Horn Fans And Players Come In All Shapes And Sizes "Nestled" Together To Form The Longhorn Nation. Their devotion echoes the vows of marriage. Pledging to stand by their Horns in sickness and in health. Unlike many marriages, Longhorn fans and their relationship with UT rarely end in divorce. Longhorn loyalty is the crucial single-minded devotion that lasts a lifetime. In 2023- You can't simply walk into DKR stadium, Moody, Disch-Falk, Jamail Swimming Center, or Mike A. Myers Stadium and be ordained a Longhorn fan. Longhorn sports arenas are sacred facilities -holy grounds that enshrine special moments in Longhorn sports history. These stadiums are the battlegrounds where fans and players merge into one burnt-orange spirit to celebrate the past, cheer the present, and empower the future. The images below are iconic and symbolic of when fan loyalty begins- IN OUR YOUTH AND ON THE SHOULDERS OF OUR SPORTS HEROES AND FAMILY. The boy on Bill Atessis's shoulder is Tiger Hanner, who attended UT and now practices law in Texas. This photo was taken seconds after Texas' 1970 win over Arkansas. In our youth, a sense of identity is absorbed from family ties. Teaching a 3-year-old how to say Hook 'em with a hand gesture pays lifetime dividends. Sprinkle in the right amount of attendance at Longhorn sporting events, reciting Longhorn folklore, myths, and legends, and the child will sprout Horns. Who cares if the stories told by family members depict the players as god-like instead of earthly mortals? The end justifies the means when building a Longhorn fan from the ground up. There is also a photo of Tiger with his mom and dad, Lenesse and Karl, showing off a replica of Chris Gilbert's #25 helmet. Karl Hanner and DKR were close friends, which led to locker room visits from time to time for Karl and Tiger. The other image is priceless. Do you think this boy dressed up by family members in a sweater "T" and holding a football had a chance to be anything but the captain of the 1908 Texas Longhorn football team? To learn more about the anatomy of a Longhorn fan, click on: https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/theanatomyofalongornfan
