2024 – Mike Cotten football
OBITUARY
Mike Barry Cotten
DECEMBER 12, 1939 – MAY 25, 2024
IN THE CARE OF
Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services
Mike Cotten, 84, died May 25, 2024. He was born in Uvalde, Texas, December 12, 1939, the son of W.C. and Florence Cotten. He spent the war years with his mother in Amarillo and, upon his Dad’s return from Naval service in the Pacific, the family moved to Austin in 1946. Mike attended Austin Public Schools – Lee Elementary, University Junior High, and Austin High School – Class of 1958.
He attended the University of Texas earning undergraduate and law degrees in 1962 and 1965, respectively. At UT, he played varsity football and was a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, the Texas Cowboys, and the Friar Society. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from September 1965 to August 1968. In 1968, he returned to Austin and began a 42-year career in the practice of law with Clark, Thomas Law Firm, retiring in 2011.
Mike met Betty George at UT and they married in March 1964. They had two daughters, Ashley born in 1970 and Lesley, born in 1974. They were married 44 years until Betty’s passing in 2008.
Mike is survived by his daughters and six grandchildren, Caroline, Elizabeth, and Ford Childress, and Jack, Helena, and Will (Memo) Putman.
A reception will be held Thursday, May 30, at the Texas Exes, 2110 San Jacinto Blvd, from 3-5 p.m. Parking available.
Mike was one of Coach Royal’s many early success stories. He was a true student athlete and was a reason many of us chose to play football and study at The University of Texas. I was never more flattered when I would see him around Austin, after our school days, and he would call me by name.
He will be missed!
Bill Zapalac
1960 MIKE COTTEN,
Royal was concerned about who would replace Bob Lackey. At first, they tried Roger Rienstra, but he had an injured knee and a split finger. Mike won the starting job, but Johnny Genung replaced him when Cotten pulled his hamstring.
Hello Billy, Herb Griffith here, I am sad learning of Mike Cottons passing. My grandmother was Ms. JM Griffith longtime housemother at Moore-Hill. I found a picture of her from the American Statesman with her and Mike. It was taken after the Baylor game in 61.
As a freshman, Mike Cotten led the freshman team – the Yearlings – to their first undefeated team since 1941.
I was an eight-year-old lad from Sulphur Springs, and already an avid Longhorn fan in 1961. My dad took my sister and me to the Cotton Bowl game on January 1, 1962. It was a beautiful, crystal clear day and the match-up between two heralded, once beaten schools was greatly anticipated. I don’t remember much about the game except Jim Saxton running and Mike Cotten leading the Horns to a thrilling 12-7 victory. I never met him, but I also never forgot him. Poignant to hear of his passing.
Joe
________________________
Joseph B. Longino, Jr.
In Mike Cotten’s sophomore year, he was the primary backup to starter Bobby Lackey. He also played defensive back and returned punts and kickoffs on a team that went 9-2 and finished #4 in the nation before losing to #1 Syracuse in the Cotton Bowl.
For the next two years, Cotten was the starting quarterback for Texas and, in the second year, ran Royal’s first great innovation – the Flip Flop offense, a winged-T formation that simplified the offense.
1960- Johnny Genung and Mike Cotten with Coach Royal
The first Longhorn quarterback that I remember, when I first became a fan. RIP Rhan Bruster
Cotten, a native of Uvalde, moved with his family to Amarillo before they settled in Austin, He was a multi-sport star for Austin High, the last QB to lead the Maroons to a playoff win in the 20th century. Cotten took only one visit in recruiting, a short one to the Forty Acres. He led the freshman Yearlings to their first unbeaten season in more than a decade and worked as a backup to Bobby Lackey as a soph in ’59, Darrell Royal’s first Cotton Bowl team. The Horns went 7-3-1 in ’60 with Cotten at the helm. He and All-America RB Jimmy Saxton revved DKR’s “Flip-Flop” offense in high gear a year later and UT was 10-1.
So sorry to hear that, Billy. Mike was a great QB back then. Kenney Hand
They beat Ole Miss for Royal’s first bowl triumph, with Cotten the Offensive MVP in the Cotton Bowl.
He was All-Southwest Conference with what was at the time a very impressive 57 percent pass completion mark and led the SWC in TD passes with seven.
Mike was the first Longhorn I truly followed as a kid growing up a LONGHORN in South Austin (12 years his jumior).
I saw Ehlinger as a throwback to Mike.
TEXAS beating Ole Miss in the ’62 Cotton Bowl was a really Big Deal for me & my pals.
Beginning some 15 years later, I and the trucking company I worked for intetfaced with Mike many times before the Texad Railroad Commission.
Mike was a very effective administrative law advocate and advisor.
Great guy with which to go for lunch or cocktails. too!
A true Longhorn Legend!
God Bless.
Buzz Roye,
Mike Cotten was the quarterback of that team. By Bill Little
DKR and Mike Cotten
Cotten had already had success against Texas Tech, throwing two 50-plus yard touchdown passes in 1960, when the Longhorns defeated the Raiders in Tech’s first-ever Southwest Conference game. The 42 points against the Raiders were the most UT scored against any opponent in that banner year of 1961.
That win, incidentally, really launched the Royal era in the 1960s. Using an innovative winged-T offense that employed a line alignment called the “flip-flop,” the offense not only baffled opponents but also captured the interest of the Texas fan base. It was a “score from anywhere” offense built on the concept of the strong running game to which Royal always adhered.
The 1961 team was filled with veterans and exciting possibilities.
Mike played back when Texas had a freshman team, the shorthorns. My dad took a friend and I to a freshman game. We saw Mike Cotten in the stands. We went up to him and asked if we could have his chinstrap after the next Texas home game. He said “Sure”. We sat in the knothole section, after the game we ran out on the field, found him, and said “Do you remember us ?” “Sure”, and gave us his chinstrap. What a day for 2 young kids !!! He was always my favorite QB from then on. Richard Seifert
Cotten links the final piece of Saturday’s activities as well, and that is the observance of Veterans Recognition Day. When Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was built in 1924 it was a monument to Texans who had served in what was known as “The Great War” – which is what World War I was known as at the time. The legend of the fall of Texas football had, for years, gone on to serve their country honorably in the years that would follow.
But the conflict in Vietnam had begun when Mike Cotten and those players on the 1961 team were leaving college. With a commitment to military service on his life plan, Mike entered a Marine Corps program during his freshman year at Texas. When he graduated, he entered UT Law School, and in 1965, he went on active duty as an officer. He rose to the rank of captain in Vietnam and returned to law practice in Austin at the end of his service stint.
When I was a youngster I wanted to play at UT because of Mike. Watching the DKR show, hosted by Dan Love, I saw many of his highlights. Mike was my football role model. Having lived in Austin for 51yrs I can’t believe our paths never crossed. Chuck Taylor
When I was nine years old, Mike Cotton became my hero. From then on, football was everything to me. Joe Featherston
Cotten remembers the excitement around the 1961 team and likes what he sees from the 2011 Longhorns. The ball control game fits the memories of the Longhorns that Cotten captained, but the depth is also similar. In an era where there were no recruiting numbers limitations, Texas had three full teams that alternated—a philosophy similar to the offensive coordinator’s reasoning for having packages that involved almost every player at some point in the game.
The 1961 team was the genesis of what would become Texas’s domination of the early 1960s. The sophomores (freshmen were not eligible then) on that team would finish their college careers with a National Championship in 1963 and leave Texas with an amazing three-year record of 30-2-1.
When the Stadium Veterans Committee was formed in 1996, Cotten was one of the original members.
Saturday, he will gather with his former teammates at 9 a.m. in the “T” Room in the stadium, then hustle down to the field to be with the committee for pre-game ceremonies. He will head to his seat to watch the modern-era Longhorns.
It seems hard for Cotten and his teammates to believe that it has been half a century since they carved their niche in the stadium. For the Longhorns of 2011, it is about seeking a sixth win, and continuing to rebuild their destiny, brick by brick.
But for the Wounded Warriors and other service personnel who are guests at the game, and for Mike Cotten and all of the Veterans Committee, this day is about memories far beyond the field. The meaning of the Memorial in the stadium stands sentinel for those who have fought and died so that freedom can live.
That is why, in tribute to them, the Longhorns will arrive at the stadium wearing camouflage T-shirts. In his years at Texas, Mack Brown has emphasized respect for the U.S. Military, and for the men and women who stand in harm’s way.
It will be a bright morning Saturday. Full of memories for some, and hopes for others. It is a thread that exists, not only for them, but for us all.
Delt -Terry Tingley Remembers Mike Cotten
Terry says,
On a personal note, his passing reminded me that I first met Mike when he attended my first Delt Reunion. It was 1991, the 20th “anniversary” of our graduation year. Gerald Daugherty and I owned/operated Pleasant Valley Sportsplex offering a unique venue for parties, company picnics and special events. Originally, I wanted to put together a “20 Year Reunion” for our class, but it eventually morphed into a “Decade of the Sixties Reunion”. This pre-cell phones and pre-internet, the Delt national list was generally worthless as it contained, in most cases, the out-of-date, last known post-graduation addresses. Through various creative means track down as many Delts from that period as possible, along with home addresses, as notices/invitations had to be mailed out.
After invitations were mailed out, I got a call from Mike’s secretary, asking if older Delts could also come (Mike pledged in 1959). I said absolutely, but I just didn’t have the time nor the contacts (brothers Wally & Dick preceded me by 4 and 2 years respectively) to actively track down the pre-60’s Delt pledges also. Joe Bill helped a great deal with the early 60’s guys, but even his access was limited.
Anyway, Mike came to the Reunion, along with 150 or so other Delts. He watched Roy Spence, Kenny Karr and other’s gator; listened to The Chevelles sing Delta Tau Baby, and had a great time reconnecting. I was outside as Mike was leaving and asked if he enjoyed the event. He graciously said he did, but wished he could have seen more of the Delts his age and older (I think this was true for all of us…we honor/enjoy the association of our predecessors a bit more than those who followed).
Over the years, I ran into Mike a few times and he attended 1-2 of our later Reunions at the Spence Hacienda. He always remembered my name and quietly engaged me in conversation. If you didn’t know his story and accomplishments, you would be very surprised what an athlete was hidden behind this short, slightly stumpy body and within this quiet, unassuming, unpretentious demeanor.
RIP Mike Cotton. Thank you for the memories.
Terry Tingley
