Jc Dobbs

Will this young man follow Jonah and be a two-sport hero? Basketball and baseball? Or, are CDCs coaches done with trying the two -sport recruits? PS... I'm not being serious here... Hook 'Em!

This morning on OTF Coach Vic said (paraphrasing) the World is mostly a beautiful place, but sometimes it rears its' ugly head. There's all these pieces of memorabilia that honor the Longhorns greats and bring happiness to the Texas fans who own and hold them. As the Coach said, "sometimes"... Well, I had a high school coach who used to tell his teams "Boys, you have to learn to take the good along with the bad." I got a game-worn Texas football helmet at one of the first "Yard Sales" held along with the Spring football game in the 1980s and got the number stickers from the Rooster Andrews store to add my high school #30 to the back of the Longhorn helmet. At Spring Games, Longhorn Foundation events and Texas Exes fundraisers, I got autographs on the helmet. Coaches included Darrell Royal and each head coach through Mack Brown, and players included Earl, Ricky and a few others. Unfortunately, the helmet, a football autographed by a dozen prominent Texas players, several autographed player photos and a wristwatch commemorating the National Championship victory over USC...all were stolen along with a S&W.38 cal silver plated revolver (locked in a gun safe box) that was given to me by my late father in 1988, the final Texas-OU game we attended together before he died ( last game of 35 OU games together). The items were stolen by movers somewhere along the way in an interstate relocation. I moved with job transfers several times before without any problems or losses. I note this not seeking sympathy from my fellow Longhorns, but to remind everyone to keep close watch on things that are special to you. It's sad that we can't live trustingly, but I learned that lesson several years ago. As Ronald Reagan said regarding international relations, "Trust But Verify." Hook 'Em!

I live southwest of Ft Worth about 18 miles from Downtown and the Medical District. I walk and jog on the hike and bike trails nearby and nearly every day I see the medical helicopter incoming and outgoing to the southwest of the Medical District and Cook Children's Hospital. I always think of Blake's son Colt when I see the chopper and wish the best for him... and the patient on the helicopter that day when I see it flying by.

Another "Tradition," not often seen by those not "in the know." I think the baseball boys learned this one from the Yell Leaders.

Gerry -- Where on the list would you have placed Curt Cignetti prior to the '25-'26 season? After Coach Sark wins the '26-'27 Natty, where would you expect to place him?! Hook 'Em!

Thanks again for the reference to Sonny Alvarado... The player from Roseburg, Oregon was Rich Parson, a 6'7" Center who averaged 5.6 pts and 5.5 rebs in '74-'75 when the team went 10-15 under Leon Black and was the final team to play their home games in Gregory Gym. Also on that team was the lefty Forward Ed Johnson, who I remembered because he played his high school basketball at the same school in Fort Worth my mother had attended back in the 1940s. Hook 'Em!

Thanks! I wasn't sure about his last name, but I definitely remembered his tattoos...he was a leading edge trendsetter because he was inked just before the trend began where tattoos were popular on basketball players again after being largely absent for years. Hook 'Em!

It began with the teams coached by Leon Black, and a buddy of mine had a dog he named Leon. My favorite was the Abe Lemons era. I also enjoyed the years the team was coached by Tom "Sweet Tom" Penders during the "BMW" years when the Horns battled Nolan Richardson's Razorbacks. The Rick Barnes years were also enjoyable at times, like the few years when the team excelled. But my favorite era was Abe Lemons... especially when he called a late timeout with the Longhorns leading and asked Johnny Moore to sit beside him and Abe asked, "Johnny, can you believe this?! We're about to win this damn thing!" Hook 'Em! PS... Where are they now? Larry Robinson, B G Brosterhouse, Sonny what's his name, the Center from Roseburg Oregon who famously rode the Greyhound back to Oregon after the Spring semester (can't remember his name), Brandy Perryman, and several others, like "Easy" Ed the lefty Forward from Ft Worth, Ron Baxter and more. Best wishes and/or RIP to them all.

In the mid-1990s I adopted/rescued two abandoned kittens for my young (then) daughter. The two cats were male litter mates... one was an Orange Tabby, like in Gerry's pic above, and the other was a typical Black cat. My wife and I debated what to name the cats... the first thought was Pinkney and Adams, for the two Longhorns WRs of the era... but we settled on Troy (Orange cat) and Emmitt (Black cat) because the Dallas Cowboys were on a Super Bowl roll. Gerry's pic above is a dead ringer for Troy! RIP Troy and Emmitt the cats (2014). They were great pets for our daughter and the neighborhood kids. Long story... apologies, but the picture got me because of the great memories. PS our daughter graduated from UT in 2017. Hook 'Em!

Certainly. You are most welcome! Hook 'Em!

I think it's because he's one of those 7th year of eligibility players... Hook 'Em!

Yes... but you have to leave the "BOOMs" up to Bobby! He's slightly sensitive about it.... Hook 'Em! And Welcome. Glad to have you! My daughter was a Freshman at UT when you graduated. I graduated from Texas way back in 1976 and 1978 and got to see the end of the Darrell Royal era of coaching and the Earl Campbell era of greatness.

I miss my Uncle who died a couple of years ago, even though he pretended to cheer for the Longhorns for me and I pretended to pull for TCU for him. If he saw this high school facility he would go on a rant about property taxes in Texas. RIP Uncle Don. Thanks for the pics, CJ!

Love seeing those empty seats in Collie Station!!! Hook 'Em!

DOG!!! I agree with you... Dangerous indeed. I saw where President Trump has invited several CFB luminaries, led by Nick Saban, to the White House to discuss the future of College Sports and NIL. Unfortunately, neither Dog nor Bobby Burton were on the list of invitees. Hook 'Em! And take cover when the President and Congress get involved with college football.

I was a UT Sophomore when Memphis State played the Longhorns at Gregory Gym in December, 1973. Texas played well, but Memphis was strong that '73-'74 season and won the game. I remember sitting in the front row under the basket in the Student Section... I always remembered that game and I think it was because I first realized how tall the college basketball players were when seen from floor level. If my memory is correct, the Erwin Center opened three years later in the '75-'76 season. There was an architectural model of "The Super Drum" in the entry lobby of Gregory Gym. Great memories of the Leon Black era of Texas Basketball and Memphis State was a powerhouse back in those days. Hook 'Em!

Thanks for posting this video. For those of us who saw Earl play for the Longhorns and the Oilers it's a great trip down Memory Lane. I've been privileged because my Dad took me to see the Dallas Cowboys play the Cleveland Browns in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in the early 1960s and I saw the great Jim Brown. Bob Lilly, "Mr Cowboy" and Jim Brown played hard and then threw punches at each other to end the game. As I posted elsewhere on this thread, I was a student at Texas during Earl's days playing for Coach Royal. And I saw Earl play for the Oilers as a young man after graduating from UT in the "Luv Ya Blue" days in Houston. I watched Ricky Williams play for the Longhorns when I was a season ticket holder a few years later, and he was one of the best for Texas. My Dad and many others always said Jim Brown was the greatest. I was just a little kid back then, but I never question Jim Brown at the top. And Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams were right there with Brown. Bum Phillips said it didn't take long to call the Role of the greats, but Earl's name had to be called. Earl was a special player. Hook 'Em!

I was a sophomore on the Forty Acres when Earl was a Freshman and I watched him play almost every snap... including most games on the road. His RB skills were unquestionable, but I remember a couple of times when he came in, lined up in the middle of the D line and broke through and blocked the punt attempt. He was the definition of "special." Hook 'Em!

I totally understand. I'm not proud of admitting that YT wore me down. Hook 'Em!

Same here. I resisted for a long time, but I finally got worn down by the placement and frequency of ads on YouTube. Not just on OTF, but on everything YouTube. While saving $ after retirement, YouTube Premium is about the only optional item I spring for. I hate to say that I am glad I went Premium because I feel like they whipped me, but whatever... Thanks to Bobby and crew, I really enjoy all the OTF content without intrusive interruptions. Hook 'Em!

Agreed that hockey players are unusually tough and resilient. Way back in the late '60s and early '70s my Scouting troop was among the volunteer ushers at minor league hockey games in Dallas ( Chicago Blackhawks) and Fort Worth (Detroit Redwings) and I became a hockey fan watching the games after the fans were seated. Decades later my employer had season tickets to the Dallas Stars games and I got to go to many games and really appreciated the skill and toughness of the NHL players. Finally, RIP Houston Aeros.

Thanks for the memory bump. Getting older isn't easy. Appreciate your research on this because it has really saddened me to see such a talented young man fail to realize a dream because of the factors involved impacting his life. Once again, RIP Rondale Moore.

Yes! My daughter is a UT graduate, Class of 2017, native Texan, and I am visiting her in Los Angeles this weekend. She'll be 31 this Spring and the time really flies. Earlier this evening we both agreed our years at UT living in Austin were the best. JC Dobbs BA 1976 MPA 1978, Texas Exes Life Member. Hook 'Em!

I remember (I think) that he considered the Longhorns and I was hopeful that he would commit to play football at Texas. Very sad situation and is a reminder of how difficult things can seem, and especially having just missed out on the NIL era, as you noted. RIP Rondale Moore

Thanks for your post-- very interesting and informative. I'm actually visiting my daughter this weekend and she was interested in the information you provided. Best wishes to you and Hook 'Em!