Top of the Queue – Volume VIII Newsletter #4 February 16, 2024
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IMPORTANT: Click on the small YELLOW letters “VIEW IN BROWSER” at the top of the page to enlarge and enhance the photos and text on your cellphone.
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TLSN is a 501 (c)(3) Longhorn Sports historical and educational website with a compassionate component.
Https://texaslsn.org
TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.
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Texas Legacy Support Network (TLSN) provides an informative twice-monthly newsletter, podcasts, interviews, and a website that offers a panoramic view of Longhorn sports history as told through the “Eyes of Texas” brand builders.
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The above photo is of Bill Acker and Steve McMichael, who played high football together at Freer, TX. and for the Texas Longhorns
Larry Carlson says about Steve McMichael,
McMichael was a six-sport letterman as a Freer Buckaroo, class of ’76. He played for Darrell Royal that fall, making a name with his fiery, spirited play. In three years as a starter for Coach Fred Akers, he was a figurative Longhorn in the china closet of opposing backfields. Imbued with a happy savagery, he bulldogged runners and terrorized quarterbacks, earning the nickname, “Bam-Bam.”
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In the past week, thousands of articles have been written about Steve McMichael. Most of the articles are about Mongo the Chicago Bear. Only a few articles are about “Bam- Bam,” the Longhorn.
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two articles from Larry Carlson,
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David Bales’s article about his friend Steve McMichael being shortchanged,
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four videos,
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fan Ben Papp’s crusade to get Steve inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
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a few comments from Betsy Shepherd, who organized a GoFundMe page for Mongo,
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an article written by Bill Little,
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and a long but captivating article written by Dan Wiederer.
If you were a teammate or a fan and would like to leave a comment about Bam Bam for Steve’s TLSN web page, please send an email to Billydale1@gmail.com. Your comment will be posted on his TLSN site, and if you wish, you can also send a JPEG photo of yourself to be associated with your comment.
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Steve McMichael Longhorn at work
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GIRLS IN A BOAT by Billy Dale
Longhorn Rowing Is No Longer An Asterisk Sport *
“Time Is The Ultimate Game In Rowing, And Passion Persuades Time.“
(The source of this quote is unknown.)
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So, I have often wondered why all Longhorn athletes who run, sprint, lift weights, and practice techniques don’t also row for shape. After all, rowing enhances stamina and works the arms, legs, back, heart, and lungs.
Rowing as an NCAA sport may not be interesting to the casual fan, but it is fully appreciated by those who have shared the experience. I rowed in my youth but did not enjoy the hard work involved and quit.
The Longhorn women’s rowing team won the national championships back to back in 2022 and 2023. It’s unbelievable that these athletes achieved what the “Boys in the Boat” did in 1936. The movie is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel by Daniel James Brown.
Even Kirk Bohls liked the movie, saying, “How did this true-life film about the 1936 Olympic rowing team from the University of Washington not get an Oscar nomination?
Watching the movie, I lived vicariously through these boys as they worked hard to achieve their dreams of a championship. The movie was significant for several reasons, but what stood out was the dedication, intense drive, and hard work these boys exhibited to reach their goals. *
*article continues after rowing photos
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Coach Dave O’Neill and his athletes
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After watching the movie, my thoughts returned to the Longhorn women’s rowing team. I decided that in the future, I would live vicariously through these athletes as they prepare for NCAA competition.
As far as I know, there is no NCAA-sanctioned portal for rowers to use that allows these athletes to change schools for a plethora of reasons.
The “girls in the boat” are competitors who exhibit the purest form of motivation in an NCAA-sanctioned sport. They practice and dream of winning, knowing that while there may be a golden moment of triumph at the end of the rainbow, there will be no gold. Rowers participate in this sport to represent Texas and help pay for some of their education, and I support that motive.
For these athletes, attending Texas is the end game, not a transition game waiting for something better. So, rowing as a Longhorn end game is something that I will financially support through the Texas One Fund. Horns up!
Below is the link to rowing from 2014 to present.
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As more Longhorn sports historians join this site, TLSN will periodically reach out to them via this newsletter to explain the driving forces behind the Texas Legacy Support Network over the past eight years.
The TLSN Board Members comprise six former Longhorns associated with the U.T. athletics. (We want to add two more board members)
Each Board member volunteers their time and services without pay. They are Beth Coblentz (Volleyball), Sherryl Hauglum (Women’s Basketball), Jim Kay (Manager), Billy Dale and Ben Adams (Football), and Rodney Page (Women’s Basketball Coach before Jody Conradt).
Their goal is to help Longhorns who have fallen through society’s safety net and need a helping hand. Giving back is a way for the Board members to express their gratitude for the lifelong benefits received from their burnt orange affiliation with U.T.
Texas Legacy Support Network is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with two missions.
Mission #1 is to raise funds to provide grants to those who qualify for help after satisfying TLSN’s due diligence process. TLSN offers those who, through no fault of their own, a societal safety net – a raft. Please join us in the Longhorn huddle and give back to those who have helped build the history of Longhorn sports but now need the helping hand of the Longhorn Nation. To date, TLSN has issued grants ranging from $2,000 to $25,000.
The TLSN Board urges everyone to spread the word to their personal network to raise awareness of TLSN and its charitable mission.
Mission #2 is to supply professional sports media personalities a forum to conduct interviews, write articles, and produce podcasts that share the rich history of Longhorn Sports.
Please support TLSN missions by donating $20 to $50.
Click on the link below to donate:
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Kelly Pace is the only player to start in the singles lineup for two Longhorn NCAA championship teams. She is a Longhorn Hall of Honor inductee. Her tennis style was that of a grinder who beat down her opponent. As a freshman, she was #3 in singles on a team that advanced to the finals of the NCAA championship. As a sophomore, she was #2 in singles on the first Horns national championship team. She was scheduled to be the #1 singles player in her junior year when she injured her left wrist.
The doctor said she would no longer be able to use her left wrist on her two-handed backhand. The strength of her tennis game. Instead, she would have to resort to a one-hand backhand. This decision dismantled the strength of her power game. Many people would have viewed this development as career-ending.
Instead, Kelly and her coach chose to view this dilemma as a setback with an upside opportunity. With Coach Moore’s help, Kelly was able to transition her game from backhand power to forehand power. She learned to use her backhand as the volley to set up her weaponized forehand.
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Kelly signed a full athletic scholarship with Texas in 1992, where she became a five-time All-American and four-time All-Southwest Conference selection. She led the Longhorns’ women’s tennis team to two national championships and has since been enshrined in the Longhorn Hall of Honor.
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Kelly Pace was a gifted athlete with a disciplined work ethic. In tennis, she was one of the top 150 players in the world.
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Kelly was also a good recreational golfer. Two years after retiring from tennis, she was competing in golf tournaments, defeating LPGA Tour veterans.
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She remains the most successful player in the school’s history with 152 career victories and an outstanding record of 42-4 in singles finals. She was the team’s MVP in 1992, 1994, and 1995 and was honored as the Southwest Conference Player of the Year. Additionally, she was named the NCAA’s National Senior Player of the Year in 1995.
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A Look back at the 49ers and Lions game this year and Longhorn Bobby Layne’s curse on Detroit’s football team.
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“The Curse of Longhorn Bobby Layne” Endures
Larry Carlson teaches sports media at Texas State University. He is a member of The Football Writers Association of America.
Motor City marvel Marvin Gaye crooned some of the darkest musical lines ever in his “Inner City Blues,” singing these lines;
Hangups, Let downs, Bad breaks, Setbacks, Natural Fact is… Honey that I can’t Pay my taxes. Aww, makes you wanna holler,Throw up both your hands… And,
the beat goes on in Detroit. The feel-good NFL team of ’23 is stuck in neutral again, and part of the reason is the “curse of Bobby Layne, invoking the hallowed name of the immortal Longhorn who took the Lions to repeated glory, only to be traded away while still in his prime.
Bobby Layne, NFL Hall of Famer, led Detroit to back-to-back NFL trophies in 1952 and 1953, then again in ’57. He didn’t play in that last title game due to a leg broken in three places in game 11 of a 12-game season. But he earned three rings. All without a face mask, the last NFL player to forego that protection. Layne was traded to Pittsburgh after that final championship season and earned two Pro Bowl trips in his time with the Steelers But Detroit hasn’t landed a ring in 66 long years now.
Peyton Manning joined with actor and Detroit guy Jeff Daniels, a few years ago on “Peyton’s Places” to try to exorcise the curse, pouring a bathtub full of whiskey, the mother’s milk favored by ol’ number 22, the guy who once hurled a no-hitter for UT while plied with one beer per inning by his roommate and buddy, Rooster Andrews, in the Longhorn dugout.
The latter day Lions held a 17-point lead over San Francisco at halftime on Sunday, just 30 minutes from their first Super Bowl. But the curse struck again. Dropped passes, inches out of bounds on crucial plays, you name it..
Detroit reeled back into the forlorn place that symbolized urban decay for at least 50 years, a boarded-up, burned out, busted glass ghost town of football nightmares. The 49ers rolled up 27 unanswered points before the cross-eyed Lions could rally and make it close at the end. What went wrong? Uhhmmm…everything.
So now, it’s back to the cold of a Michigan winter. The dream of a Super Bowl in Vegas has suddenly vanished. Yes, it was a helluva good season. But the sticky curse endures, apparently.
Bobby Layne, the ultimate competitor, is no doubt urging the Lions to stay on the hunt, to keep stalking the big game and a Super Bowl championship. But maybe, just maybe, Bobby is smirking slightly about his old team’s latest misfortune. I mean, why would the curse get lifted now…when Detroit’s head coach is an Aggie? Especially when the coach on the opposite sideline, Kyle Shanahan of the ’49ers, is a UT grad and former Longhorn wide receiver. Okay, now it all adds up.
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Longhorn football Bobby Layne
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Bobby Layne baseball ol’ number 22, the guy who once hurled a no-hitter for UT while plied with one beer per inning by his roommate and buddy, Rooster Andrews, in the Longhorn dugout.
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Lampasas had a golden key for Johnny “Lam” Jones, and
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“Lam” had a Golden medal for Lampasas.
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The TLSN Facebook site recently featured an article about the life of Johnny “Lam” Jones. Carlton Stowers, a sports journalist, Longhorn track star, and author, visited Lampasas to document the day Johnny “Lam” Jones returned home with his gold medal to preserve the moment for future generations.
For one day, Lampasas was a city of gold. Johnny was given the golden key to the city, and the citizenry was given a gold medal. Both were symbolic gestures that were shared by all.
Below is Carlton’s second article to share with TLSN. It is titled
“WELCOME HOME, JOHNNY- A Day to Remember “
By Carlton Stowers
The article below is an abbreviated version of a chapter in author and ex-Longhorn scholarship track athlete Carlton Stowers’ book, “FRIDAY NIGHT HEROES.”
Only 20 hours earlier, in a drizzling rain in Montreal, he had stepped proudly to the top level of the awards stand to have an Olympic gold medal around his neck. Just 18, Johnny Jones had accomplished that sports world Walter Mittys spent a lifetime dreaming of.
The 70,000 on hand in the Olympic Stadium that 1976 summer day erupted into thundering cheer as Jones and his three American teammates were introduced as members of the winning 4×100 meter relay. Standing to their right was the second-place East German team; on their left was Russia, winner of the bronze medal.
At that moment, with the national anthem playing and the American flag being raised, a wide smile broke across the teenager’s face. The youngest member of the U.S. track and field team, he had earlier become the first American high schooler to reach the Games’ 100-meter finals since Glendale (Calif.) High senior Frank Wycoff managed the feat in 1928. Competing against the elite sprinters of the world, Jones finished sixth. For the rest of Carlton’s story, click on 2019
Author Carlton’s story about Lam is near the end of the link to Lam’s Celebration of Life page.
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