at Hill's Cafe, way down South Congress.  Just to ask her out.

People at KVET, plus other friends, kept asking me, as Evert's Austin match approached, if I was still gonna ask the Ice Maiden for a date.  Somebody told me they'd fill up my car with gas.  The beat-to-hell '71 Ford Maverick was barely chugging.  So was my very thin wallet.

At the station, another co-worker offered up five bucks if I'd greet Chrissie with an invite.  I believe another friend offered up the purchase of something amber and slightly aged from Chris's Liquor.  They seemed to doubt my full and foolhardy heart and my promise to try my luck.  So they were gonna either entice or taunt me with bets that I wouldn't follow through.  They need not have doubted my commitment.

And now that there were carrots out there, in these inflationary days of the Jimmy Carter presidency,  I was fortified by bounty in addition to the prospect of a goodnight kiss from America's sporting sweetheart.

Figured I'd just find out when the World Team Tennis entourage would arrive at Robert Mueller Airport, put on a crisp shirt, shine my loafers and let my Texan charm do the rest.  

But something went awry within 48 hours of my date with destiny.  Apparently my friends and co-workers conspired and didn't want to have to pay up in this malaise-ridden era of the American economy.

I was confronted.   They wanted to know how they could be sure I had actually asked the tennis superstar to dinner.  "I'm not gonna lie," I said.  "And if she goes, it'll be in the National Enquirer."

That wasn't good enough.  Some wiseacre ringleader came up with a huge, very unfair asterisk on the bet.

I would have to ask Chris Evert out AT the press conference after she had flown in.

Not cool.  Not cool at all.

But the afternoon Chrissie arrived, still 30 hours before the scheduled World Team Tennis bout,

there I was with all the other media at the Hilton Hotel near Highland Mall.

My stomach was jumping.

But I managed a semi-smart, "inside tennis" question to establish credibility.

A few questions later, I again raised my hand and was called on by the moderator and addressed Chrissie.

"Well, since y'all aren't playing until tomorrow night...would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

The place went silent.  After a few seconds, Chrissie, straight-faced, lobbed me a huge favor, not instantly rejecting me or having me thrown out of the session.

"I'll talk to you after....," she calmly said.

More silence, before a local sportswriter recovered and asked another question.

My young ticker was beating like a rabbit.  

After the presser adjourned some moments later, I walked on shaky legs to follow the 23-year-old, three-time defending U.S. Open champ as she, unaccompanied, headed from the assembly.  I told her I hadn't meant to be a wise guy, that I just thought I'd ask.  Courteously, she told me she had team functions she was obligated to attend.  

So there I was the following night, at a  Superdrum media set-up, following Austin's taste of World Team Tennis.  I was among ten to twenty reporters, writers and photogs, seated not far from the few players chosen to speak with us about the match.  My KVET microphone was already where it was supposed to be, so I checked my notebook and pondered appropriate queries.

Then I saw her, impassively scouting me and whispering to her friend, another of the best-known players on the world tour.  

I actually got a jolt of restored confidence.  "Maybe she's pointing me out, maybe she's gonna catch me after this media malarkey."   Ahhh, the wonders of the resilient but stupid, 24-year-old heart.  I was half expecting a note to be passed my way as the players left the stage.  I'm serious.

It didn't come, dammit.  She probably told Casals that it was that guy, the tall knucklehead, who disrupted the previous day's news conference.  I'll never know.  Hell, maybe she was at least amused.

Earlier that day, I turned "the tape" over to the deejays at KVET, who had fun running and re-running my invitation and Chrissie's response over the Austin airwaves.  I got plenty of plaudits from my sports media cohorts on the UT beat.  And I went on to collect the bets, at least most of them.

In the coming year, I would semi-regularly run into one of the news photogs from area TV who had covered things that spring day at the Hilton.  "That took (guts)," they would say, shaking my hand.  

Every now and then, though, I still wonder.  Maybe I should've disdained the bets.

Should have just asked her out, one-on-one, the way it was supposed to be.

Chrissie never got to eat a flame-kissed hamburger at Holiday House, never sipped a cheap drink at Ego's.

Maybe, as a couple, we coulda been the tennis world's love match.  

A man's gotta keep his dreams alive.

Today's Longhorn athletes have traversed the bridge constructed by their predecessors, a legacy that has significantly enhanced the value of the Longhorn brand.

 The current financial opportunities available to Longhorn scholarship athletes confirm the legacy of former Longhorn student-athletes. It is former Longhorn's hard work and dedication that made the Longhorn brand one of the most valuable names in college sports.

It is the shared experiences of past Longhorn student-athletes, their hard work, dedication, and sweat equity that built a brand that now offers financial rewards, state-of-the-art facilities equipment, proper nutritional diets, and safety protocols for current athletes. It is the community of former Longhorn student-athletes and their families who suffered the challenges of CTE that led to changes in blocking and tackling techniques and safer, better impact-absorbing engineered helmets that now benefit current student-athletes.

While it is reasonable to allow current scholarship athletes to benefit from NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), it is essential to offer a helping hand to those who built the Longhorn brand in the past but now need temporary financial assistance due to unforeseen circumstances that occurred through no fault of their own.

TLSN (Texas Legacy Suppor Network) takes its role as a safety net for former Longhorn student-athletes who qualify for temporary financial assistance as a moral obligation.

TLSN's mission echoes the Longhorn motto, "What starts here changes the world." On April 29th, 2017, TLSN made intercollegiate athletic sports history. TLSN is the first private charitable and tax-exempt organization with the specific mission of offering temporary financial assistance to qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, coaches, student managers, trainers, and their immediate families. It's a safety net for Longhorn athletes who have fallen through societal safety nets.

TLSN is an independent organization not associated with the University of Texas or any institution closely aligned with U.T. However, TLSN expresses gratitude to the NCAA and the U.T. Athletic Department for their forward-thinking in 2017-2018 when they approved TLSN's mission statement. TLSN serves as a Longhorn sports history educational site and provides financial assistance to eligible former Longhorn student-athletes, support staff, coaches, and their immediate families.

TLSN has extended a helping hand to individuals in various formats, ranging in grants from $2,000 to $35,000. Visit their website at either the link https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/history-of-tlsn-as-of-12042023 or https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/mission-statement to witness the collective effort of the TLSN Board of Directors. Each Board member, driven by a shared purpose, works tirelessly without compensation, united in their mission to assist those who qualify for temporary financial assistance.

Horns 🤘,

Billy Dale

Introduction

The Brewer family roots are part of Big 8 and SWC college football history. Robert Brewer’s father was a quarterback for the Longhorns, and his Uncle played with Darrell Royal at Oklahoma. Robert says, "the Red River rivalry was a huge deal in my family and left an indelible impression on my childhood." "One-half of the family was always upset after the game.

So, I have to cheat a little on this one because the Longhorn athletic gene is present in the Brewers, but Texas chose not to offer Robert’s son Charley Brewer a scholarship, so he led the Baylor Bears back to prominence.

Robert’s other son, Michael, signed with Texas Tech and then transferred to Virginia Tech to lead the team.

Charley Brewer SR.

In 1953  Brewer was promoted to the starting quarterback role. He started 16 games, won 9 and lost 6 with 1 tie.

After earning the starting job on the Longhorns freshman team in 1952 and leading them to three late-season victories, Brewer had a chance to compete for the varsity's starting job in his sophomore year. In the 2nd game of the season, he carried the ball twice for two touchdowns and returned a punt 59 yards to set up a touchdown.  Brewer led the team to wins in 5 out of their next 6 games, including upsets of #11 SMU and #3 Baylor, and a share of the Southwest Conference Championship. He led the team that season in passing, kick-off return yards and punt return yards. Against Baylor, Brewer threw the game-winning touchdown pass, and against Texas A&M, perhaps Brewer's best game, Brewer set up or scored all three touchdowns. Their only loss that season with Brewer as the starter resulted from a last-minute touchdown by co-champion Rice.

Brewer remained the starter in the 1954 season when the Longhorns started the season ranked #4 but struggled to a 4-5-1 record. Texas lost games to #1 Oklahoma, #2 Notre Dame, #12 Arkansas, and #20 Baylor.  Brewer ended the season with another spectacular game against Texas A&M, the first for Texas in the Paul "Bear" Bryant era, throwing for 121 yards - his career-high - and 2 touchdowns to win 22-13.

In 1998, Brewer was inducted into the Texas Football Hall of Fame in Waco.

George Brewer was a sooner who played football with Royal, but he helped the Horns win the NIT in basketball.

Lemons probably would never have seen—or even heard of—Branyan had it not been for George Brewer, a friend of Tyrone's father and a former Sooner football teammate of Texas Athletic Director Darrell Royal. When Branyan was a sophomore at Cypress Junior College in California, Brewer wrote Royal about him, and Royal passed the letter on to Lemons. 

Abe had never heard of Branyan, but the letter sounded so interesting that he sought a more detailed evaluation from Tyrone's junior-college coach. Lemons liked the coach's report enough that he gave Branyan a scholarship sight unseen. Only then did he dispatch Assistant Coach Barry Dowd to check him out. 

Robert Brewer

Robert Brewer did not receive a Division I scholarship offer out of high school. In a self-deprecating moment in the book “Game of My Life” by Michael Pearle and Bill Frisbie, the comment is, ' with five-Oh time in the forty-yard sprint,” Robert was not high on the Division I recruiting list college coaches. The authors of the book said, “Brewer was not the prototypical quarterback. He had no arm strength, he didn’t have great size, and no, he didn’t have blazing speed.”

He realized that his dream of following his father’s footsteps to Texas was problematic. His father led the 1952 Westerners to a state championship, and he started for 3 years at Texas. Coach Akers tells Robert there is no scholarship available, but there would be a roster spot open if he walks-on.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/robert-brewer

In the 8th game of his junior season, after the great quarterback Rick McIvor was hurt against Houston, Robert’s preparation, practice, and attitude paid dividends.

Leaving the locker room to start the second half of the Houston game, coach Akers says to Robert, "You're in." The speedster Herkie Wall jogs out of the tunnel onto the field, looks back at Brewer, and says, "you're not the 2nd team quarterback anymore, so don't play like it." "Remember Brew Baby the Cream Always Rises to the Top."

Robert’s Cotton Bowl

Texas won the 1982 Cotton Bowl 14-12. Robert Brewer was the MVP. 30 years before in the same stadium on the same day with the same score; his father was MVP in the high school state championship game.

Charley and Robert Brewer are the only Longhorn father and son tandem who have started for the Texas Longhorns.

Enter Robert Brewer’s sons- one should have been a Longhorn but started for Baylor, and the other was the starting quarterback for Virginia tech.

Charlie Brewer’s recruitment

Texas Football: Did you know the Longhorns didn’t offer Charlie Brewer?

by Andrew Miller1 year ago Follow @andrewmillerssc

Since the 2017 cycle ended, Texas football recruiting rolled with the very best programs in the entire country. The first full recruiting cycle for Herman on the Forty Acres was obviously not going to be great. He took over in December 2016, which never bodes well for National Signing Day, which comes around just two months later.

According to his 247Sports recruiting profile, Brewer was rated as the nation’s No. 826 2017 high school prospect and the No. 36 pro-style quarterback. Baylor was the best offer he received. The other six offers he received came from the SMU Mustangs, Bowling Green Falcons, Hawaii Mean Green, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, North Texas Mean Green, and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Not a single other Power Five offer.

Texas was actually one of three Power Five schools to apparently give Brewer a scout look. The other two were the Oregon Ducks and Virginia Tech Hokies.

Here’s what the 247Sports scouting report had to say for Brewer coming out of Lake Travis High School in Austin.

Brewer is the typical Lake Travis quarterback. Quite honestly it would be more of a surprise for a quarterback at that school to not be a division one talent. He has a very good arm and is accurate. he can get the ball where it needs to be and gets it out quickly. He is a better athlete than he probably gets credit for, but he is an effective runner who will not only pull the ball down at opportune times, but when he pulls it down he will make big plays and can score touchdowns. He has put together some impressive stats in high school and has the quick decision making ability that will allow him to do the same thing in college. He spreads the ball around to all of his weapons. Throws a tremendous deep ball.

It doesn’t make much sense for Texas to focus on a quarterback deciding between just SMU and Baylor. Brewer was originally an SMU commit and then decommitted to ultimately pledge and sign with Baylor.

Quarterback Michael Brewer 

Brewer graduated from Texas Tech. Because the NCAA allows players who complete their undergraduate degree to transfer without sitting out a year, he was immediately eligible at Virginia Tech with two years to play.

“Nothing is guaranteed. I’ve got to come in and earn it,” Brewer said. “But the coaches and I thought it was a good situation and a great opportunity.”

“Virginia Tech plays great defense. They need to get back going on offense again, and once that happens, you’ll have a chance to win a championship. And that’s the goal.”

As of 12/31/2023 The national championship count is as follows.

The University of Texas has now captured 65 national team championships (61 NCAA titles, four AIAW crowns) in school history. Yesterday’s victory marked the 10th NCAA Championship claimed by the Longhorns since the start of the 2020-21 academic calendar year (2021 Men's Swimming and Diving, 2021 Women's Tennis, 2021 Rowing, 2022 Men's Indoor Track and Field, 2022 Women's Tennis, 2022 Rowing, 2022 Men's Golf, 2022 Volleyball, 2023 Women's Outdoor Track and Field, 2023 Volleyball).

In 1985-1986 the Women won the National Championships in swimming, diving, indoor and outdoor track, basketball, and cross country. Most championships ever for sports in the history of UT.

National Championship by Coach in numerical order including Pre NCAA championships as of 2021:

16- Coach Reese men's swimming- 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016,2017, 2018, 2020, 2021)

6- Coach Quick Women's swimming -1982, 1984,1985,1986, 1987, 1988,

6- Coach Kearney (outdoor and indoor track in the same year or counted separately) 1998,1999,2005,2006

5- Coach Crawford (outdoor and indoor track in the same year or counted separately) 1982, 1986,1988,1990

3- DKR 1963, 1969, and 1970

2- Coach Falk baseball 1949 and 1950

2- Coach Gustafson baseball 1975 and 1983

2- Coach Garrido 2002 and 2005

2- Coach Hannon men's golf 1971 and 1972

2- Coach Schubert women's swimming 1990 and 1991

1- Coach Bruce Berque men’s tennis 2019

2- Coach Jeff Moore women's tennis 1993 and 1995

2- Howard Joffe women’s tennis 2021-2022

2- Mick Haley women’s volleyball 1981, 1988

1- Coach Brown football 2005

1- Coach Conradt women's basketball 1986

1- Coach Bergen women's swimming 1981

1- Coach Crawford cross country track

1- Edrick Floréal - Indoor track and field

2- Coach Elliot women's volley ball 2012, 2022, 2023

2- Coach John Field Golf 2012, 2022

2- Dave O'Neill rowing - 2021, 2022

National Championships by Sport

Baseball (6): 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005

Women's Basketball (1): 1986

Women's Cross Country (1): 1986

Football (4): 1963 (AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF), 1969 (AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF), 1970 (UPI, NFF), 2005 (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)

Men's Golf (4): 1971, 1972, 2012, 2022

Men's Swimming (16): 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010.2015.2016,2017,2018,2021, 2022

Women's Swimming (9): 1981, 1982, 1984,1985,1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991

Men’s tennis (1) - 2019

Mens Indoor track (1): 2022

Rowing (2) 2021, 2022

Women's Tennis (4): 1993, 1995, 2021, 2022

Women's Indoor Track (6): 1986, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006

Women's Outdoor Track (4): 1986, 1998, 1999, 2005

Women's Volleyball (3):1981, 1988, 2012, 2022, 2023

volleyball

National Champions , 1981, 1988, 2012, 2022, and 2023

NCAA Tournament champion runner-up in 2009, 2015, 2016, and 2020

NCAA Tournament semifinal 1995, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022

NCAA Regional Final 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020*, 2022

NCAA Regional Semifinal 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020*, 2021, 2022

AIAW/NCAA Tournament appearance1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020*, 2021, 2022

Big 12- Champ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

More about Coach Elliot at https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/coach-jerritt-elliot .

Football

Texas has been a national champion in football nine times based on the Official NCAA Football Record Book, which names every team that a “major” selector awards a championship. Based on that publication, 1914, 1941, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1977, 1981, and 2005 are national champions.

According to Wikipedia, Texas has been recognized in media and/or institutional format as football National Champions 15 times.

• 4 times acknowledged by Texas and the NCAA (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005),

• 5 times recognized by the NCAA but not acknowledged by UT (1914, 1941, 1968, 1977, and 1981), and

• 6 times crowned as National Champion by some national rating services but not recognized by Texas or the NCAA. ( 1918, 1930, 1945, 1947, 1950, and 2008). 

NCAA and texas recognized national champions

Baseball

Men's swimming

Swimming NCAA Championship (1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021,2022)

Women's swimming 

The Longhorn Women's Swim Team Has Won 9 National Champions, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987,1988, 1990, and 1991

Womens Basketball

Coach Jody Conradt - 1976-2007

• 783-245 win loss record

• 5- Elite 8 appearances

• 3- Sweet 16 appearances

• 1- National Championship

• 2- Final 4 appearances

Men's Golf- National Champions 1971, 1972, 2012, 2022

2022

Rowing 2021, 2022

Mens Tennis - 2019

Womens Tennis - National Champions 1993, 1995, 2021, 2022

Women's Track 

If anyone has a team picture of the National championship teams,  I would like to add to the site to complete the story of women's track. I can't find any team pictures.

Indoor National Championships (6):

1986, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006

Women Outdoor track National Championships (4):

1982 (AIAW), 1986, 1998, 1999, 2005

Volleyball

National Championship 1988, 2012, 2022