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The Texas Longhorns football team is the intercollegiate football team at The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. On November 27, 2008, the Longhorns passed Notre Dame as the second winningest college football team, having won 832 games to Notre Dame's 831.[3] However, another source that takes into account all game forfeitures by NCAA teams has the Longhorns with 835 wins.[4] They are ranked 2nd in all-time wins, one of only seven programs to have attained at least 800 all-time victories, ranked 3rd in all-time winning percentage (71.8%), ranked 2nd in number of bowl game appearances (25-21-2), and ranked 8th in number of games played (1182).[5] The Longhorns have won four Division I-A national championships — in 1963, 1969, 1970, and 2005. Two Longhorn players have won the Heisman Trophy, college football's highest individual honor: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998). In 2008 the Texas Longhorn football program kept its record NFL Draft streak alive by having at least one player selected in 71 consecutive drafts dating back to 1938.[6] As of 2008, ESPN ranked the Texas Longhorns the 7th most prestigious college football program since 1936.[7] Texas football plays its home games at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, located on-campus in Austin. The current head coach of the team is Mack Brown, who is under contract through the 2016 season. When Brown retires, he will be succeeded by Will Muschamp, who was named coach-in-waiting in November 2008. [edit] Current coaching staffThe current head coach of the team is Mack Brown, who is under contract through the 2016 season. When Brown retires, he will be succeeded by Will Muschamp, who was named coach-in-waiting in November 2008. Mack Brown has been the head coach of the Longhorns since 1998. His offensive coordinator is Greg Davis and his defensive coordinator is Will Muschamp. On January 16, 2008, former UT quarterback Major Applewhite accepted a job with Texas as assistant head coach and running backs coach.[8] [edit] Facilities The Longhorns play their home games in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (formerly just "Memorial Stadium" and "Texas Memorial Stadium"). The stadium is located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, Texas. The current official stadium capacity is 100,119,[9] making it the largest football venue in the state of Texas,[10] the largest in the Big 12 Conference,[11] and the 5th largest on-campus stadium in the NCAA. A stadium, Big 12 Conference and then state of Texas attendance record of 101,297 was set on September 19, 2009.[12] The stadium has been expanded several times since its original opening, with a major expansion completed in 1999. The stadium has been undergoing additional renovations and expansion since 2005. Stage one was completed in 2006 and consisting mainly of updates in accordance with newer fire safety codes. Stage two began in 2006 and consisted of seating expansion and addition of new facilities in the north end zone. Those seats were completed for the 2008 season, though some work is still ongoging to the exterior facade and meeting rooms located inside the expansion.[13] Renovations began on the stadium November 14, 2005, two days following UT's last home football game of the 2005 season. The improvements scheduled were completed before the 2006-2007 football season, and included additional seating[14] and the nation's first high definition video display in a collegiate facility nicknamed "Godzillatron."[15] With the new bleacher seating section added behind the south endzone, the stadium's stated capacity for the 2006 season was 85,123.[16] An attendance record of 89,442 people occurred on September 9, 2006 for the Longhorns' 24–7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. That set a new record for the greatest number of people ever to gather for a football game in the state of Texas.[17] It also set a record for the number of people watching a game at any stadium in the Big 12 Conference.[18] Due to the north end zone expansion the Longhorns broke this record several times in 2008. An attendance record of 98,053 people occurred on August 30, 2008 for the Longhorns' 52–10 win against Florida Atlantic University. That set a new record for the greatest number of people ever to gather for a football game in the state of Texas.[19] It also set a record for the number of people watching a game at any stadium in the Big 12 Conference.[20] The record was beaten three times later in the year when 98,383 saw the #1-ranked Longhorns defeat the #11-ranked Missouri Tigers,[21] then when 98,518 saw UT beat the #6-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, and then when 98,621[12] saw #4-ranked Texas beat unranked rival Texas A&M 49–9[22] on November 27, 2008. Construction in the south end zone of the stadium began in late April/early May 2009 with the building of two additional "towers", a new Football Academic Center, a new Hall of Fame, and the addition of 4,525 permanent bleacher seats, which raised the home attendance to more than 100,000.[23] Funding for this project cost approximately $27 million dollars and also included money to change from natural to artificial grass.[24] In June 2009, the university completed the process of replacing the stadium's natural grass playing surface with FieldTurf. The September 19, 2009 game against Texas Tech registered an attendance of 101,297 which is the current overall attendance record for the stadium and the Big 12 Conference. The final planned phase of the stadium's expansion includes the construction of permanent seating and an upper deck in the south end zone, completely enclosing the playing field. The stadium's seating capacity is expected to reach 112,000 once the south end zone is fully enclosed, which would mean DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium would surpass Penn State's Beaver Stadium, the largest football stadium in North America.[25] However, the date of the final construction phase to fully enclose the south end zone has not been set nor have any funds been raised. Varying sources claim this phase may not take place for upwards of 15 years (approximately the 2024 season). [edit] Uniforms[edit] ColorsThe 1893 team did not always wear orange; their striped uniforms were gold and white. In 1895, the UT Athletic Association moved to orange and white colors. In 1897 the Association moved to orange and maroon to save cleaning costs. The Cactus Yearbook at the time listed the University colors as either gold or orange and white until the 1899 Cactus declared the University colors to be gold and maroon. Students at the University's medical branch in Galveston were in favor of royal blue. By 1899, a UT fan could have worn any of yellow, orange, white, red, maroon, or even blue.[26] The Board of Regents held an election in that year to decide the team colors. Students, faculty, staff and alumni were asked vote. 1,111 votes were cast, with 562 in favor of orange and white. Orange and maroon received 310, royal blue 203, crimson 10, and royal blue and crimson 11. For the next thirty years, Longhorn teams wore bright orange on their uniforms, which faded to yellow by the end of the season. By the 1920s, other teams sometimes called the Longhorn squads "yellow bellies," a term that didn't sit well with the athletic department. In 1928, UT football coach Clyde Littlefield ordered uniforms in a darker shade of orange that wouldn't fade, which would later become known as "burnt orange" or "Texas orange." The dark-orange color was used until the dye became too expensive during the Great Depression, and the uniforms reverted to the bright orange for another two decades, until coach Darrell Royal revived the burnt-orange color in the early 1960s.[26] [edit] Helmets From 1961 to 1962, the Longhorns' helmets featured the individual player's number on the side in burnt orange above the "Bevo" logo, which was also in burnt orange, with a large burnt-orange stripe down the middle of the helmet.  The burnt-orange stripe was removed in 1963 and the helmet featured only the burnt-orange Bevo logo below the player's number, which was also in burnt orange.  In 1967, the team abandoned the individual player's number above the logo, and moved the burnt-orange Bevo logo to the center of the helmet's side. With the exception of the 1969 season, this remained the team's helmet design until 1977.  In 1969, the helmet design commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first college football game. The player's number was replaced by a large burnt-orange football above the Bevo logo. Inside the football was a white number "100" that indicated the anniversary year.  For its appearance in the 1982 Cotton Bowl game against Alabama, Texas used a special version of the longhorn logo which included between the "horns" of the Bevo logo the words "COTTON BOWL CLASSIC" and a picture of a cotton boll.  A special helmet design was used in 2005 during the home game against Louisiana-Lafayette on September 3. This helmet was similar to the 1963-1966 helmet, but featured the current white facemask.[27] [edit] HistoryThe University of Texas began playing football in 1893 and has traditionally been considered a college football powerhouse, having earned four National Championships, including one to conclude the 2005-06 season. From 1936 to 2008, Longhorn football teams have been ranked in 63 out of 74 seasons or 85% of the time, they have finished their seasons ranked in the top ten of at least one of the two major polls 27 times, or more than one-third of the time, and finished in the top twenty-five 46 times out of 72 polls, according to the Associated Press. From 1893-1932 the Longhorn football program began to dominate college football producing a 247-75-16 or 78% winning record. In 1933, the program had it first losing season ever, going 4-5-2. Some of the following years did not get much better for Texas during the Great Depression until 1939 when a comeback victory over Arkansas revitalized the Texas Football Program. For the next 15 seasons Texas produced winning records and once again dominated the college football scene going 110-31-3. The Longhorn football program experienced sustained success under the guidance of legendary head coach Darrell Royal, who led the Longhorns to three National Championships (in 1963, 1969, and 1970) during his twenty-year career with the Longhorns (1957–1976) going 167-47-5. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the program was somewhat less successful, but Texas has since returned to prominence in college football, finishing in the top six of the AP and coaches' polls in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008. Two Texas Longhorn running backs have won college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998). Eleven Longhorns have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame,[28] while four are enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.[29] Other Longhorn players have also received recognition for their performance. As of the end of the 2008 season, the Longhorns' all-time record is 832–316–33 (.718). Only Notre Dame and the University of Michigan have won a greater percentage of games played than Texas,[30] and only Michigan has won more games overall. Texas recorded its 800th victory with the Longhorns' 41–38 win over the USC Trojans in the 2006 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. On November 27, 2008, Texas' 49–9 victory over Texas A&M in the last game of the regular season was the 831th win for the UT football program, which surpassed Notre Dame for 2nd in the list of total wins.[31] Notre Dame lost later that week in their final regular season game, and both teams won their bowl contest, leaving Texas with 832 wins and Notre Dame with 831 until the 2009 season. The Longhorns are currently coached by Mack Brown, who came to Texas after being head coach at North Carolina. [edit] Early History (1893-1926)The University of Texas fielded its first permanent football team in 1893 managed by Albert Lefevra the secretary-treasurer of the UT Athletic Association. The team played four games, a pair in the fall and two more in the spring. The first was against the Dallas Foot Ball Club that claimed to be the best in the state. Held at the Dallas Fair Grounds, the game attracted a then-record 1,200 onlookers. It was a tough and spirited match, but when the dust had settled, the "University Eleven" had pulled off an 18–16 upset. "Our name is pants, and our glory has departed," growled the Dallas Daily News. The UT club would go on to a spotless record and earn the undisputed boast of "best in Texas.[32] After the inaugural season Texas officially hired its first coach, R.D. Wentworth, for $325 plus expenses. Wentworth shut out the first six opponents, outscoring them 191-0 before miserably losing their final game to Missouri 28-0. Over the next 30 years Texas had a slew of coaches none with a tenure longer than three years, however the University of Texas football team's record over this tumultuous period was an astounding 200-57-12.[33] Texas participated in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913-1917 winning two titles in 1913 and 1914 then Texas joined the Southwest Conference in 1915 and won their first SWC Championship in 1920. [edit] The Littlefield Era (1927-1936)Clyde Littlefield was the first superstar to both play for and coach the Longhorns. During his second season he won the SWC in 1928 and another in 1930. Coach Littlefeild only had one losing season; however it was one to many. After the 1933 season ending 4-5-2, the Longhorns first losing season ever, many people called for his resignation. He resigned as the Longhorns football coach but stayed on as a very successful track coach. Till this day he is still the 4th winningest coach for the University of Texas with a record of 44-18-6.[34] After the resignation Jack Chevigny, a national celebrity and ex-Notre Dame player, was hired in 1934. His first season as head coach included a stunning victory over Notre Dame, 7-6, in South Bend, IN. After his initial winning season of 7-2-1(often credited to Littlefield), his career at Texas came crashing down when the Longhorns went 4-6 in 1935 and 2-6-1 in 1936 after which he resigned. Till this day Chevigny is the only head football coach at UT with a losing record of 13-14-2.[35] [edit] The Bible Decade (1937-1946)The coach chosen to replace Jack Chevigny after the 1936 season was Dana X. Bible. In the middle of the Great Depression, Texas courted and hired Bible from his successful head coaching job at the University of Nebraska, to be the coach and athletics director at the University of Texas. After two initial rough seasons where Texas only won three games, Bible successfully transformed Texas into a national powerhouse. The turning point came in October 1939 when Texas was playing Arkansas in Austin. Down 13-7 Texas managed to score in the wanning seconds of the game and beat Arkansas 14-13. This game became known as the "Renaissance Game" of the Bible era, and revitalized the Texas football program. After an 8-2 season in 1940, Bible then led the Longhorns to there 1st No. 1 ranking in 1941 during the season and their 1st ever bowl game where the Longhorns beat Georgia Tech 14-7 at the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns of 1941 were featured on the cover of Life Magazine, and are still to this day considered one of the greatest Texas teams of all time. Many sportswriters of that time declared the 1941 team as National Champions, however the AP poll did not select them. Bible's team went 32-6-2 from 1940-1943. In 1945, with the help of legendary quarterback Bobby Lane, Bible led the Longhorn to their first 10 victory season which ended in a dramatic 40-27 Cotton Bowl victory over Missouri of which Lane score all 40 points. The following year Texas was picked as the pre-season number 1 team again, but 2 losses dropped them in the polls. Bible's final season as head coach in 1946 resulted in an 8-2 record, going out with a 24-7 win over rival Texas A&M. Over his tenure at UT, Bible acquired 3 SWC titles in 1942, 1943, 1945 and two Cotton Bowl victories with a post season record of 2-0-1. In 1946 Bible retired from coaching but stayed on as athletic director. He is still to this day the 3rd winningest coach in UT history with a record of 63-31-3. Despite not winning a national championship, Bible laid the foundation for the Texas football program and for future head coaches. Through his "Bible Plan", he inspired his players not only to succeed on the field but also to succeed in the classroom and in life. His teams of the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s are still regarded as some of the best in school history.[36] [edit] From Best to Worst (1947-1956)Handpicked by Bible as his successor, was Blair Cherry in 1947. Cherry in 1947 with a veteran squad, including All-American quarterback Bobby Layne, led the Longhorns to a near-perfect record of 10-1, defeating No. 6 Alabama 27-7 in the Sugar Bowl and finished the year ranked fifth nationally in his first season of 1947. Cherry's 1948 team was 7-3-1, including a 41-28 win over No. 8 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Cherry's 1950 team won the SWC title going 9-2 and was ranked No. 3 nationally, however during mid-season Cherry announced that he would be leaving Texas to enter the oil business at the conclusion of the season. When Cherry quit he suffered from an ulcer and insomnia although later disclosed that the over-emphasis on winning led to his resignation. During his 4 year reign Cherry was 32-10-1 leading the Longhorns to three bowl games (two victorious) and two of top-five national rankings.[37] After Cherry’s abrupt resignation Ed Price was promoted to head coach. The first three seasons under Price carried over the success of Bible and Cherry leading the Longhorns to 3 winning seasons, a victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl, and two SWC titles, until 1954 when Texas went 4-5-1, its first losing season in 15 years. After capping off a three losing seasons in a row with a 1-9 season (the worst record in the schools history) Price tendered his resignation in 1956. At the end of his coaching career Price was 33-27-1 in six seasons.[38] [edit] The Age of Royal (1957-1976)Darrell K. Royal, a native Oklahoman, previously coached at Mississippi State and Washington before being hired by Athletic Director Dana X. Bible for the head coaching job at Texas. In his first season he took the 1-9 Longhorns to 6-4-1. The '57 Longhorns obtained a #11 ranking and played in the Sugar Bowl. The next two years turned out even better for Texas, posting a 7-3 record in 1958 and a 9-1 record in 1959 along with a Cotton Bowl berth against Syracuse. Royal's teams of the 1960's and 1970's are regarded as some of the best in school history. The Texas team of 1961 posted a 10-1 record along with a Cotton Bowl victory and the team of 1962 posted a 9-1-1 record with a Cotton Bowl berth. In his seventh season, Royal, with the help of star linebacker Tommy Nobis, led UT to their first National Championship in 1963 posting a perfect 11-0 record with a victory over Navy in the Cotton Bowl. 1964 was almost perfect as Texas went 10-1 on the season and beat Joe Namath and #1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, 21-17. Royals teams of the early 1960's went 40-3-1. The next three seasons posted a 19-12 win/loss record, but in 1968 Royal became the first coach to install the Wishbone formation in the backfield. With this powerful new offense in effect the 1968 team went 9-1-1 with a demolishing 36-13 victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl. They captured back to back national championship titles in 1969 and 1970 with comeback victories over Arkansas in the "Game of the Century" and over Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns record from 1968-1970 was an amazing 30-2-1, which included winning 30 straight games. Texas was also in the hunt for national titles again in 1972 and 1975, but those teams finished 10-1 and 10-2 with top 5 rankings. Royal is also credited for winning the Southwest Conference Title six years in a row from 1968-1973 along with six straight Cotton Bowl appearances. He successfully revitalized the Texas football program in 1957 and put the team back to national prominence over the next 20 seasons. Over the course of his 20 year career DKR never had a losing season, led the Longhorns to 3 National Championships, 11 Southwest Conference Titles, 16 bowl games, and 9 top 5 poll rankings, 15 top 25 poll rankings, 30 straight victories, and a record of 167-47-5 which till this day is the winningest coach ever to coach at the University of Texas. After retiring from coaching football in 1976, Royal continued his role as athletic director for many years. In 1996 the University of Texas officially honored him by renaming Texas Memorial Stadium to the Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.[39] [edit] The Akers Years (1977-1986)After Royal's retirement, he assumed that his long time assistant coach Mike Campbell would take over as head coach, however the University has other plans. They picked a younger, former assistant coach of Royal's, Fred Akers who has had some success at Wyoming. With his new staff, implementation of the "I" formation, and some help from future Heisman trophy winner Earl Campbell; Akers led the '77 Longhorns to 11-0 and would have acquired UT's 4th National Championship if not for a loss to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. After a few winning seasons, Akers once again almost captured a National Championship in 1981 by beating Alabama in the Cotton Bowl landing his team at #2 in the final polls. In 1983 Akers had his Texas team on the hunt for a National Championship that had eluded him twice before and led the Longhorn to an 11-0 season but were defeated by Georgia in the Cotton Bowl. Akers teams from 1981-1983 produced an incredible 30-5-1 record over three seasons. During his career at Texas he was praised for his winning seasons but drew ire from the Longhorn faithful for not winning a national championship. In 1986, Akers had his first losing season 5-6 due to many key injuries. After nine winning seasons, nine bowl games, 2 SWC titles, and 1 Heisman trophy winner; Akers' tenure ended at the University of Texas with a 86-31-2 record.[40] [edit] The Rebuilding (1986-1998)After the exiting of Akers, Texas hired David McWilliams who was a former assistant coach at UT. McWilliams had just had his first promising year at Texas Tech before accepting the Texas. With a solid 7-5 first season and a Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Pittsburg in 1986, McWilliams initially reminded people of Darrel K. Royal. However, after two losing season of 4-7 in 1988 and 5-6 in 1989, the luster had worn off. But after an opening victory of Penn State in 1990 McWilliams began the "Shock the Nation" tour leading his team to 10-1, only losing to the future National Champions Colorado. The 1990 Longhorns went to the Cotton Bowl where they were destroyed by Miami. After the 1990 season, many Texas fans had hope of National Championship in 1991, but were eventually disappointed when Texas finished with a 5-6 record which caused McWilliams to resign. At the end of his coaching career McWilliams led Texas to 2 bowl games, 1 SWC title, and a 31-26 record.[41] The forcing out of David McWilliams, allowed UT to hire John Mackovic as head coach from Illinois. Having coach at the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys, Mackovic brought a fresh prospective to Texas. He had a great ability to recruit fresh talent, like future Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. Mackovic also pushed to renovate the University's facilities, which offended some of his supporters. Mackovic was determined to rebuild the Longhorns from the ground up. In 1992 the Horns went 6-5 (but were not bowl eligible due to one win over a D1-AA school), and in 1993 went 5-5-1. The Longhorns began to see some hope in 1994 when after a 7-4 regular season record and a shared SWC title, Texas won its first bowl game in 7 years at the Sun Bowl in a come form behind victory against North Carolina. In 1995 the Horns went 10-1-1 under Mackovic with a SWC title, although they were defeated in the Sugar Bowl by Virginia Tech. 1996 brought about the formation of the new Big 12 Conference and new talks about Texas winning a National Championship. But after going 4-3, the horns struggled just to stay bowl eligible. Texas then rallied winning 5 straight including a victory over the defending National Champion Nebraska. Texas won the first ever Big 12 Conference title and went to the Fiesta Bowl where they were defeated by Penn State. After a major loss to UCLA at the beginning of the 1997 season, and going 4-7, Mackovic was reassigned within the athletic department leaving his UT coaching record at 41-28-2.[42] [edit] Texas Longhorns under Mack Brown (1998-Present)Main article: Texas Longhorns football under Mack Brown The Longhorns are currently coached by Mack Brown, who came to Texas in 1998, after being head coach at North Carolina. Brown's first season in 1998 was an incredible turnaround from the 4-7 1997 season. In 1998, Texas went 9-3 on the season, including an upset victory over Nebraska, 20-16, in Lincoln. Texas went on to face and dominated Mississippi State in the 1999 Cotton Bowl, the first New Years Bowl victory since 1981. After a great start in 1998, the talk of national championships began in 1999. 1999 did not get off to a good start, but Texas rebounded with a huge third straight victory over #3 Nebraska in Austin and finished the season 9-5. The 2000 season had Texas once again in prime position for a national championship, but 2 losses during the season had Texas end up in a shoot-out match with Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. From 2001 through 2003 Texas was once again in prime position to play in the national championship game, but losses to Oklahoma and an upset by Colorado in the 2001 Big XII title game ended those hopes. Texas rebounded to win their bowl games those years, however Brown was criticized for not getting his teams to a BCS bowl game. From 1998 through the 2006–2007 season, the Longhorns had a 93–22 (81%) win-loss record. In his first six years at Texas, Brown had a winning record but had not managed to win the Big 12 conference or to lead the Longhorn into a Bowl Championship Series game. He was often lauded for his recruiting while being criticized for failing to win championships. [edit] 2004That changed with the 2004 Texas Longhorn football team (11–1, 2005 Rose Bowl Champions) who played in the 2005 Rose Bowl against the Wolverines of the University of Michigan. The game was the first meeting between the two storied programs and the Longhorns' first trip to the Rose Bowl. In a classic game that featured five lead changes and three tie scores during the course of play, the Longhorns defeated the Wolverines 38–37 on a successful 37-yard field goal by place kicker Dusty Mangum as time expired. It was the first time the Rose Bowl had ever been decided on the closing play, and it earned the Longhorns a top 5 finish in the polls. Three ex-Longhorns from the 2005 Rose Bowl team — Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, and Bo Scaife — were selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. [edit] 2005 Brown followed up the strong 2004 season on the field with an extremely successful 2005 recruiting season by securing the top-ranked recruiting class (the 2005 recruiting season is for players entering the University in Fall 2006). Texas returned most of their key players from 2004–2005, including red-shirt Junior Quarterback Vince Young. The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team (13–0, BCS National Champions) was given a pre-season #2 ranking (behind defending National Champions University of Southern California) by Sports Illustrated magazine, and was also ranked second in the AP and USA Today coaches pre-season polls. They maintained those rankings throughout the entire 2005–2006 season. In 2005, Texas was tested early with another big challenge in Columbus, OH where they faced Ohio State in the first ever meeting between the two schools. Texas rebounded late in the game and won the first meeting 25-22. Through the remainder of the season Texas dominated every team they faced including a 45-12 victory over Oklahoma which ended the five loss streak to their arch-rival. Texas and USC ended up winning out their seasons and faced each other in the National Championship, which Texas won, 41–38. The game featured three former Heisman Trophy candidates; Vince Young, 2004 winner Matt Leinart, and 2005 recipient USC running back Reggie Bush, At the conclusion of the 2005–2006 season, Sports Illustrated issued a special commemorative edition that featured Vince Young shouting in triumph amidst a storm of multi-colored confetti. Features in the special edition included a story on Vince Young's Glory Days by author Tim Layden, as well as a story dissecting How the Rose Bowl was won by Austin Murphy. The issue was on sale nationwide alongside the regular edition of the magazine, which also featured the Rose Bowl on the cover. [edit] 2006The 2006 Texas Longhorn football team (10–3, 2006 Alamo Bowl Champions) hoped to repeat as national champions. The Texas Longhorns returned several offensive (7) and defensive (7) starters from their National Title team, but quarterback Vince Young elected to go the NFL which left freshman Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback. Texas opened the season with a win at home against North Texas. Their second game, against Ohio State, was one of the most anticipated college football games of the regular season.[43][44][45] The Longhorns lost that game, but then defeated Rice, Iowa State and Sam Houston State by a combined score of 145–24. After defeating number 14th ranked Oklahoma Sooners 28–10 in the Red River Rivalry, it appeared that the Longhorns were a near-certainty to once again play in the Big 12 Championship game for a chance to enter the Bowl Championship Series. However, 5 games later against unranked Kansas State, Colt McCoy suffered a neck stinger injury on a quarterback sneak, and in the Lone Star Showdown rivalry game against unranked Texas A&M, he was knocked out of the game by a helmet-to-helmet tackle. Partially due to these injuries, Texas lost both games, 45–42 and 12-7 respectively, their first consecutive losses in over five years. As a result, the Oklahoma Sooners won the division and played in the Big 12 Championship game. The Alamo Bowl, with the 5th pick of Big 12 conference teams selected the Longhorns to play against unranked Iowa who had placed 8th in the Big Ten conference. McCoy was able to return at quarterback, and the Longhorns narrowly defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 26–24. [edit] 2007Texas entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage.[46][47] They were ranked in the Top 10 by numerous pre-season polls. For instance, a pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth;[48] Rivals.com had them at ninth.[49] College Football News[50] and Real Football 365[51] both had Texas ranked third. Texas started out 4–0, but with some sloppy playing, edging out 2 unranked/non-power teams (Arkansas State and UCF) but easily defeating old SWC foes Rice and 19th-ranked TCU. Texas then suffered back-to-back losses to Kansas State (41–21) and Oklahoma (28–21). Texas surged back into form, winning the next 5 games in a row. They had to come back from double-digit deficits to defeat Nebraska (28–25) and Oklahoma State (38–35) in consecutive weeks and won a shoot-out with Texas Tech (59–43). Nevertheless at 9−2, the Longhorns were poised to gain a BCS bowl berth. However, a 30–38 loss to Texas A&M dashed these hopes. The 2007 Longhorns finished the season 10–3 with a victory in the 2007 Holiday Bowl.[52] [edit] 2008In January 2008 NBC Sports listed the Texas Longhorns among the seven top candidates for best team of the decade.[53] The Longhorns started the season ranked #11 but jumped to #1 after beating #1 Oklahoma. They retained their #1 status by beating #11 ranked Missouri and #6 ranked Oklahoma State. The Longhorns then lost to #6 ranked Texas Tech on a last second, game winning catch by Michael Crabtree on November 1. On November 18, 2008, The University of Texas announced that Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp would eventually succeed Mack Brown as head football coach. They agreed in principle to increase Muschamp’s salary to $900,000. There was no timetable set for Brown’s departure, and both Brown and UT said they expected Brown to stay a long time.[54] On Novemer 22, 2008, The Texas Tech Red Raiders were defeated by the Oklahoma Sooners which caused a three way tied in the Big 12 South. The Big 12 tiebreaker was based on the who ever was the highest on the final BCS standing.[55] On November 30, 2008, The BCS standings were released and the Sooners were ahead of the Longhorns by .0128 points[56] , sending the Sooners to the BCS National Championship Game vs the #1 Florida Gators, and the Longhorns to the Fiesta Bowl. On January 5 2009, the 3rd ranked University of Texas defeated 10th ranked Ohio State, 24-21, in the Fiesta Bowl. With under a minute to play, Texas WR Quan Cosby caught the game winning touchdown. Texas finished the 2008 season with a 12-1 record, with their only loss against Texas Tech. On January 8 2009, the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the Florida Gators 14-24. This is still a point of contension for Longhorn fans that point out that the ten point margin of victory is the same as the 45-35 victory during the Red River Shootout. That single play by Michael Crabtree on November 1 2008 is believed to have cost not only Colt McCoy the Heisman trophy, but also the '08 Longhorns a shot at the BCS National Championship game. Since 1998, Brown has produced 12 straight 9 win seasons and since 2001 he has produced 9 straight seasons of at least 10 victories. Brown is also credited for having Texas ranked in the AP top 25 poll for the most consecutive weeks at 153 from 2000-present. [edit] Notable Games
[edit] Championships[edit] National championships (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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