Old UT Photos

LH
Thanks for that reminder.

 

The article on the right was written by Tex Schramm

 

January 1906: UT was present at the first Intercollegiate Athletics Association (now NCAA) meeting and served on the football rules committee. The 60-minute game with two halves, 10 yards for first downs, and waving to signal a “fair catch” were passed with UT’s help.


@JimNicar

 

Mack is a ham but in a good Texas ham way

 

I give Mack credit for "getting " . A beyond generational and great forever Longhorn.
That pic is from Vince's twitter.

 

I remember Saturday Morning Fun Club, including the cartoons and paper airplane battles. Yes, it was great! I don't remember breakfast, through.

 

Maybe they didn’t serve breakfast but students brought their own stuff in?

 

At the time, I was very much in the "Anyone But Mack" faction. Going as far as referring to him as the "Tobacco Road Con-Man". A chance meeting not long after his hire, and I was handing out the Kool-Aide on the street corners. I don't recall who the recruit, and one of his first Horn All-American's was that described the stock piling of talent in those early recruiting classes with the simple statement of, "that man could sell a ketchup popsicle", but for those of us who saw it and the frenzy at the box office, the man was a Generational Hire. Stubborn? Yep. Pissed that Sally was making more money than him? Yep. Southern fried ego? Yep. Loved his kids? Yep. Crushed by Cole Pittman's death, not as a Coach, but as a man? Yep. A man who stood in the bowels of the Rose Bowl and told his team that if 30 years from that night, if those players were telling people that winning that game was the greatest accomplishment of their lives and that they meant it, then he had failed them miserably as a Coach and a man? Yep. A man who loved and never did anything to embarrass the University? Yep. A man that would handle much differently his decisions and actions in the first two weeks of December 2013? I hope.

I have always loved the pic above. The man that let Vince Be Vince and the great VY himself.

This, is Longhorn Royalty.

(2 Rose Bowls)

 

I consider that a key highlight from Mack's time as Head Coach. And I sincerely hope the players took his advice to heart.

 

And we've been signaling for, and making, fair catches inside the 10 yard line ever since...

 

January 14, 1924: 100 years ago.

A candid shot of the Longhorn Band, wearing new white uniforms with orange trim (hmm ... icy whites?) — just before their Cactus yearbook photo in front of the old Women's Building, where the Flawn Academic Center is today.


@JimNicar

 

Speaking of the The Showband of the Southwest.... I have questions about the band I've always wondered about.

The members of the band. How does one come to be in the UT band?

Does the band recruit band talent out of HS?

Does the program offer scholarships?

Do they accept walk-ons for tryouts?

 

In the past (20 years ago) most or all of the band had at least partial scholarships. I believe the extent of recompense is a function of talent. Players on multi-year all region teams who audition well get more in scholy. Tuition
Having balloned as it has, dont know how much is underwritten. Arguably, tuition and books alone is a big deal now. I do know they start practice in the summer like football. It has to be a physical and scholarly grind.

 

I'm not sure how it works here and now, but I was an all state alto sax player in high school. Band recruiting and scholarships are real. I got partial & full ride scholarship offers from most schools in Tennessee and Kentucky and a few in Mississippi & Alabama, but chose to pass because the stipulation at the time from practically every school was I had to major in music to be eligible.

The problem with that is the only thing I thought I could do with a music degree was be a music teacher which I had zero interest in doing.

At Texas I hear there are so many who want to be a part of the program they don't really have to recruit, but I would bet they still do for the best musicians. I also know there are scholarships but not sure the amount.

 

ARTS AND SAUSAGES 1977

 

Obviously I never knew this Austin, but I miss old Austin. Its just a hot mess now. Even UT is not the same.

 

Me too. I was at UT in mid-to-late 80s and I know some of this is just nostalgia but it really seemed to me a great place. I worked hard (sometimes) but also had so much fun.

 

It all started when they removed Mad Dog's on 24th.

 

Mad Dog and Bean, Inner Sanctum Records

 

I made it to Austin (technically Ft Hood, but I was here about as much as I was there) in 1988. I know what you mean. Austin was basically closed on Sundays.

The tallest buildings were the UT tower and state capitol.

There were still actual hippies. I never loved them, but they were better than what we have now because they were authentic and not hipster wannabes.

6th Street was a freaking awesome place to be, socialize, party, etc, now everyone claims every place is a cool place to be. Just look at social media.

Barton springs & Zilker Park were still accessible and and not constantly over crowded and miserable. I miss the boat races on the lake as part of AquaFest....fwiw the stands on the shore for the races is still there.

Traffic was never great, but I'd kill for a 20 minute commute to work these days.

Not long ago my wife was literally asked where she was from because the girl loved her accent. She said from Austin and was told she didn't sound like she was from here....my wife wanted to throat punch her. Austin has lost it's "sound".

I miss friendly people. Everyone was friendly and easy to talk to back then. When I happen across someone super friendly these days I ask if they are from Austin and almost always that answer is yes.

There's a ton of good food now, but I miss Huts and probably 30 other awesome great food joints that just served good Texas food. Now everything is a try hard fusion place. Good, but not Austin.

I miss lake Travis having water in it 9-10 months year. It's always empty because there's a million more people sucking water from it. Saturday and Sunday parties at Windy point...sometimes island is now always island. The occasional party barge flipping over oogling hippie hollow trying to see something.

I could go on and on, but all of that is permanently gone and what made Austin....well Austin.

 

Do you remember the home made floats on Town Lake during Aquafest?

This is one of my favorite Austin memories.

I worked at the new Trudy's (@ South Lamar & Treadwell) 1985-86 and we built The Party Pepper float for Aquafest. It worked! At least until we got to the Hilton, when it started to fall apart and take on water, so we bailed. We had a keg on it, everything was funded by the Trudy’s owner, Gary. He was so cool, a great guy to work for.


The Trudy’s Party Pepper float


I’m the dork on the right, with my dorky but cool house mates


One of the Trudy's bartenders padding us down the river


Gary, owner of Trudy’s


Some of the Party Pepper crew


Me with a few of my fellow party pals on board


One of my house mates and best buds, Larry, who always had a smile - super smart and funny guy

 

How awesome!! I forgot about the float parade that actually floated. Yes, that's the stuff I miss.

 

My first taste of beer at the age of 14 was right near the I-35 bridge over Town Lake. My sixteen year old brother wouldn't let me drink his Dr. Pepper. It was fun swimming in the lake as the drag boats went by...yep...that's how I remember Austin.

 

Awesome. Maybe we should have a new thread about Austin memories or something. So many unique experiences among our crowd, I’m sure. I bet there’s some great stories and recollections from back in the day.