Last Word on Sport’s Mount Rushmore series heads to the Lone Star State to examine the four biggest figures in the history of the Texas Longhorns football program. Everything is bigger in Texas, so it’s only natural that the Longhorns Mount Rushmore includes three larger-than-life players and a coach that changed the entire landscape of the game.
Texas Longhorns Mount Rushmore
Darrell K. Royal, head coach, athletic director 1957-1980
Where does one begin when talking about Darrell Royal? He is the Longhorns all-time wins leader at 167. Texas never had a losing season while Royal was in charge. Royal led the Longhorns to 11 Southwest Conference titles and three national championships in 1963, 1969 and 1970. These accolades alone would be enough to land him on UT’s Mount Rushmore, but it was a game against the Houston Cougars in 1968 that would cement Royal’s legacy in the annals of college football history.
On September 21st, 1968 Royal debuted the “Wishbone” and college football would never be the same. Royal’s offense introduced the world to the “triple option” and never looked back. The Longhorns would start of the 1968 season 0-1-1 before going on a 30-game winning streak to capture the 1969 and 1970 National Championships. Changing the fortunes of one program is a feat in itself, but to have a major influence on two other legendary coaches is cause for Royal to not only be in discussion for Texas’ Mount Rushmore, but for the Mount Rushmore of all of college football.
The success of Royal’s wishbone led Bear Bryant and Barry Switzer to adopt their own interpretations of the offense at Alabama and Oklahoma. All in all, Royal’s innovation would lead to the three programs to win nine national titles.
Earl Campbell, running back 1974-1977
Campbell is a giant in Texas football lore, mainly because he is a giant in real life. The 5’11”, 245 lb. Campbell made opposing linebackers look and play like middle school kids against him. Campbell was a like a freight train, crushing opposing defenses in his sight. He ran for 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns during his career in Austin, and he made it look easy.
Campbell was one of the of the first power backs paving the way for the likes of Billy Sims, Hershel Walker and Bo Jackson. His combination of brute force and speed helped him thrive in Fred Akers’ I-Formation offense. During his senior year in 1977, he tallied over 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns in route to becoming the school’s first ever Heisman Trophy winner. He would continue running rampant over defenders in the NFL as well, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
Ricky Williams, running back 1995-1998
Before he was making headlines retiring from the NFL at the peak of his career, Ricky Williams was steamrolling defenders at Texas. There’s a reason that Mike Ditka traded away his entire draft in 1999 in order to select Williams 5th overall. Much like Campbell before him, Williams was adept at running over people in addition to forcing mistakes with his speed and hustle. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner, holds 20 NCAA records and broke Tony Dorsett‘s career rushing yards record in spectacular fashion.
Williams would go on to win the Heisman that year running for over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. Although his NFL career was abbreviated due to injury, suspension, and an early retirement, Williams still ran for over 10,000 yards and 66 touchdowns.
Vince Young, quarterback 2003-2005
While Young lacks the Heisman Trophy that the two running backs on this list have, he does own something they do not: a National Championship. Young had the combination of athleticism and arm talent that coaches dream about. He threw for 44 touchdowns and ran for 37 more. He left Austin with a Maxwell, Griffin, Manning, and O’Brien Award and two Rose Bowl MVP honors. Young’s accomplishments are indeed impressive, but it was his late game heroics in back-to-back Rose Bowls that land him on the Longhorns Mount Rushmore.
In 2005, down by two, with 3:04 left to go against Michigan, Young led the Longhorns on a 10-play, 47-yard drive to get Texas in range for the game winning field goal. Following the game, in Joe Namath fashion, he would all but guarantee a Texas return to the Rose Bowl in 2006 for a shot at the National Championship.
The very next year Young led Texas to an undefeated season and a match-up with the defending National Champion, the USC Trojans. Young battled back and forth with the juggernaut Trojans offense. He finished the game with 467 yards of total offense and 3 rushing touchdowns. However, it was his last score that would take him from superstar to legendary status. Down by five, with 2:09 to go, Young drove the Longhorns offense 48 yards to the Trojans 9-yard line. Then, on fourth and 5, it happened. The play that not only cemented Young’s legacy but also made the 2006 Rose Bowl one of the best National Championship Games in college football history.
The run would seal the Longhorns fourth national title in school history.
Honorable Mention
There are definitely other names that could be on this list. Colt McCoy holds every major passing record in school history and barring an injury in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, he might have given the Longhorns a fifth title. He also is the school’s all time wins leader at 45. Dana Bible is credited with putting Texas football on the map and won four conference titles in the process. Bobby Lane would own the Cotton Bowl, setting 12 records, eight of which still stand today.
Main Photo
