All-Time Longhorns From Austin & Central Texas

 CENTRAL TEXAS:  Deep In The Heart

 by Larry Carlson  https://texaslsn.org

When you reference “Central Texas,” you’re likely thinking…Austin!

Or not.  Maybe you’re talking Waco and the Chip and Joanna Gaines “Magnolia Market” empire.

Perhaps you’re dreaming of the storied Texas Hill Country.  Or the Blackland Prairies region, famed for miles of cotton.

But the subject here is football. The expanse that covers the heart of Texas – in no absolute terms but in some that are generally accepted, at least by Lone Star geographers – has long produced blue-chip crops of football players.

Especially those who would put in the sweat equity to chalk up victories for the University of Texas Longhorns. 

More than a dozen All-Americans highlight the roster of the Longhorn All-Stars I selected for this mythical team of Austinites and other distinguished Central Texans who wore the burnt orange and white. 

Austin has long been the center of Texas, geographically, educationally and politically.

It has been a magnet for Texans for, well, close to two centuries.  Many of us were drawn to the lovely city surrounded by and bisected by hills, rivers and lakes.

Field trips to the state capitol building were a rite of seventh grade passage for generations of junior citizens.  And long before Deep Eddy was better known as a hip vodka brand, Texans flocked to Barton Springs, to Mount Bonnell and to The Drag. 

It’s easy – at least for this writer – to lament what Austin once was and no longer is.  The obvious changes are the Los Angeles-like traffic and the Hollywood cost of living.

What’s missing these days?  Well, just starting with landmark bars and grills…how ’bout Threadgill’s, Hut’s, Dog & Duck, Katz’s  (never closes), Players, Frisco Shop, Hill’s…well, I could go on.  

But the glass is half-full.  A lot of “old” Austin endures, somehow.  And if you’re like Lonnie Musk and Mikey Dell and can afford it all, there’s more to do, more to see than ever.  The tech hub sometimes called “Silicon Hills” offers a plethora delights.

And if you’re not strictly married to Franklin’s and other “fear of being left out” barbecue emporiums where two-hour waits are part of the attraction, Central Texas remains the reigning sovereign nation for ‘cue.  I’ll still take spots such as Smitty’s and Kreuz’s in Lockhart, Louie Mueller’s in Taylor and Luling City Market.  And we’ve still got great dining at Royers Round Top Cafe and Monument Cafe in Georgetown, just for starters.

I mean, the football stars of tomorrow, or next year, have to find reliable sustenance. Dan’s Hamburgers just keeps on flipping tasty burgers at Ben White & Manchaca.  No, I’m not  calling it “Menchaca.”  Matt’s El Rancho on South Lamar continues to dish up the lunch appetizer of champions, the renowned Bob Armstrong dip. 

So, as you come up with your own Longhorn roster of Austin and Cen-Tex stars from the DKR era to the present, ponder your go-to –– or to-go – list of food and drink faves.

And curate a checklist of favorite regional music acts for the tastiest tunes as you roam Central Texas from Fredericksburg to LaGrange, from San Marcos to Groesbeck.

You could do just fine by sticking to Full Nelson, nothin’ but Willie.  And do recall that, long before Willie was Darrell Royal’s boon buddy and favorite picker, he played football for the Abbott Panthers just north of Waco.  Pretty sure Stevie Ray Vaughan never dabbled at outside linebacker or left tackle but that’s no reason to exclude him from the playlist.  I’m definitely dialing up some Joe Tex (born in Rogers, Bell County) for  Southern soul like “Skinny Legs And All” and “I Gotcha.”  Stir in some musica from Temple’s winner of multiple Grammys, Little Joe y La Familia, and you might be ready.  Me, I’m adding a healthy dose of Spoon’s indie tunes.  Went to see ’em at Marfa’s El Cosmico last fall.  Time well spent, in spite of all the requisite black-clad weirdos in Marfa.  I’m an Alpine and Balmorhea guy. All due respect and all.

Anyway, if you can’t add to the set list with your own Central Texas faves, you ain’t tryin’.

Just one more sliver of advice before you hit the road to talk sixty-five years of Longhorn football heroes and their glory.  If you’re within 30 miles of downtown Austin, breathe deeply.  And leave between 10 am and noon.  Hell, face it. Just avoid I-35, the devil’s blacktop, altogether.  As always, get you a bottle of Dr Pepper and some peanuts to fhrow in for the fizz.  Grab jerky, too, though by the pound it sells at gold prices.  Hightail it now for a smorgasbord of brisket, ribs and sausage.  Save a little room, though.  

The absolute must for dessert is a bag of kolaches.  Please tell me you already know that a pig-in-a-blanket ain’t a kolache.  Whether you’re in West, Caldwell or LaGrange, go ahead and get a half-dozen.  Me, I’d go poppyseed.  But peach is fine, too.

Trust me.  One of my grandmothers was a Jirasek, born in Rice’s Crossing.  Nuff said.

Now, cue Willie’s “On The Road Again.”  

Hook ’em.

DEEP IN THE HEART

ALL-STARS ON OFFENSE

In a new day for college football, what with million-dollar player deals, hundreds and hundreds of transfers annually and a “hired gun” mentality, a guy like Sam Ehlinger will be looked upon as “playerus extinctus.”   

Well, I never took Latin but here’s a translation.  They’re not going to be making any more hot recruits-turned-stars like big, tough Sam.  Not only was Ehlinger the state’s high school player of the year as a mere junior at Westlake, he was born to play for Texas, no matter what.  He was the uber-talented prospect who knew where he wanted to play, where he was determined to play.  Number eleven was the prototypical dreamer who possessed the unusual talent and rugged work ethic to realize his dream.

Born in Austin, young Sam was family-trained to envision wearing the burnt orange on the big football stage.

A picture of Sam as a toddler, growling at perceived opponents while flashing the hook ’em sign, would become famous when Ehlinger became the very rare four-year starting quarterback.  

Ehlinger’s Longhorn teams were good but not great.  Even the Sugar Bowl champs from his soph year (2018) lost four games.  But he showed vast improvement as a passer while maintaining his ability to run over and around tacklers.  He threw for 83 touchdowns in his last three campaigns, twice achieving a 5:1 TD-to-pick ratio.

Color him a leader.  He helped recruit for the Horns while he was an early commit, he quickly earned respect of his teammates and started 43 games.  Sam was a star-spangled scholar at UT and won the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of The Year award as a senior.  Embodying the football title of “field general,” Ehlinger weathered the twin storm of Covid-19 and political eruptions among some teammates over “The Eyes of Texas.”  In his final Texas-OU battle, Sam led a fourth quarter comeback and seemed at times like a one-man team.  When the Sooners emerged victorious in four overtimes, Ehlinger had run for four TDs while passing for almost 300 yards and two more scores.

While teammates hurried to the locker room, Sam stood tall on the floor of Cotton Bowl, his hook ’em sign held high for the playing of his university’s alma mater by the Longhorn band.  Though he would miss the second half of his final game that December, he made history as the only Texas QB to start four bowl victories.

Joining Ehlinger in the mythical Austin/Cen-Tex Longhorn team’s backfield is a bullish but speedy runner who set the standard for ground-gaining at UT.  Roosevelt Leaks piled up more than 2,500 yards in his first two years as fullback in the black-and-blue wishbone of 1972 and 1973.  Finishing third in Heisman balloting as a junior in ’73, the bellcow from Brenham High set a UT and SWC single-game rushing record with 342 yards against SMU.  The Mustangs held a surprising 14-0 lead at halftime but Leaks and the Longhorns wore out the Cotton Bowl turf in the second half, cruising to 42 unanswered points for a big win en route to a sixth straight SWC championship for Darrell Royal.

Leaks was the Heisman favorite entering 1974 but was felled by a brutal knee injury in spring drills.  He was not expected to play that fall but his re-hab regimen and willpower enabled him to contribute more than 400 yards while he tutored freshman Earl Campbell.  Rosey Leaks went on to a long, distinguished NFL career, primarily with the Baltimore Colts.

Alongside Leaks is RB Shon Mitchell, a 1000-yard rusher for the ’95 team who starred again in ’96.  Those two teams also featured a pretty fair runner named Ricky Williams and they won the final SWC crown and the first Big XII title.  Mitchell, an LBJ High product, spent two years playing junior college ball before donning the burnt orange.

He averaged an explosive 5.9 yards per carry as a Longhorn.

Hypothetically, Leaks and Mitchell are gonna have the good fortune to face a loosened defense because of the All-Star squad’s receivers.  Jordan Shipley is the gold standard for Texas pass-catchers, and Johnny Lam Jones is the gold medalist Olympian who was a nightmare for SWC defenses in the ’76-’79 years, first as a running back then as the nation’s fastest wideout and return man.

Shipley was UT’s first six-year man, coming back from two trainwreck knee injuries to star with buddy and roommate Colt McCoy on the sensational teams of the 2006-09 Mack Brown era.

Though from eras a quarter-century apart, Jones (of Lampasas) and Shipley (of Burnet) performed their high school heroics just 22 miles apart on Hwy 281, west of Austin.

Jones went to the NFL’s New York Jets as the second overall selection in the ’80 draft and Shipley was an instant success for the Cincinnati Bengals before once again suffering a serious knee injury, this one effectively shortening and ending a promising pro career.

The tight end position is in good and famous hands.  All you’ve gotta say is, “Right 53 Veer Pass,” and Longhorn fans recall that Randy Peschel was on the receiving end of the most crucial long pass in UT history.  It was fourth and three from the UT 43 in the late going of the 1969 “Big Shootout” in Fayetteville.  Peschel, the Austin Lanier guy who had been a wingback before the wishbone came to be, was the only receiver for the wildest gamble Darrell Royal ever dialed up.  It worked to perfection.  James Street’s aerial had eyes for Texas and averted double coverage by inches.  Forty-four yards later, pandemonium erupted on the Texas sideline and in living rooms across the Lone Star State.  Two more plays and Texas had the tying TD that teed up the PAT that lifted Texas to its 19th consecutive win and second national championship.  Peschel, a good blocker and a sure-handed receiver for short yardage, suddenly was famed for life.  And he’s the top tight end for TLSN’s Austin/Cen-Tex team.

In spite of all the talent touching the pigskin, It’s what’s up front that counts.  And what’s up front for this star-studded squad is an O-line featuring three All-America road-grading hosses.  Bob Simmons of Temple was honored twice, in ’74 and ’75, before a long career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Roger Roesler (’99) and Leonard Davis (’00) teamed up for an imposing line in the early Mack Brown era, protecting and paving the way for the likes of Major Applewhite, Ricky Williams, Chris Simms and Hodges Mitchell.  Davis, a 6-6, 355-pound tractor, grew up in tiny Wortham in Freestone County.  A matchup nightmare on the hardwood, he led the Bulldogs’ basketball team to a state title before heading to Austin for football.

He was twice an Outland Trophy finalist and the Arizona Cardinals made him the second pick of the 2001 draft.  A three-time Pro Bowler for the Cowboys, Davis also played in a Super Bowl for San Francisco.

Further fortifying the forward wall, Earl Campbell’s best pal and blocking escort, All-SWC (’77) Rick Ingraham, joins All-Big XII center Zach Shackelford (’19) in our starting line.  ZachShack will be right at home, snapping to his longtime Longhorn QB, Sam Ehlinger.  There’s plenty of depth, too, including Mark Halfmann.  He never racked up an “All-whatever” honors at UT but on a daily basis impressed his teammates – and opponents when he played – and was cited by star linebacker Randy Braband as the second best center he went up against while at Texas.  Braband, of course, was the Cotton Bowl MVP when Texas beat Alabama after the ’72 season.  He said no foe was tougher to face than Halfmann, ranking him behind only Texas starter Bill Wyman.  And Wyman was a consensus All-American forever linked to the great wishbone success of FB Roosevelt Leaks.

 OFFENSE

_________

QB     Sam Ehlinger (’20), Westlake Chaps

RB     Shon Mitchell (’96), Austin LBJ Jaguars

WR   Johnny “Lam” Jones (’79), Lampasas Badgers

TE     Randy Peschel (’69), Austin Lanier Vikings

OL    Leonard Davis (’00), Wortham Bulldogs

C       Zach Shackelford (’19), Belton Tigers (no photos)

OL     Rick Ingraham (’77), Westlake Chaps

OL     Roger Roesler (’99), Round Rock Dragons

THE DEFENSIVE STARTERS

There’s no position group with more of an “embarrassment of riches” than in TLSN’s defensive line all-star quartet.  How ’bout four All-Americans with an Outland Trophy, a Lombardi Trophy, two Super Bowl rings and 400 cows between them?

Brad Shearer was a terror for four years at UT and became the university’s second Outland winner (Scott Appleton won in ’63) for a ’77 defense that held OU and Arkansas without a touchdown en route to an 11-0 regular season.  Kenneth Sims came along the next season, took Shearer’s number 77 jersey and set out to follow in Brad’s big footsteps.  He ended up one-upping Shearer, twice earning All-America status and winning the Lombardi for the ’81 team that won the Cotton Bowl.

The frosting on Sims’ Texas career was becoming the NFL’s first draft pick and playing eight seasons for the New England Patriots.

Malcom (no L, unlike his UT running back teammate) Brown started just two seasons at UT, choosing to follow a banner junior year – for a 6-7 team – by going pro as an All-American and finalist for both the Nagurski and Outland.  Wise decision.  Brown earned two Super Bowl rings for Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

So how does another Longhorn legend stack up with or top the aforementioned trio? Well, if you’re Tony Brackens, you do it by showing up at the Forty Acres with the quintessential cred of a big, bad Texan.  Brackens, who grew up on the family farm outside Fairfield, was a bona fide, bull-roping cowboy.  He utilized quickness to become a big hitter who once even rolled up Coach John Mackovic on the UT sideline while punishing a ballcarrier.  Three times an all-conference pick, Tony ended his fourth year as an All-American.  He led Texas to the ultimate SWC championship in ’95, chalking up six solo tackles as the Horns beat A&M, 16-6 in College Station, earning a Sugar Bowl bid.  Brackens starred for eight seasons in Jacksonville, played in the Pro Bowl and walked away at 29 to return to ranching in Fairfield.  There, Tony and his wife raised three kids.  He tended to a herd of 400 cattle and even put on an annual rodeo for the town, still competing in roping competitions.  

In the illustrious history of Texas Longhorn football, Tommy Nobis is usually acknowledged as the greatest linebacker.  Similarly, Derrick Johnson gets certified by most as the next best.  Some, notably Austin American-Statesman columnist Cedric Golden, tout Johnson as second to none.   Last fall he ranked Waco’s Johnson (2001-2004 at UT) as the best.  

Nobis and Johnson were both two-time All-Americans and three-time all-conference first team (Nobis made it as a two-way player at guard and linebacker).

As NFL stars, Nobis made it to five Pro Bowls with Atlanta while Johnson earned Pro Bowl trips four times for Kansas City.

Whatever your call, Johnson is Longhorn royalty and has even been mentoring some current Texas defensive players.  They could learn a lot from the man who had sprinter’s speed (he qualified for state as a high schooler) and the ability to make tackles from sideline to sideline.

Rounding out the linebacking corps for our dream team are Johnny Treadwell (Austin High) and Bruce Scholtz (Austin Crockett).  Treadwell, a ’62 All-American, spearheaded the defense that allowed just 59 points in UT’s 9-0-1 regular season, the first unbeaten one in school history.  He was  6-1 and 195, about average for the era, but “Chopper” was a hard-hitting, sure tackler and team captain.  He combined with Pat Culpepper in one of the iconic hits in Longhorn history.  As  seventh-ranked Arkansas bore down on a touchdown that would provide a 10-0 fourth quarter lead against top-ranked Texas, Treadwell and Culpepper popped the Hogs’ Danny Brabham as he tried to go up and over the Horns.  The ball was the champagne cork and Texas recovered, then later mounted a long drive and won, 7-3, with but 36 ticks to play.

Intense and heady as a player, Treadwell as a student operated the same way, minus the collisions.  Twice he was All-American as a scholar.  Johnny went on to become Dr Treadwell, practicing veterinary medicine for forty years.

Bruce Scholtz arrived at UT from just a few miles away in South Austin, looking like a gangly basketball player at 6-6, 215 pounds.  He had, in fact, been a hoops standout, averaging 19 points and leading the Crockett Cougars in rebounds while not captaining the football team.  Texas Coach Fred Akers told this writer, “Bruce looks like a skinned rabbit.” But he was ready to play and contribute, steadily proving and improving over four years as a defensive force for excellent Longhorn defenses.  In the ’82 NFL draft, Seattle tabbed Scholtz with the 34th pick.  “The Stork” racked up more than 500 tackles in seven seasons with the Seahawks.  

Only one Longhorn can lay claim to grabbing two of the five biggest interceptions in school history.  His name, of course, is Tom Campbell.  The former walk-on started for the ’68 and ’69 teams that won their last 20 in a row while snaring two Southwest Conference titles and a natty.  Most opponents back then weren’t slinging the ball around all that much, so Tom and his secondary compadres were frequently up for run support.  When the foes did need to pass, they need not have thrown in Campbell’s direction.   Arkansas QB Bill Montgomery and Notre Dame’s Joe Theismann can attest to that.  They learned the hard way.  Number 84 stole late fourth quarter passes that enabled James Street and the Horns to run out the clock in 1969’s “Big Shootout” in Fayetteville and in the follow-up Cotton Bowl against the Irish.

Joining Campbell – who played alongside twin brother, Mike. and for his dad, legendary UT defensive master, coach Mike Campbell – are three Horns who starred at Texas, then rocked the NFL.  We’ll start with Johnnie Johnson, the tackler, pass defender and deluxe return man from La Grange.  He was All-SWC for Fred Akers’ first three teams, All-America twice and played a decade with the L.A. Rams.  Johnson earned All-Pro accolades and returned an interception 99 yards for a team record that’s unlikely to be bested.  Post-football, Johnson has been involved in a variety of business interests and authored several books.  And his kids, Collin and Kirk, played for the Longhorns.

Michael Griffin flew into the end zone, hard by the pylon, to make a clutch steal of a Matt Leinart pass the night Texas beat USC for the whole enchilada. He was a vital piece of the title team, having led the Horns in tackles for ’05.  He again paced Texas tacklers as a senior in ’06.  Griffin set the UT career record with eight blocked kicks and specialized in causing and recovering fumbles.  The man who averaged nine yards per carry as a Bowie Bulldog senior had an uber-successful NFL career as a mainstay in the Tennessee Titans’ secondary, picking off 25 passes.  In recent years, Griffin got into the Gigi’s Cupcakes biz and served the Longhorn Network as an analyst unafraid to criticize and advise a sometimes leaky Texas pass defense.

It was in the 2008 season that cornerback Aaron Williams (Round Rock McNeil) first established his bona fides as a bigtime player for Texas, intercepting a pass and taking it 81 yards to the house.  In 2009, for the Horns that faced Bama in the title bout, Williams earned high marks in every facet of play.  Aaron was on the watch lists for the Nagurski and the Thorpe as a junior in ’10, then declared for the draft.  He was chosen 34th overall by the Bills and built a solid career in spite of injuries.  Retired from pro football, he founded the Ballhawk Academy back home, tutoring young defensive backs with college aspirations.

 Defense

————

DL     Kenneth Sims (’81), Groesbeck Goats

DL     Tony Brackens (’95), Fairfield Eagles

DL     Malcom Brown (’14), Brenham Cubs

LB     Johnny Treadwell (’62), Austin Maroons

LB     Bruce Scholtz (’81), Austin Crockett Cougars

DB     Johnnie Johnson (’79), LaGrange Leopards

DB     Tom Campbell (’69), Austin Reagan Raiders

DB     Aaron Williams (’10), Round Rock McNeil Mavericks

SPECIALISTS

_______________

K        Justin Tucker (’11), Westlake Chaps P        John Teltschik (’85), Kerrville Tivy Antlers

Returns     Dean Campbell (’71), Austin Maroons; Ramonce Taylor (’05), Belton Tigers

 ALL-STAR DEPTH, OFFENSE

___________________

QB     Mike Cotten (’61), Austin Maroons; Bret Stafford (’87), Belton Tigers,

            David Ash (’14), Belton Tigers

Backs     John “Sky” Walker (’83), Killeen Kangaroos; Will Matthews (’04), Round Rock 

                  Westwood Warriors; Carl Robinson (’82), Temple Wildcats

WR     Kwame Cavil (’99), Waco Lions; Quan Cosby (’08), Mart Panthers;  Alfred Jackson   (’77), Caldwell Hornets;  Billy Pittman (’06), Cameron Yoe Yoemen;   George Sauer, Jr (’64), Waco Lions;  Bill Boy Bryant (’84), Dublin Lions;  Ryan Nunez (’99), Westlake Chaps

TE        Cade Brewer (’21), Lake Travis Cavaliers, Bobby Micho (’83), Austin Anderson  Trojans; Jimmy Hakes (’94), Kerrville Tivy Antlers     

OL       Travis Roach (’72), Marlin Bulldogs; David McWilliams (’63), Cleburne Yellow   Jackets; David Jones (’83), Austin Crockett Cougars; Howard Goad (’66),   Cleburne Yellow Jackets; Charlie Tanner’09), Austin Anderson Trojans,   Dominic Espinosa(’14), Cedar Park Timberwolves; Mark Halfmann (’74), Austin Travis Rebels

ALL-STAR DEPTH, DEFENSE

__________________________

LINE   Alex Okafor (’12), Pflugerville Panthers;  Ray Dowdy (’71), Austin Reagan

             Raiders; Eric Holle (’83), Bo Robinson (’91), Bremond Tigers,

             Austin LBJ Jaguars; Roy Miller (’08), Killeen Shoemaker Wolves; 

             Breckyn Hager (’18), Westlake Chaps

LB        Pat Culpepper (’62), Cleburne Yellow Jackets; Winfred Tubbs (’93) Fairfield

              Eagles; Tim Doerr (’64), Cleburne Yellow Jackets; Mike Campbell (’69),

              Austin Reagan Raiders; Duane Duncum (’89), Westlake Chaps

DB        Blake Gideon (’11), Leander Lions; Eric Jeffries (’85); Austin LBJ Jaguars;

               Fred Sarchet (’75); Cleburne Yellow Jackets; Dylan Haines (’16), Lago

               Vista Vikings; Bobby Johnson (’81), LaGrange Leopards

ALL-STAR DEPTH, SPECIALISTS

——————

K            Jeff Ward (’86), Westlake Chaps

              Cameron Dicker (’21), Lake Travis Cavaliers; Happy Feller (’70), Fredericksburg

               Hillbillies; Billy “Sure” Schott (’74), Austin Reagan Raiders; Michael Pollack (’90),

               Austin Johnston Rams; Ryan Bailey (’09), Austin Anderson Trojans

P            Cameron Dicker (’21), Lake Travis Cavaliers

LS          David Jones (’83), Austin Crockett Cougars