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Texas Longhorns
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Everything about Texas Longhorns totally explainedTexas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns (or variously as Longhorns, Horns, UT or Texas), taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the official "large animal" of the State of Texas. The University of Texas at Austin (often referred to as simply The University of Texas, Texas, or the abbreviation UT) is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The women's teams are sometimes called the Lady Longhorns, but generally both the men's and women's teams are referred to as the Longhorns.
The Longhorn nickname appeared in Texas newspapers by 1900.
The University of Texas at Austin offers a wide variety of varsity and intramural sports programs. Due to the breadth of sports offered and the quality of the programs, Texas was selected as "America's Best Sports College" in a 2002 analysis performed by Sports Illustrated. Texas was also listed as the number one Collegiate Licensing Company client from 2005–2007 in regards to the amount of annual trademark royalties received from the sales of its fan merchandise. The University of Texas Longhorn Band performs the alma mater (" The Eyes of Texas") as well as the university fight song (" Texas Fight") at various sporting events.
Over the years, Longhorn sports teams have won 47 total national championships, 39 of which are NCAA national championships. The University of Texas currently fields a varsity team in eight men's sports and 10 women's sports. They are:
Men's sports
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Football
- Swimming and diving
- Tennis
- Track and field
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Women's sports
Basketball
Cross country
Golf
Rowing
Soccer
Softball
Swimming and diving
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball
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Football
Two Texas Longhorn running backs have won college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998). Eleven Longhorns have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, while four are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame. have also received recognition for their performance.
Texas ranks as the third most winning program in college football history, in terms of both total wins and win percentage. As of the end of the 2007 season, the Longhorns' all-time record is 820-315-33 (.716). Only Notre Dame and the University of Michigan have won more games and a greater percentage of games played than Texas, which recorded its 800th victory with the Longhorns' 41-38 win over the USC Trojans in the 2006 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the program was somewhat less successful, but the Longhorns have since returned to prominence in college football, finishing in the top six of the AP and coaches' polls in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005.
The University of Texas team plays home games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium which has a seating capacity of 85,123. Renovations began on the stadium November 14, 2005, two days following UT's last home football game of the 2005 season. The improvements scheduled were completed before the 2006-2007 football season, and included additional seating and the nation's first high definition video display in a collegiate facility nicknamed " Godzillatron." With the new bleacher seating section added behind the south endzone, the stadium's stated capacity for the 2006 season was 85,123. This has already been surpassed, with 89,422 viewing the Ohio State game on 9 September 2006. That attendance figure is the largest crowd ever to watch a football game in the state of Texas.
The Longhorns are currently coached by Mack Brown, who came to Texas after being head coach at North Carolina.
Texas Longhorns under Mack Brown
Mack Brown has been the head football coach for Texas since 1998. From 1998 through the 2007-2008 season, the Longhorns had a 103-25 (.804) win-loss record. In his first six years at Texas, Brown had a winning record but he hadn't managed to win the Big 12 conference or to lead the Longhorn into a Bowl Championship Series game. He was often lauded for his recruiting while being criticized for failing to win championships.
That changed with the 2004 Texas Longhorn football team who played in the 2005 Rose Bowl against the Wolverines of the University of Michigan. The game was the first meeting between the two storied teams and the Longhorns' first trip to the Rose Bowl. In a classic game that featured five lead changes and three tie scores during the course of play, the Longhorns defeated the Wolverines 38-37 on a successful 37-yard field goal by place kicker Dusty Mangum as time expired. It was the first time the Rose Bowl had ever been decided on the closing play, and it earned the Longhorns a top 5 finish in the polls. Three ex-Longhorns from the 2005 Rose Bowl team — Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, and Bo Scaife — were selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Brown followed up the strong 2004 season on the field with an extremely successful 2005 recruiting season by securing the top-ranked recruiting class (the 2005 recruiting season is for players entering the University in Fall 2006). With the exception of Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, and Bo Scaife, Texas returned most of their key players from 2004–2005, including red-shirt Junior Quarterback Vince Young. The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team was given a pre-season #2 ranking (behind defending National Champions University of Southern California) by Sports Illustrated magazine, and was also ranked second in the AP and USA Today coaches pre-season polls. They maintained those rankings throughout the entire 2005–2006 season.
Texas and USC ended up winning out their seasons and faced each other in the National Championship, which Texas won, 41-38. At the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season, Sports Illustrated issued a special commemorative edition that featured Vince Young shouting in triumph amidst a storm of multi-colored confetti. Features in the special edition included a story on Vince Young's Glory Days by author Tim Layden, as well as a story disecting How the Rose Bowl was won by Austin Murphy. The issue was on sale nationwide alongside the regular edition of the magazine, which also featured the Rose Bowl on the cover.
The 2006 Texas Longhorn football team hoped to repeat as national champions. The Texas Longhorns returned several offensive (7) and defensive (7) starters from their National Title team, but quarterback Vince Young elected to go the NFL which left freshman Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback.
The Longhorns opened the season with a win at home against North Texas. Their second game, against Ohio State, was one of the most anticipated college football games of the regular season. The Longhorns lost that game, but then defeated Rice, Iowa State and Sam Houston State by a combined score of 145-24. Then they defeated number 14th ranked Oklahoma Sooners 28-10 in the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns lost their last two regular season games to Kansas State (45-42)and Texas A&M (12-7). A victory against A&M would have clinched the Big 12 South Division title for the Longhorns. As a result of the loss, the Oklahoma Sooners won the division and played in the Big 12 Championship game. The Alamo Bowl, with the 5th pick of Big 12 conference teams selected the Longhorns to play against unranked Iowa who had placed 8th in the Big Ten conference. With Colt McCoy at quarterback, the Longhorns narrowly defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 26-24.
The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team began play on September 1 2007. Texas entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage. They were ranked in the Top 10 by numerous pre-season polls. For instance, a pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth; Rivals.com has them at ninth. College Football News and Real Football 365 both had the Longhorns ranked third. The Longhorns come into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches Poll and AP Poll. The Longhorns failed to make good on that ranking, however, dropping to number 20 in the BCS standings after losing to conference foes Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
All-time All-Americans
The Texas Longhorn football program has produced 120 All-American selections (93 players), with 48 of these being Consensus All-American selections (41 players) and 21 of these being Unanimous All-American selections (18 players).
All-time national award winners
Players
» ** Renamed the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award in 1981; now honors the nation's best quarterback.
Coaches
All-time University of Texas football team
(As chosen by the Austin American-Statesman on September 9, 2005.)
Offense
QB–Vince Young, 2002-05
RB–Earl Campbell, 1974-77
FB–Steve Worster, 1968-70
RB–Ricky Williams, 1995-98
SE–Hub Bechtol, 1944-46
WR–Roy Williams, 2000-03
LT–Bobby Wuensch, 1968-70
LG–Bud McFadin, 1948-50
OC–Bill Wyman, 1971-73
RG–Harley Sewell, 1950-52
RT–Jerry Sisemore, 1970-72
PK–Jeff Ward, 1983-86
Defense
DE–Bill Atessis, 1968-70
DT–Scott Appleton, 1961-63
DT–Kenneth Sims, 1978-81
DE–Kiki DeAyala, 1979-82
LB–Derrick Johnson, 2001-04
LB–Tommy Nobis, 1963-65
LB–Johnny Treadwell 1960-62
CB–Nathan Vasher, 2000-03
CB–Raymond Clayborn, 1973-76
FS–Jerry Gray, 1981-84
SS–Johnnie Johnson, 1976-79
P–Russell Erxleben, 1975-78
Coach: Darrell Royal, 1957-76
Honorary captain: Louis Jordan, 1911-14. First Texas player to make the Walter Camp All-American team. He was later killed in France in World War II.
Basketball
The Texas men's basketball team has achieved national prominence under head coach Rick Barnes in recent years. Barnes has guided Texas to a school-record nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a school-best eight consecutive 20-win seasons as of March 11, 2007.
Hired as the twenty-third men's basketball coach in University of Texas history on April 12, 1998, Rick Barnes left Clemson University to take over a Longhorn program coming off of a losing season and "in disarray." Former head coach Tom Penders had resigned after a scandal involving his unlawful release of player Luke Axtell's grades to the media. Longhorn players Axtell, Chris Mihm, Gabe Muoneke, and Bernard Smith had met with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds "to say that they'd lost faith in Penders and his program."
Despite playing with just seven scholarship players for the majority of the 1998-1999 season — and opening the season with a 3-8 record — Barnes engineered one of the greatest midseason turnarounds in school history. The Longhorns won 16 of their final 21 games, posting a 13-3 record in conference play and winning the school's first regular season Big 12 Conference championship by a two-game margin, and finishing the year at 19-13, with a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2002, the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1996-97 season, and for only the third time since the expansion of the tournament to 64 participants in 1985. The 2003 Longhorn basketball team matched the school record for most basketball victories in a season with their 26-7 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four round for the first time in 56 years, and for the third time in school history. Along the way, Texas earned its highest ranking in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls in school history (No. 2 in both polls on Dec. 2, 2002) and received its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore point guard T.J. Ford became the first UT male player to earn the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's Player of the Year in 2003.
Despite the early departure of Ford to the NBA as the eighth overall pick (Milwaukee Bucks), Texas compiled a 25-8 overall record in 2004 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round for a school-record third consecutive year. The four senior starters on the 2004 team graduated as the winningest class in school history (98 wins) to that point. In 2006, the Longhorns recorded the program's first 30-win season (30-7), claimed a share of the Big 12 Conference regular season championship, received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the Elite Eight (Texas fell to LSU in overtime), marking the fourth time in five years that Texas had advanced to at least the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The 2006 class, which finished with 101 wins in four years, bested the 2004 class' mark of 98 wins to become the winningest class in the history of Longhorn basketball.
The 2005-06 season also marked the 100th anniversary of basketball at UT. Special logos were placed on the uniforms to commemorate this anniversary.
In 2007, the men's basketball team was ranked sixth by the Harris Poll for favorite men's college basketball teams, moving up one spot from the previous year. (External Link )
The women's basketball team has long been a national power, especially during the late 1980s (winning a National Title in 1986) and through the 1990s. Both teams play home games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center.
Baseball
The Texas Longhorns are the winningest team in college baseball history, both in terms of total wins and in terms of win percentage. Texas holds the records for most appearances in the College World Series (32) and most individual CWS games won. The Longhorns have won six NCAA baseball national championships (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, and 2005) — second only to Southern California's total of 12 — and have appeared in the CWS Championship Game or Championship Series on five other occasions (1953, 1984, 1985, 1989, and 2004).
Former Longhorns who have gone on to success in Major League Baseball include Roger Clemens, Calvin Schiraldi, Burt Hooton, Keith Moreland, Spike Owen, Greg Swindell, and Huston Street.
Since 1997, the Longhorns have been led by head coach Augie Garrido, the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history. The team plays its home games at Disch-Falk Field.
Softball
Texas fields a women's softball team coached by Head Coach Connie Clark and assistants Corrie Hill and Marla Looper. In 2007 the team posted an overall record of 35 wins and 20 losses.
Men's golf
The University of Texas has a strong golf tradition, winning National Titles in 1971 and 1972 and finishing runner-up four other times. Individual National Champions were Ed White (1935), Ben Crenshaw (1971, 1972, and 1973), Tom Kite (1972), and Justin Leonard (1994). Several former Longhorn players have gone on to success on the PGA Tour including: Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Blackmar, Mark Brooks, Bob Estes, and Justin Leonard. Legendary golf instructor Harvey Penick was a long-time coach at Texas. The team is currently coached by John Fields and Steve Keasler.
(External Link)
Track and field / cross country
The men's program is coached by Bubba Thornton, who will also be the men's U.S. Olympic coach in 2008; as a team, the Longhorn men placed thirteenth in the 2007 NCAA championships. Other notable coaches of the Texas men's program have included Stan Huntsman (Texas coach, 1986-95), who was also the coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, and Clyde Littlefield (Texas coach, 1920-60), the 1925 co-founder of the annual Texas Relays.
The Texas Longhorn women placed sixth in the 2007 NCAA championships. The women's program is coached by Beverly Kearney, who has guided the Lady Longhorns to six NCAA Championships: Indoor Championships in 1998, 1999, and 2006, and Outdoor Championships in 1998, 1999, and 2005. Other notable coaches have included Terry Crawford, whose teams won Indoor Championships in 1986, 1988, and 1990, and Outdoor Championships in 1982 and 1986. Crawford's athletes also won the 1986 Women's Cross Country Championship.
The Longhorn track and field programs have produced numerous Olympians for various nations. Female Olympic medalists have included Sanya Richards and Moushami Robinson (USA, gold, 4x400 meter relay, 2004), Sandie Richards (Jamaica, silver, 4x400m relay, 2000 and 2004), Merlene Frazer (Jamaica, silver, 4x100m relay, 2000), Nanceen Perry (USA, bronze, 4x100m relay, 2000), Carlette Guidry (USA, gold, 4x100m relay, 1992 and 1996), Juliet Cuthbert (Jamaica, silver, 100m and 200m, 1992 and bronze, 4x100m relay, 1996), and Nikole Mitchell (Jamaica, bronze, 4x100m relay, 1996). Male medalists include Winthrop Graham (Jamaica, silver, 400m hurdles, 1992 and 4x400m relay, 1988), Patrick Sang (Kenya, silver, 3000m steeplechase, 1992), Du’aine Ladejo (Great Britain, bronze, 4x400m relay, 1992), Johnny Lam Jones (USA, gold, 4x100m relay, 1976), Eddie Southern (USA, silver, 400m hurdles, 1956), and Dean Smith (athlete) (USA, gold, 4x100m relay, 1952).
Volleyball
Texas has finished among the top 25 in the nation 19 out of the last 23 years, with a 1988 NCAA National Championship, as well as a runner-up finish in 1995. They also won an AIAW national championship in 1981. The team is currently coached by Jerritt Elliott and plays home games in Gregory Gymnasium.
Texas has finished the Big 12 conference in third place or higher every year since 1996 (except 2000-2003 when they finished 8th, 6th, 4th and 7th, respectively) finishing 1st in 1997 & 2007(co), 2nd in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 3rd in 1999 & 2006.
Texas volleyball has produced many All-Americans, and in 2007, they won the program's first Big 12 title since 1997, sharing the title with Nebraska, breaking Nebraska's 3 year streak of winning the title outright. They also earned the programs first AVCA National Freshman of the Year for 2007, Juliann Faucette.
Though they've not been back to the NCAA final four since their 1995 National Runner up finish to Nebraska, they finished the 2007 season well, by earning a national ranking as high as number 3 throughout the season, and making it to the Elite Eight (Regional Finals) while earning the 4th overall seed in the NCAA tournament, before falling 3-0 to 5th seeded Southern California.
Swimming and diving
In addition, Texas has won nine National Titles in men's swimming and diving (1981, 1988-1991, 1996, 2000-2002) and nine in Women's Swimming and Diving (1981-82, 1984-88, 1990-91). Texas women's cross country won a National Title in 1986. Women's tennis claimed the title in 1993 and 1995. Women's track and field achieved national indoor titles in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1998-99, and outdoor titles in 1982, 1986, 1998-99, 2005. Volleyball achieved titles in 1981 and 1988.
Longhorns at the Olympics
Several Longhorn athletes have had success at the Olympics over the years. The table at right shows Longhorn medals won in the Summer Olympics.
Championship history
National championships (48)
Men's
- Baseball - 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005
- Football - 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005
- Golf - 1971, 1972
- Swimming & Diving - 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
Women's
- Basketball - 1986
- Cross Country - 1986
- Swimming & Diving - 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991
- Tennis - 1993, 1995
- Indoor Track & Field - 1986, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006
- Outdoor Track & Field - 1982, 1986, 1998, 1999, 2005
- Volleyball - 1981 (AIAW), 1988
Conference championships
» Baseball (74 regular season titles; 13 tournament titles)
* Regular season: 1899, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943*, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951*, 1952, 1953*, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963*, 1965, 1966*, 1967*, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972*, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986*, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 » * Tournament: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2002, 2003
Basketball (24 regular season titles; 2 tournament titles) » * Regular season: 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1924, 1933, 1939, 1943*, 1947, 1951*, 1954*, 1960, 1963, 1965*, 1972*, 1974, 1978*, 1979*, 1986*, 1992*, 1994, 1995*, 1999, 2006*
* Tournament: 1994, 1995
» Men's Cross Country (38)
*1920, 1923, 1924, 1931, 1932, 1933*, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1978*, 1979*, 1986*, 1991, 1992*, 1993, 1994, 1995*
» Fencing (5)
*1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949 (discontinued in 1957)
» Football (27)
*1920, 1928, 1930, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1950, 1952, 1953*, 1959*, 1961*, 1962, 1963, 1968*, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975*, 1977, 1983, 1990, 1994*, 1995, 1996, 2005
» Men's Golf (42)
*1927, 1928, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974*, 1975*, 1981, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004
» Men's Swimming & Diving (49)
*1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944*, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
» Men's Tennis (23)
*1915, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1977, 1990, 1993, 1994*, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2006
» Men's Indoor Track & Field (9)
*1974, 1975, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 1999, 2006, 2007*
» Men's Outdoor Track & Field (49)
*1915, 1916, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2006
» Women's Basketball (12 regular season titles; 10 tournament titles)
* Regular season: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004 » * Tournament: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003
Women's Cross Country (4) » *1985, 1986, 1987, 1989
Women's Golf (12) » *1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004
Women's Soccer (1 regular season title; 2 tournament titles) » * Regular season: 2001
* Tournament: 2006, 2007
» Softball (4 regular season titles; 4 tournament titles)
* Regular season: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 » * Tournament: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005
Women's Swimming and Diving (22) » *1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Women's Tennis (17) » *1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005
Women's Indoor Track & Field (17) » *1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006
Women's Outdoor Track & Field (17) » *1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006
Volleyball (15) » *1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2007*
* Denotes shared conference title
Note: The University of Texas began NCAA and Southwest Conference competition in women's sports for the 1982-83 season.
Rivalries
The university's biggest in-state rival is Texas A&M University, although UT considers the Oklahoma Sooners to also be important rivals in football, especially in recent years due to the prominence of both programs. Other teams have also been considered to be rivals of the Longhorns in various sports.
Texas A&M
The Texas/Texas A&M rivalry has given rise to several stereotypes on both sides: Aggies are generally portrayed as ignorant and dumb farmers, while Longhorns are portrayed as highbrow and arrogant city-slickers. The annual football game with Texas A&M takes place the day after Thanksgiving each year. In an attempt to generate more attention for the rivalry in sports other than football, in 2004 the two schools started the Lone Star Showdown, a trial two-year program. Essentially, each time the two schools meet in a sport, the winner of the matchup gets a point. At the end of the year, the school with the most points wins the series and receives a trophy.
Aspects of the rivalry include:
Each school mentions the other in their fight song (Texas with "and it's goodbye to A&M" in Texas Fight, and the Aggies singing about Texas for essentially the entire second verse of the Aggie War Hymn)
The football series between the two universities is the third longest running rivalry in all of college football. Since 1900, the last regular season football game is usually reserved for their matchup.
Each school has elaborate pre-game preparations for the annual football clash, including the Aggie Bonfire and the Hex Rally
Texas has a unique lighting scheme for the UT Tower after wins over Texas A&M.
In the past, mischief has preceded the annual game, such as "kidnapping" each other's mascots.
University of Oklahoma
Texas has a long-standing, bitter rivalry with the University of Oklahoma. The football game between the University of Texas and Oklahoma is commonly known as the "Red River Shootout" and is held annually in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl. This name has come to refer to the two schools' contests in other major team sports as well. Since 2005, the football game has received sponsorship dollars in return for being referred to as the "SBC Red River Rivalry" (changed to AT&T Red River Rivalry in 2006 when SBC changed its corporate name to AT&T), a move which has been criticized both for its commercialism and its political correctness.
In recent years, this rivalry has taken on added significance, since both football programs have been highly ranked and compete in the same division of the Big 12 conference. In 2005, the Dallas Morning News did an opinion poll of the 119 Division 1A football coaches as to the nations top rivalry game in college football. The Texas/OU game was ranked third.
Others
Many other schools consider UT among their biggest rivals. This list includes several other colleges in Texas, but especially Baylor (located just up Interstate 35 from UT), Texas Tech, and Houston. Texas is also the biggest rival of the University of Arkansas which may be attributed to their long tenure as the two eponymous state schools of the former Southwest Conference, or to the 1969 game between the two, which decided the national championship in favor of the Longhorns.
Facilities
Major sporting facilities and their main use include:
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium — football
Frank Erwin Special Events Center — basketball
Disch-Falk Field — baseball
Mike A. Myers Stadium — soccer; track and field
Red and Charline McCombs Field — softball
Gregory Gymnasium — volleyball
Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center — swimming and diving
Penick-Allison Tennis Center — tennis
Texas Rowing Center — rowing
In addition, The University of Texas has numerous practice, training, and intramural facilities.
Traditions
The University of Texas is a tradition-rich school, and many of those traditions are associated with athletics events, especially football. Some UT traditions include:
Bevo - the school mascot, a live Texas longhorn steer present for football games and other special events
Big Bertha - At one time, this was the world's largest drum
"The Eyes of Texas" - the school song, traditionally led by the Orange Jackets on the football field
Hook 'em Horns - the school hand signal, was introduced at a pep rally in 1955. Sports Illustrated featured the Hook 'em Horns symbol in front of a Texas pennant on the cover of their 10 September 1973 issue (pictured).
"Texas Fight" - the school fight song
Texas - Fight! cheer - one side of the stadium yells "Texas!" and then the other side yells "Fight" - this is usually repeated several times
Script Texas - half-time routine by the Longhorn Band
Smokey the Cannon - fired in celebration on game day at the moment of kickoff and after UT scores
The University of Texas Longhorn Band, nicknamed The Showband of the Southwest
The World's Largest Texas Flag is unfurled before football games and at pep rallies.
Lighting the UT Tower (also known as the Main Building) in different colors for various types of sporting victories
Read the rest - Students from primarily Texas A&M University usually taunt Texas students by threatening to "saw off" the horns of Bevo, citing the Bible verse, "I shall cut off the horns of the wicked." As it turns out, that's not the entire verse, and as a response, Texas students tell Aggies to "read the rest." The rest of the verse is "but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up." This appears on shirts, usually with "Hook 'Em" written underneath. Their other primary rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, generally prefer to show their disdain by inverting the "Hook 'Em" hand sign or Longhorn logo.
Merchandise
For the two fiscal years 2005–2007, Texas was listed as the number one Collegiate Licensing Company client in regards to the amount of annual trademark royalties received from the sales of its fan merchandise. Schools that are not members of Collegiate Licensing Company however are not ranked in the listing. Money from merchandising sales goes to the university, as opposed to being earmarked specifically for athletics programs.[Further Information]
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