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For all the old timers, I read this on Billy Dale's Facebook page. He's a great follow on FB. For those that don't know, Billy heads up the Texas Legacy Sports Network (https://texaslsn.org). The TexasLSN supports ex-athletes from the University. He wore #22 and Bobby and the team mentioned him on Coffee and Football when we were 22 days from kickoff. Anyway, I thought his was a cool read for all us old guys. Part II of Royal and Brown's cafe conversation “Oh, I’m mad at somebody.” “I can see it in your neck. Your neck gets a certain way.” “It’s that Kiffin,” Royal said. Mack set his coffee down slow. “Lane.” “Down at LSU now, I understand. Which is about right. That fella’s had more addresses than a fugitive.” “He’s a good coach, Darrell. You’d have to give him that. Offensive mind, quick as anybody.” “I’ll give him the mind. I won’t give him the man.” Royal leaned in. “You know what he does? He’ll charm a mama in her living room on a Tuesday, tell her she’s raised a fine young man, eat her cobbler, and be recruiting off somebody else’s roster by Friday like it was a used car lot. He treats it all like a joke he’s in on and you’re not. I don’t like a man who winks that much. A wink is a fine thing but you got to earn each one.” “You never even met him.” “I’ve met the type. I coached against the type. The type usually had a whistle and a grudge and a wife who apologized for him at parties.” Royal shook his head. “I’m not saying he’s a criminal, Mack. I’m saying if you handed him your watch to hold he’d tell you a wonderful story while he was pawning it. Bad guy. I said it and I’ll say it in front of Edith.” “You’re a hard grader.” “I graded James Street on a curve, and James Street could’ve talked his way out of anything — talked us to a national title on a busted play, near enough. So it’s not that I can’t love a rascal. I can love a rascal all day. I just want the rascal to mean it.” Mack laughed in spite of himself, and a man two booths over glanced at him laughing at nothing, and Mack picked up his phone and pretended, which is what you do. “All right,” Mack said, lower. “My turn. You said I get questions.” “You get questions.” “What’s it like. Up there. Honest.” Royal thought about it the way he thought about a fourth-and-short, which is to say without any visible hurry and with a plan already made. “It’s a lot like two-a-days if two-a-days didn’t hurt and nobody quit,” he said. “The weather’s decided. Nobody’s knee is bad. And you get your people back. That’s the thing they don’t tell you and it’s the only thing that matters. You get your people back.” “Who do you run with.” “Broyles,” Royal said, and smiled for the first time all the way. “Frank’s up there and we still argue about the ’69 game, which I won, which he will dispute through all eternity, which is heaven’s definition of a friend.” “The Big Shootout,” Mack said. “Number one against number two, and President Nixon was there to declare Texas national champions. Do you talk to him?” “No,” Royal said. “Haven’t seen him around the place.” He let that sit a second, then went on. “Mike Campbell’s with me. Best defensive mind I ever stood next to, and up there he’s finally got a defense that can’t get tired, so Lord help the angels if we ever scrimmage. A few of my boys. Some Longhorns who went too early. I sit with those ones a good while. You owe them that. You always owed them that and now there’s time to pay it.” “That’s—” Mack started, and didn’t finish, and drank his coffee. “Don’t get misty in the Bluebonnet. They’ll cut you off the pie.” “Who else. You always had the music people around you down here. That whole crowd out at the house.” “Oh, the music’s the best part,” Royal said, brightening like a porch light. “It never rains on a picking session and nobody’s ever too tired to play one more. Waylon’s there—Waylon Jennings, and he’s exactly like he was, ornery and generous in the same breath. Buddy Holly, and let me tell you, that boy is delighted about all of it, delighted, like he got the extra time as a personal favor and means to spend every minute of it. Chet Atkins sits in the good chair and makes it all sound easy, which is the hardest thing there is. Bob Wills hollers. Hank—Hank Williams—Hank comes and goes. Hank was always coming and going, even now. And Jim Croce, who I never got to meet down here, and that’s the one that gets me, because he’s just a sweetheart, and he had so much left.” “Sounds like a hell of a Friday.” “Every night’s a Friday. That’s sort of the point of the place.” “Anybody surprise you? Anybody up there you didn’t figure on liking?” Royal made a face, the one he used to make when a referee explained a call at length. “Lennon comes around,” he said. “John Lennon.” “John Lennon. And I want to be fair to the man, because they tell me he was important, and I believe them. But he’s—” Royal turned his cup a quarter turn. “He’s a little strange, Mack. He’ll say a thing that sounds deep and then just sit in it, waiting, like he set a trap and you’re the rabbit. I’m a play-action man. I don’t care to be the rabbit.” “What do y’all even talk about.” “We talk about the other one. McCartney. Paul. He’s still down here, still going, and every so often somebody’ll say, well, someday Paul’ll come up and the band’ll be the band again. And the whole crowd gets to grinning about it. And they turn to Lennon, because it’s his to say something about, you understand.” “And?” “And he won’t. He won’t say a thing. He just gets this look, off past everybody, and all he’ll give you is—” Royal did the accent, badly, fondly. “‘Imagine that.’ That’s it. ‘Imagine that.’ And then he won’t say another word about it the rest of the night.” “Huh,” Mack said. “I’ve turned it over. I think it means he can imagine it just fine. I think that’s the trouble with him. He can imagine near about anything, and it’s a lonesome way to be, if you ask me, which nobody did.” The pie came. Peach for Mack. Royal looked at the peach a long, honest moment. “Can you taste it,” Mack asked. “Up there. Down here. Either.” “I can taste this,” Royal said. “They let me taste this. That was in the deal too. A man can’t come all the way to Marble Falls and not have the pie. Edith saw to it. Peter wanted to argue and Edith looked at him and that was the end of the argument.” He ate a bite. He closed his eyes. “Same Tuesday next?” Mack said. “Same Tuesday. And Mack.” “Yeah.” “If you ever line up against Kiffin, you keep a hand on your watch.” “I’ll keep a hand on my watch.” “And don’t you dare tell anybody I was here.” “Nobody’d believe me if I did.” “That,” said Darrell Royal, reaching for the second bite, “is exactly why it works.”

My daughter graduated from UT a couple of years ago. She’s finishing up grad school and is starting an internship. I got this text from her earlier this morning… “This is my first time since high school where I’m consistently getting up early in the morning. I love ontexasfootball while I get ready. I feel like you” I want to thank Bobby and all of the OnTexas team for making the best Texas content out there. Seems we have a little family tradition going feeding our Longhorn fandom. Hook’ em!

Loved that little band from Texas growing up. Sad day.

I don’t post here a lot. But I want to say a huge thank you to Bobby, Gerry, and Blake for what they provide us every morning with Coffee and Football. This morning I took an early flight to Houston for work. As I was driving around Houston in the rain I put on Coffee and Football. We had Brad Shearer on followed by Tony. Man… I was in heaven. Where else can you get one of the all time greats talk about practicing with a dislocated elbow thanks to Earl. Then Tony Hills comes over the top with his typical Wednesday passion. Seriously, where else could we get this content? I actually thought Gerry was just like… let Brad Shearer go… cause he’s killing it. Anyway, I really want to thank you all for all you do for us Orangebloods. There’s nobody even in the same ballpark as you guys. I’m so glad I found yall. Hook’ em!

Your dad and my dad would get along!

60's Longhorn running back. Like I said, not sure if it's true. Was wondering if others had any information. My dad used to tell me stories of those Texas teams.

Saw online that Chris Gilbert has passed away. Not sure if true. Anyone else heard this?

Wow. Waco Midway bumping up to 6A. in the same district with temple, Belton, the Killeen schools and Bryan. Back in my day (late 80's) that would be one hell of a tough district.

Waco boy living in Colleyville, Texas.

This is beyond sad. Prayers for Scott and his family. Hook 'em!

Lots of horns here. We’ll be here til Gametime.

This place has a shuttle to and from the game, btw.

We’re heading to K&S bar and grille in Lexington to pregame. Any Horns are welcome to join us.

Sorry if I missed it but we’re up here for the game this weekend with some buddies. Where are the On Texas Football folks getting together tomorrow to tailgate or watch the earlier games before the Horns? TIA and Hook em!

Bobby, I'll be there with 4 buddies. Looking forward to seeing OTF in Lexington this weekend!