Remembering Former Texas Longhorns Coach & College Football Great Darrell K Royal

Oct 20, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; A Texas Longhorns fan

The football world lost a great man today as The University of Texas announced that Darrell K Royal, the Longhorns legendary former head football coach has passed away at the age of 88. A university spokesman confirmed Royal’s death. The hall of fame coach was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and had recently suffered a fall at an assisted living center where he was being cared for.

While at UT from 1957–1976, he compiled a career record of 184–60–5 while winning three national championships. He and assistant coach Emery Bellard invented the wishbone offense. You can read into more detail on this in Tim Layden’s Blood Sweat, and Chalk. One of his most famous quotes came as a result of his reluctance to pass and desire to run the ball:

Three things can happen when you pass, and two of ‘em are bad.

Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin, Texas where the Longhorns play their home games, was renamed in his honor in 1996. Without Royal, the Texas Longhorns would have never become the powerhouse they are regarded to be while also sending many of it’s greats to the NFL, and here is the current list of Texas alumni in the league:

PLAYER	TEAM	POSITION
Sam Acho	Arizona Cardinals	Linebacker
Emmanuel Acho	Cleveland Browns	Linebacker
Cedric Benson	Green Bay Packers	Running Back
Justin Blalock	Atlanta Falcons	Guard
Tarell Brown	San Francisco 49ers	Cornerback
Curtis Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cornerback
Chykie Brown	Baltimore Ravens	Cornerback
Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Running Back
Leonard Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Guard
Phil Dawson	Cleveland Browns	Place kicker
Derrick Dockery	Dallas Cowboys	Guard
Jermichael Finley	Green Bay Packers	Tight End
Cedric Griffin	Washington Redskins	Cornerback
Michael Griffin	Tennessee Titans	Safety
Casey Hampton	Pittsburgh Steelers	Nose Tackle
Tony Hills	Indianapolis Colts	Offensive Tackle
Kyle Hix	New England Patriots	Offensive Tackle
Lamarr Houston	Oakland Raiders	Defensive End
Michael Huff	Oakland Raiders	Safety
Quentin Jammer	San Diego Chargers	Cornerback
Derrick Johnson	Kansas City Chiefs	Linebacker
Cullen Loeffler	Minnesota Vikings	Long Snapper
Colt McCoy	Cleveland Browns	Quarterback
Henry Melton	Chicago Bears	Defensive End
Roy Miller	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Defensive Tackle
Roddrick Muckelroy	Cincinnati Bengals	Linebacker
Chris Ogbonnaya	Cleveland Browns	Running Back
Brian Orakpo	Washington Redskins	Linebacker
Kheeston Randall	Miami Dolphins	Defensive Tackle
Cory Redding	Indianapolis Colts	Defensive End
Keenan Robinson	Washington Redskins	Linebacker
Brian Robison	Minnesota Vikings	Defensive End
Shaun Rogers	New York Giants	Defensive Tackle
Aaron Ross	Jacksonville Jaguars	Cornerback
Jonathan Scott	Chicago Bears	Offensive Tackle
Lyle Sendlein	Arizona Cardinals	Center
David Snow	Buffalo Bills	Center
David Thomas	New Orleans Saints	Tight End
Earl Thomas	Seattle Seahawks	Safety
Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Place kicker
Aaron Williams	Buffalo Bills	Cornerback