H.R. No. 1070
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The life of a Lone Star legend drew to a close with
the passing of former University of Texas football coach Darrell K
Royal on November 7, 2012, at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, A phenomenal leader who never had a losing season
during more than 20 years in college football, Coach Royal became a
beloved figure to generations of UT fans, not only for his superb
gridiron accomplishments but also for his work in behalf of the
university and the wider community; and
WHEREAS, Born in Hollis, Oklahoma, Darrell Royal excelled at
football, baseball, and basketball during his youth and received
scholarship offers in all three sports; after serving in the Army
Air Corps during World War II, he enrolled at the University of
Oklahoma, where he earned All-American honors as a quarterback and
punter and established school records for longest punt return and
for career interceptions that have yet to be broken; and
WHEREAS, His rise through the coaching ranks in the early
1950s was meteoric; he held seven jobs in seven years, four of which
were head coaching assignments--El Reno High School, the Edmonton
Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, Mississippi State
University, and the University of Washington--before being hired by
UT in December 1956; he inherited a Longhorns team that had posted a
dismal 1-9 record the previous season, but he managed to
immediately turn the program around, guiding his players to a berth
in the Sugar Bowl during his debut year; and
WHEREAS, So began two unforgettable decades during which the
Longhorns became a national powerhouse; under the direction of
Coach Royal, Texas won 3 national championships, claimed 11
Southwest Conference titles, and made 16 bowl appearances, 10 of
which were victories in the Cotton Bowl; he also fostered
excellence off the field by becoming the first college coach to hire
a full-time academic counselor to assist players, and he personally
awarded special "T" rings to those who graduated; and
WHEREAS, Coach Royal was renowned for developing innovative
approaches to the game, such as the famous "wishbone" formation
that helped the team to rack up 30 straight victories after being
introduced in 1968; his homespun wit was just as sharp as his
strategy, and many of his humorous observations have become
oft-repeated sayings among football enthusiasts; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his work overseeing the football
team, Coach Royal served as the university's athletics director
from 1962 to 1979 and was later appointed as a special assistant to
the president on athletic matters; in recognition of his
contributions, the UT football stadium was renamed in 1996 as the
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and in 2006 he became just
the fifth person to earn the Distinguished Service Award from the
Texas Exes; and
WHEREAS, Numerous other accolades were bestowed on this
highly respected coach as well; he won two Coach of the Year awards
from the American Football Coaches Association and three from the
Football Writers Association of America; he was inducted into the
National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, the
Texas and Oklahoma Sports Halls of Fame, the Longhorn Hall of Honor,
and the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame; in 1996 he received the
coveted Horatio Alger Award, in 2000 he became the inaugural
recipient of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, and
in 2010 he received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for "the
individual . . . whose services have been outstanding in the
advancement of the best interests of football"; and
WHEREAS, Coach Royal's dedication to helping others was
reflected in his sponsorship of a charity golf tournament in
conjunction with Willie Nelson and Ben Crenshaw that raised several
million dollars to benefit youth in East Austin; moreover, he and
his wife, Edith, established the Darrell K Royal Fund for
Alzheimer's Research to expand study and treatment of the disease;
and
WHEREAS, The most successful football coach in the history of
The University of Texas at Austin and one of the greatest of his
era, Darrell Royal played a major role in furthering the tradition
of excellence that defines Longhorn athletics, and his legacy will
be celebrated by the UT faithful for as long as the sport of
football is played on the 40 Acres; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Coach Darrell K
Royal and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to
his wife of 68 years, Edith Royal; to his son, Sammy Royal, and his
wife, April; to his son-in-law, Chic Kazen; to his grandsons,
Christian Kazen, David Kazen, and Sammy Royal; to his
granddaughter, Elena Trombetta; to his great-granddaughters,
Isabella and Alexandra Kazen; and to his other relatives and many
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Darrell
Royal.
Darby
Branch
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1070 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 3, 2013.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House