Please know that TLSN is always adding Longhorn sports history to the website by adding photos and comments supplied by those who wish to share their special memories. In the last two weeks, Ken McLeland (Longhorn Tutor and Cheerleader) and Rey Moreno (track) sent TLSN memories published in this newsletter.
Please send photos or comments of your Longhorn sports memories to Billydale1@gmail.com, and your PG-13 comments will be added to the TLSN website.
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From the Diary of Ken McLeland – a Longhorn Tutor and Cheerleader
“From 1982 to 1984, I tutored Chemistry and Biology and was in charge of the tutors….I can remember going into this job, I thought I was going to be running into some “out of control egos”….well, nothing was further from the truth. Since I was there every night for tutoring, I got to know almost everyone, and they were the nicest group of guys you could possibly assemble. This group included Todd Dodge, Jeff Ward, John Teltchik, Edwin Simmons, Mossy Cade, Rick McIvor, and Richard Peavy….etc. The Defense was perhaps the best Texas ever put together. On October 22, 1983, we beat SMU 15-12 in Cowboy Stadium in Irving and remained undefeated and number 2 in the nation behind Nebraska. I spent October 23rd studying all day and made it to Jester to start the tutoring a little before 7 pm….I turned the corner to walk down a very long hallway to the tutoring rooms and could see a bunch of guys at the very end by the tutoring rooms….then, they disappeared….I got the rooms, and there was the entire team crammed in the rooms with a huge birthday cake and ice cream to surprise me for my 30th birthday….I can remember thinking to myself….”LIFE will be downhill from this moment”….a HUGE memory in my life….”
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Photo is Ken at Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland in June 1983.
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THE BALLYARD AND THE GRAVEYARD
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BY LARRY CARLSON ( LC13@TXSTATE.EDU )
Larry attended the LSU game at Disch-Falk in March 2023, which evoked many of his past memories of Longhorn Baseball.
Larry says: “I remembered a favorite restaurant in Florida, just across A1A from the Atlantic Ocean and being delighted to return there several years ago. “Man…it’s good to be back,” I told the host, a complete stranger.
Said he, shrugging and smiling, “You were never gone.”
It’s like that with familiar places, the sights, sounds, and smells associated with pleasant memories.
The stadium was only about half-filled as game time approached. The LSU Tigers were looking spiffy in their yellow jerseys….
JONES RAMSEY
And I thought of how Jones Ramsey, the longtime UT sports publicist of the DKR era and beyond, had made a little joke about Disch-Falk’s location by the graveyards when it opened in ’75. Texas, by the way, promptly rode Jim Gideon’s 17-0 pitching to a national championship, its first since Falk’s repeat a quarter-century earlier.
“A foul that lands over there,” Ramsey quipped, motioning to the cemeteries, “is a dead ball.”
It was worth a good chuckle.
These days, he’d likely be censured or even fired because he was “insensitive” or “tone deaf” about the deceased, at least to those ready to be offended. But back in the day, it was just funny. Still is, to me. I mean, Daddy referred to cemeteries as “marble orchards.”
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Jones Ramsey – Longhorn Sports News Director. Photo is Ramsey, Phil Harris, Diron Talbert, and John Elliott.
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Glenn Cunningham says, “In Running, It Is Man Against Himself, The Cruelest Of Opponents. The Other Runners Are Not The Real Enemies. His Adversary Lies Within Him, In His Ability With Brain And Heart To Master Himself And His Emotions.”
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Every year the Texas Relay officials set up a special exclusive tent for former Longhorn student athlete tracksters to enjoy the competition and to share special moments with teammates.
No one talks about their accomplishments. It is not necessary. A tacit ambiance pervades the tent of the common bond and moments of glory shared by all.
A special thanks to Rey Moreno for sending TLSN the photos below. Horns ???? up! The link to the history of the Texas Relays is at :
A special thanks to Rey Moreno for sending TLSN the photos below. Horns ???? up! The link to the history of the Texas Relays is at :
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Carlton Stowers and Wilbur Evans wrote a book about Longhorn track and field, and in April 2023 many mentioned in the book returned to the Texas Relays.
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2023 signatures in Rey Moreno’s “Champions” book .
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Texas Relays April 2023 Mark Brooks, Kelly Brooks, Jeff Apple, Rey Moreno, Robbie Robinson
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2023 Texas relays Bill Elliott, Fred Cooper, Mike Mosley, Rey Moreno (With “Champions” book) Stan McDaniel, Dan Casper, Rudy Alinez
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Photo from the 2022 Texas relays in the “tent” – Conrad J. Derdeyn, Ricky Brown, David Matina, Billy Dale
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04/14/2023 update on Eileen Vanisi
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TLSN reached out to Hall of Honor Track and field star Eileen Vanisi, and she shared her health status with TLSN.
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“Thank you for your kind words and thoughts. Nothing like the Longhorn nation.”
“Hello to all. “Yes I’m dealing with a lot. I’m currently back in hospital due to breathing problems as the heart gets weaker. But overall I’m in good spirits and still have a lot of fight in me. Going through process of evaluation for a needed triple organ transplant. Heart, kidney,and liver. Thank you for reaching out. Hook ‘em Horns Eileen “.
Eileen’s link is
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Wisdom, Knowledge, and Intellect are not Synonyms.
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“Intelligence is what you learn in school, knowledge is what you gain in life, and wisdom is being able to pass them along to another” – Marie Muhammad
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant says, “it’s better to be the wisest person in the room than the smartest.” One is inborn, the other a function of experience. Individuals can be wise but not intelligent, and intellectuals can be brilliant without wisdom. Those that combine wisdom and Intellect are rare in society.
I am not a Longhorn provocateur, but the facts don’t lie. I take tremendous pride in the U.T. Athletic Department’s progress under CDC. The back-to-back “Directors Cups” is the definitive statement for U.T. sports.
In the last 18 months, Texas has been the dictionary definition of an elite collegiate sports program. Eight different Longhorn teams have reached noble status and beyond.
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Women’s basketball: Elite Eight (2022)
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Women’s tennis: NCAA champions (2022)
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Softball: NCAA runner-up (2022)
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Baseball: College World Series (2022)
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Volleyball: National champions (2022)
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Men’s basketball: Elite Eight (2023)
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Rowing: National Champion (2023)
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Men’s golf: National Champions (2022)
Now if the football team and coaches can perform up to their impressive resume’ of Intellect, knowledge, and wisdom in 2023, nirvana is near.
Football in 2022 had many redemptive values and promising moments appreciated by the Longhorn fan base, but losing five or more games per year in 8 of the last ten years is, unfortunately, who we are, and that needs to change.
I hope history repeats itself.
Coach Bible was 3-14-1 during his first two years at Texas before returning Texas to national prominence.
Coach Royal was 13-7-1 his first two years before becoming the winningest coach in the 1960s.
Coach Sarkisian is 13-12 in his first two years.
Here is a Horns ???? up to 2023 as the year that Longhorn football ???? returns to an Elite status and national prominence.
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THE BAKER’S DOZEN LONGHORN QUARTERBACKS
by Professor Larry Carlson
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TLSN has captured the bulk of the history of Longhorn quarterbacks since 1893 in two links:
These sites are incomplete but thorough enough to share in the public domain.
Professor Carlson has now added his comments to the history of Longhorn quarterbacks. Most of you know he is a media guru and a retired Professor of Journalism at Texas State. But, in today’s newsletter, he has decided to live dangerously.
Larry has rated/ranked the 13 best quarterbacks since 1957 in an article titled :
Unfortunately, I don’t entirely agree with him. Many of you may also disagree with Larry’s ranking preference.
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If you disagree with the hatchet man, prepare for battle.
His email address is lc13@txstate.edu.
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TLSN is a 501 (c)(3) Longhorn Sports historical website with a compassionate component.
Fortunately, most, but not all, former Longhorn student-athletes and support staff personnel have successfully transitioned to the job market with health insurance and loss of income safety nets.
Still, help is needed for some, and TLSN donors have opened hearts and wallets to extend a helping hand. Those who have qualified for assistance have received grants from TLSN varying from $2000 to $25,000.
The TLSN website and newsletters are free, delivering educational, historical, and insightful Longhorn sports history as told through the eyes of those who created it.
Https://texaslsn.org
TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.
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