"Get 'em HORNS! Hit that dude!" make it a family motto. to mom's and dad's. sadly i don't have a great story. i didn't really care about college (just wanted to start my own business), i applied to oklahoma state (barry sanders was a badass), aggy (barefoot kicker poster on my wall when i was about 9 from older brother of best friend) and UT (some good friends). all 3 accepted and so...... not being emotionally involved i figured, pick the best school and see what happens. "Get 'em HORNS! Hit that dude!" i hit UT. thank goodness.
Wow...what a great thread!! You all have some great stories and I too would ask that you seize every moment you can with your parents. My Burnt Orange blood is genetic as well but I have very few memories as I was only 16 when my father passed and knee high to a grasshopper when he introduced me to my passion. Don't ever take these moments for granted, they have a way of turning into regrets if you do. Here to all the Moms and Dads out there that have brought us up right
To all Horn Dads, Moms, sons, daughters. My "Pops" is a BYU alum (no, he's not Mormon but Mom is). In the 70's we lived in Stillwater, OK. Him & I went to many Pokes games but the only games I cared about were the games against the Huskers, The Goons (hated them way back then too) & the fierce & very intimidating University of Texas Longhorns. My Dad was always in awe of Texas and quite an impression was made in me early on. Later after being honorably discharged from the USN & my GI Bill ready to be spent. I made my application attempts. Texas was my #1 choice but I honestly thought I wouldn't get in (1990 & enrollment was starting to boom). Long & short of it, i got in but never got to share a game with my Dad until the Aggy game in '02 (Long after my college days... THANK GOD). I did everything for him that we would do when I was a kid at Ok St. We got there early, walked the campus, hit the Co-op (bought his *** a hat) and ate lunch on the drag (ahhh Texadelphia - wasn't too good for Pops' diabetes). Went to the game & was surrounded by aggy (not sure how that happened). Any way, he thought I was a fool for yelling & cheering so loyally but by the 3rd qtr he was yelling & jumping as much as I was as we whipped this sh*t out of aggy... again. My Pops lives in Seatle now & me in Houston so we don't get as many chances to see games together. However he emails me after every game (usually knowing that I won't get the email until the next day) but he lets me know that he's with me in spirit. I know that very soon, "spirit" will be all he can share with me but my memories of us & Texas football (although limited experience together) will last forever. Thanks honolulu for the story & to everyone else who's shared theirs. Hook'em & BEAT THE HELL OUT OF OU!!!!
Y'all will "get it" when I boast that I got to attend the Rose Bowl with my mom AND dad. Dad and I end up jumping up and down in each other's arms laughing and crying and yelling "Yes! Yes! Yes!" after Vince scored (you know which one), and I open my eyes to see my mom watching us. Not in horror. Not in disbelief (not even in belief). But in "those are my boys and I am really happy that they are really happy." In other words, like a mom. She joined in and made it a group hug shortly thereafter. My brother-in-law was there, too. He was learning what to pass on to my parents' grandchildren (2 of whom (twins) were 2 weeks old then). Yeah, my sister took the early lead in the Best-Wife-of-the-Year race this year. to moms and dads and kids App
I can relate to this absolutely. Several friends of mine that are not Longhorns made the comment to me after the Rose Bowl that, "I'm sure that your Dad is happy right now." Gotta figure that some of those old 'Horns might have helped with the 4th and two stop or even that facemask penalty.
I got that a lot too--and there may be something to it. In one way, having those legacies and traditions passed down to those of us lucky enough to be at the Rose Bowl might have caused us to be more vocal, more fanatical, more intense. The effect of the UT crowd was huge at that game--causing delay of game penalties and disrupting focus--and we owe part of that "away-field advantage" to those that gave us a love of the Horns. I like to think that my Dad (and all the other Hornfans who have passed on) were at that game in one way or another.
To all of the Aggies who purport to have a monopoly on "tradition" and "spirit," I submit this thread as proof to directly refute that ridiculous claim. You guys just show it in weirder--sorry, different--ways. Damn it feels good to be a Longhorn. Hook 'em!
I'm a first generation Longhorn but just as passionate as any. I will someday be that dad taking his kids to Texas games.
My mother is the huge sports fan in the family. Growing up, I can recall her listening to SWC football on the radio...Kern Tips' broadcasts. She loved Baylor and Texas, but followed football be it the local home town high school team to colleges, to pros. It was not unusual for her to have a couple TVs stacked up in the living room to watch more than one game at a time. (Once time, during an intense game, the phone rang. My mother picked up the phone and simply said, "Cant talk. Game's on", and hung up, not even knowing to whom she had spoken. (Turns out it was long distance from her sister, who should have known better.) When we had our family get togethers, aunts, uncles, cousins, on Thanksgiving...time was always blocked out the the UT vs. A&M game. All were cheering for Texas. Along with some positive role models in my life who happened in my life to be UTgrads, my uncle was also a huge UT fan. Though he only attended Texas for 1 semester after WWII, he was hooked. He loved the Longhorns, and could sing "The Eyes" as good as any professional. (beautiful tenor voice) He took me to my first Texas game. We were late getting to the stadium. However, as we walked up the ramp to get to our section, I heard the Longhorn Band start the fanfare to The Eyes Of Texas, and my hair stood on end. I had goosebumps. I still get teary eyed when I hear it to this day. He was so proud of me when I went to Texas. He was there for the ceremony when I graduated. It was a common bond for us. My uncle passed away in February 2004. I wish he could have hung on to at least see the 2005 Rose Bowl, but his struggle with heart disease had gone on very long. Back to my mother...While I was a student at Texas, my mother would call me after the games to go over the Longhorn performance. She watches or listens to every play, gut wrenching or run to perfection. When I was at the Rose Bowl this year, I called her before the game so she could hear the Texas crowd, yelling Texas Fight, long before the kick-off. She called early the next day to share her joy. I hope to get her to a game this year. She prefers to watch on TV, always wanting to catch the commentary. Hopefully, I can talk her into a gameday experience in Austin...perhaps for the Iowa State game, which is also UT Alumni Band Day. I think she'd love that. She's 84 and still as dedicated Horns fan as when I was growing up. Anyway, those are the ones who influenced me greatly in my love for the Horns.
Those of you who "knew" Gary (mihm_rules) through this awesome board understand what a proud Longhorn he was. Just like most of you who have lost parents or loved ones and felt their presence, my wife Laura and I felt Gary was with us at the 2005 & 2006 Rose Bowls. For the NC game, I was in the press box covering the game for my newspaper, and Laura bought a ticket. We found it to be no coincidence that her ticket was for Tunnel 7, Row 77. Gary's favorite number was 7 because he grew up idolizing Pudge Rodriguez. Yes, Row 77 was at the very top of the Rose Bowl, and Angel Gary had a large concrete ledge from which to watch VY do his thing.
This thread should kinda be locked after mihm_rules'_dad but here goes... My sister made me a Longhorn. I idolized her growing up and she's helped make me the best me I can be by going to Texas. She was the 1st person in our family to go to college...she made the right choice. I followed in her footsteps years later. We both weren't really football fans growing up because we lived and breathed in a basketball house, we still watch the NBA draft together like we always have. She called me after her first game and told me that I had to visit because all it took for her was 1 game to become absolutely hooked. My first game came on October 21, 1995 when Phil Dawson kicked a 53 yard FG into the wind to beat Virginia. My sister broke out into hives before the game and had to miss it but me and my dad went as my mom took care of sis. We've all been hooked ever since. We jumped up and down when we became the 1st Big 12 Champs. We pouted as we lost to Va Tech in the Sugar Bowl. We became absolutely heartbroken in 2001 when we lost the BIG 12 championship. Then my sister met her husband who is just as equal a Longhorn as us. We all sat there watching Major lead the Horns against Washington in the Holiday Bowl, this time I was the one with hives. My dad, my bro-in-law, and I went to Final 4 in New Orleans. We went to the 2005 Rose Bowl together but couldn't for the NC game. We’ve been through it all as a family and when VY scored the winning TD our whole family gave one huge hug. And when time ran out we all cried like big huge Longhorns. We go to every home game and every game played in Houston, every Orange & White game (only if the Horns aren’t in the Final 4). It’s not a Longhorn tradition...it’s a family tradition. It’s more than waving towels, swaying back and forth, or not walking on the ******* grass. This is real tradition and it’s unique to every single one of us because it’s a family tradition.
Longhorn football has been the tie that binds my father and I for over forty years. We never missed a single home game together until I left for college. We have travelled the country to bowl games. This past year we made the trip to Ohio State...next to the 1970 Cotton Bowl, it was one of the greatest memories we've shared. Unfortunately, my Dad lost one of his dearest friends on New Year's Day and he couldn't go with me to Pasadena this year. When the confetti was still in the air, he was already on my cell phone, both of us crying. It was the culmination of a shared thirty five year wait. We talk Longhorn sports in almost every conversation, everyday. I thank God that my older daughter has developed a mutual love for all things burnt orange. Her room is covered in photos of Vince, David Thomas and Billy Pittman. I can only hope that thirty years from now she and I will be able to share the same memories.
When I get around to having children there is little doubt that I will be pulling hard for them to attend the University of Texas. I would like nothing more than for them to truly understand what it means to be a longhorn. I only hope that I can measure up to some of the parents described here and share similar experiences with my own children. Great posts all and a big to all the dads out there!
My Dad died 1/30/05, so the Michigan Rose Bowl was his last game. He had been feeling bad, but Mother said he "raised cane" during that game. I can empathize with many of your thoughts.
My mother, a life long Longhorn fan, died on 1/14/06 at the age of 84. She had watched the Rose Bowl with her live-in caregiver, and both wore Longhorn Rose Bowl shirts that my sister had purchased for them. One of the stories from the night of the Rose Bowl told at her eulogy and funeral goes like this: At midnight, after the game was over and it was getting kind of late, the caregiver said to Mom, "Annie, the game is over and the 'Horns won. Don't you think you should go to bed now? Mom answered, "Hell No! I want to watch this Damn game!!" She then apparantly stayed up till 3-4 AM watching highlights on ESPN, etc. The caregiver said she could not get her to go to bed. Less than two weeks later she was gone to be with her Longhorn husband in heaven. I am so glad she got to see this last game, and am convinced that God took her only after letting her see this national championship happen!
All of your stories are great and quite inspirational. Thank y'all for this thread! Here is my boring contribution: I had been hell-bent on getting as far away from Corpus Christi and my parents as I could think of. At least my parents (UTEP grads) said that I could go anywhere I wanted to go except aTm, ou, BYU, Utah or New Mexico State (all givens). UTEP has their own rivals too. Well, my "perfect school" wasn't too far from CC. I was set on Rice after my first visit as a soph. I LOVED Rice. I was Going. To. Rice. I was the quintessential overachiever in HS so I could get into Rice. I even wore Rice stuff all the time. Then I went to swimming camp at UT before my senior year in HS and that was IT. Hasta la vista, Rice! A Longhorn was made.
My parents went to local colleges out of necessity. They grew up in a really small town (at the time) and college wasn't really something people paid much attention to. Mr. LLB is the Longhorn. When his enthusiasm spread to me and my parents, we started seeing "signs" in the past, like pictures of my brother wearing a Texas shirt when he was a kid, things like that, like we were fans and didn't know it. My brother died the year I met my husband and our newfound passion for all things Longhorn helped us bond and put things back together. It's one of the few things we all like. My dad's not in great health so he doesn't go to many games. But we all went to the Rose Bowl this year - me, Mr. LLB, and Ma and Pa LLB - and had an unbelieveable time. It's added to the family bonding created by the Longhorns. I want to pass that down to my kids. Great thread title, by the way.
A to dads (and moms), especially those who share precious moments like this with their children. I'm choked up reading your post. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Great post. I never realized that UT Football had so much meaning for people out there. I guess being the first person in my family to attend UT - I never realized how deep the ties run in other families.
