Very nice post. I knew I was in trouble when I read about you watching Earl run while sitting in your dad's lap. Here's a for your dad...
What great memories..and they will always be there, like your Dad. No doubt he's there with you every game. A great tribute from a son who was lucky...his dad made sure he was a part of the tradition
My obligatory post, too. Here's to your dad and mine, who was buried in a burnt orange jacket and UT tie. My mom and I stuck a Longhorn decal on one end of his casket. We decided that since every other vehicle he'd ever owned had a Longhorn on it, his last one ought to, too.
It was my father, too, who instilled in me the love for Longhorn sports that keeps me going every day. I was born in 1957, Darrell Royal's first season, and I was at his first game, although I have no recollection because I was 7 months old. But I grew up on Longhorn football, attending just about every home game and most of the road games. In fact, my dad got a pilot's license and a plane to make it easier for us to go to games. When we bought it, the plane was green and bronze -- looked like a Baylor fan had flown it. Dad had it totally repainted: orange and white, and even had orange-and-white seatcovers installed! My mother was as avid a Longhorn fan as my dad, too. One year, all our fall flowers at our home were orange varieties. My parents died in 1983, just weeks before the Horns won the College World Series. I thought about them throughout the playoff run that year, as I think of them every year. I know they felt all the heartache of the dark years, even though Heaven is supposed to be a place only for happy thoughts. And when the Longhorns won the national championship this year, I know my parents were finally at true peace.
Thanks for the responses. It's good to hear from everyone. But please remember that as important as it is to write and think about this stuff, my dad would laugh it off and ask us for God's sake to figure out how Roy Miller is going to work into the rotation this fall. You know, the REALLY important stuff.
My fondest memories as a child was going to Memorial with my dad. He would always get us gen. admission seats, back in the day I think they were $10. But the best part of the game was going onto the field and throwing the ball with my dad, and getting tons of autographs and wristbands from the players. That is one thing I wish they would still allow. Thanks for the post, it brought back a lot of memories, and reminds me of the job we all have as fathers to our sons, teach them to Love the Lord and Love the Horns. to your dad for giving you lifetime memories.
ok i'm kinda young around here, but the best memory of my dad and UT football is the '96 big 12 championship. we're sitting at our house and my dad was laying on his usual couch. on the 4th and 1 play, we hit the pass and my dad is jumping up and down on the couch yelling at the top of his lungs. he's a big guy and i swear that couch should have ended up in pieces. we didnt live close to austin but every other year we saw them in lubbock. he colored blinded me as a child and now i proudly am in my third year at UT. i'm his connection for tickets now. he would tell you i came out of my mom doing the hook'em sign. sorry about your lose honolulu but at least you will always to remember your dad.
I, too, was raised on football, attended my first game at 18 months and have been going or watching ever since. Many of the key moments in your memory are in mine as well. Till Gabiriel....
http://www.twoguysbackfromtherosebowl.com/epilogue.htm I, too had to experience this past season without my father. He and I went to the 05 Rose Bowl together... he passed away a few months later. Going back in 06 was very emotional... considering that my dad was a USC alum but a converted Texas fan. Two months ago while cleaning out my parent's house, I found a handwritten note in my dad's office where he had written that going to football games with my brother and I as some of his best moments in life.... it was like hearing him speak to me from beyond.
Great post. I always love hearing about others experiences in becoming a Longhorn fan. I think my brothers and I looked up to my Uncle Scotty who worked for UT when we were growing up. He took us to Earl and Tim Campbell's dorm room and we got their autographs right there in there room. I can remember that day so vividly and I was only 3 or 4 years old. I don't think there is another memory that I can really put my finger on from that age. I'm sure there are some but nothing that vivid. My uncle struggled with alcoholism for many years and lost just about everything. He finally got things back together late in his life and he is still hanging on and he still loves those Horns. Though many of my family members treated him poorly during his struggles, my mom and my brothers and I always respected and loved him. Uncle Scotty taught me how to tie my shoes and he taught me to be a Longhorn fan. Most of my memories through the years though are memories of Longhorn sports with my brothers. I have two brothers who are like best friends to me. It is the greatest feeling in the world to have that kind of bond with a brother and Longhorn sports have made it as strong as it can be. From the early years of running on the field with them after games to get Rob Morschel's towel or Jerry Gray's sweat band to fighting off toothless Sooners (sorry PSoonerG) in the West End in Dallas to my brothers and I (and a few close friends) hugging and jumping in a circle like little girls in my living room after Vince's 4th and 5 run, it seems every important moment has been shared with my brothers in one form or another. This is the reason I feel so strongly about keeping TX/OU in Dallas, at the Cottonbowl. The hands of some greedy money men are going to take away one of the great traditions that I get to share with my brothers. Thanks for your reply PSoonerG... these ARE the types of things that make college football in our area of the country so great.
I have been going to games with my father-in-law for 10 years. Now my 5 year old joined us. It is magical. Traditions just don't happen, they take time to develop. Our tradition is waking up on a Saturday with March Grandioso playing throughout the house, getting the gear on and talking trash about our Horns. This year, my son will come to every home game with us and scream his head off. And nothing will make me happier than hearing his voice chear on the Horn's... God Bless Texas
All this talk about fathers, I figure momma's should get some love too. My mother saved me from a very, very unnecessary evil. See, when I was young, my uncle (Dad's side) took me to A&M, where he works, and showed me my name in really big letters next to the word 'Field' and convinced me to be an aggy. As Texas stumbled through the early 90s, I waved that stupid white towel and wore that God-foresaken color in oblivious ignorance. Fortunately, my mom stepped in to save my sanity, and probably my soul as well. Mom sent me to Coach Gus's baseball camp in 1995 and again in 1996 (yes, the camp that got him in trouble.) After being surrounded for a week with burnt orange and the burning turf of the Disch, I was hooked. My mom's plan had worked - no longer would I be a stain on her family tree and a disappointment in her life. Now, I was a Longhorn. After that, my mom was beside me for every Texas sporting event. She'd take me down to Austin for baseball and basketball nearly on demand. She also took me to my first Texas football game, Ricky's 6 TD game against New Mexico State in 1998. After leaving me in tears when she took one of Texanne's tickets to the game in which Ricky broke Dorsett's record against A&M after she promised me that she'd get me a ticket to the game, we got season tickets to watch the Horns together so that she'd never let me down in that manner again. From 2000-2004, we went to every home game together. We closely followed Mack's commandment- get there early, stay late, be loud, wear orange. Most games, we'd be at the stadium early enough to watch the team walk in, and not once did we leave before the Eyes of Texas were sung. Each year, a new set of season ticket holders would end up near us and ask the same old questions - was your dad not able to make the game? Why are you here with your mother? The answers were also the same every year - Momma made me a Longhorn and she wouldn't miss a game for the world. Those that sat near us for more than a few games quickly became believers in my mom's passion for Longhorn sports and for her son. While I've been in school at the University of Virginia, my mom and I have abused Sprint's unlimited weekend minutes by calling back and forth on Saturday's to check the score at each other's game. Thanks to her, I wear burnt orange under my UVa orange every Saturday and frequently annoying the Wahoo fans near me as a scream out scores from a game 1500 miles away. This August, I stumbled upon 2 Rose Bowl tickets, and once I landed them in October everyone I knew wanted to go with me. Yet, I told each of them that the second ticket was for my mom. Dumbfounded, they couldn't understand why in the world I would take my mother to the national championship game. Although I took her for obvious reasons, the fact that she would make sure that my tuition would no longer be paid for if I didn't give her the other ticket helped motivate me as well. My experiences at the Rose Bowl were similar to each of yours, I'm sure, but being there with my mom made it even more special. After VY scored the game winner with 19 seconds to go, I landed in my mom's lap, legs awkwardly wrapped around her waist. As we cried ourselves into dehydration, the USC fans in our section were even touched. Mother, Son, National Championship - it was a perfect fit. We cried, hugged, and stayed out until 4 something in the morning after our trek to the team's hotel. On our flight home, momma woke me up from a mid-flight nap. She then told me that the best moment of her life had always been the birth of her two children, but that these two incredible events had been surpassed. Now, seeing Texas win their first national championship in 35 years with her only son was the best moment in her life. I can safely say that it is mine as well.
Boy, this post really tugged at the ol' heart strings. I'm there with y'all on the respective Mom and Dad stories. It especially got to me given that my dad's health isn't the best right now. Honolulu, thanks for sharing your story. to your, my, and everyone else's parents out there ...
I can attest that every word of bhsxcrunner's story is true. His mother -- one of my best friends -- is the second most passionate Longhorn fan I know. I am first.
My dad did not instill my love for the Longhorns as a child. He went to Texas Western (now UTEP), so he wasn't an Orangeblood. But he did make it possible for me and 2 of my sisters to go to UT. My mom, who was the love of my dad's life, passed away in 1983. He raised 4 kids by himself on his salary as a government contractor. He put my older sister through UTD, and me and my baby sisters were all fortunate enough to go to UT. And me and my baby sister (who had graduated in December 2005) were fortunate enough to be in the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006. We wouldn't have been there had it not been for our father. Father's Day is still 3 weeks away, but this thread can serve as a tribute to our dads. Found this on youtube. The single greatest moment in my 20 years of being a UT fan: The Link
Yeah, my Dad tried unsuccessfully to ram the traditions of his alma mater (GaTech) down my throat for years. But ironically it was a UH/UT game in the Astrodome (1979?) that he took me to that sealed it for me. Thanks Dad.
