“The triumph and tragedy of sports,” is a phrase often heard but nothing compares to the tragedy of a team losing a coach to a reportedly freak accident. This was the case in 1911 at the University of Texas. Coach Billy Wasmund was just in his second year as head coach at Texas when his untimely death occurred, shocking both the football team and the community as a whole. Here is a look at his story. William Wasmund was born in 1887 in Michigan to a stone contractor from Germany. He had two brothers and a sister. He first began...

As we prepare for UT to enter the SEC Conference this summer, I thought it would be fun to do a look back at the different conferences in which UT participated and share some photos of great athletes and artifacts as a sort of show and tell. Of course, The University of Texas has a deep and storied history in athletics, so there is a plethora of content within the Stark walls. From the time that the University of Texas was established in 1883, students have enjoyed participating in athletics on campus. They formed teams and scrimmaged against each other....

March is a fabulous month. Think about it…it’s the beginning of Spring and nature is renewing itself. The bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and all the beautiful wildflowers are blooming along the highways and byways in Texas, which seem particularly prolific this year. In addition, March is the month where EVERYONE gets to be Irish, at least for a day. But, best yet, March is home to March Madness, perhaps the most celebrated sporting event in American collegiate athletics. After months of play, grinding out the travel, and establishing win-loss records, regular season conference champions secured their spots in the NCAA Basketball Championship tournament....

The University of Texas Longhorns boast an athletics program rich in traditions and history that transcends the realm of sports. As we celebrate Black History Month, we’ll take a look at groundbreaking moments and trailblazing efforts of a few of UT’s Black history makers who have left an indelible mark on the Longhorn athletic legacy.  Long before integration at the University of Texas and nearly 70 years before an athlete would break the color barrier, there was a man that would have a huge impact on the UT football program. In 1895, Henry Reeves, an African American, was hired as...

When I had the honor and privilege of being part of the UT Coaching staff, I was constantly brushing elbows with greatness. Every day in the Longhorn dining hall was a veritable stream of “Who’s Who” in the buffet line. Eating adjacent to future Longhorn legends like Cat Osterman, Ian Crocker, Justin Tucker, Destinee Hooker, Bianca Knight, Kevin Durant, and Vince Young (and the list goes on and on and on) was a daily reminder of the standards we set for ourselves and our student-athletes. I used to tell recruits that they could matriculate at other schools but very few...

Coach Dave Snyder’s resume as both a player and a coach runs deep. What the highlights don’t tell you is what an amazing man he was. He was much beloved by his teammates and his players, as evidenced by how many of these men traveled far and wide to get to his side when the end was drawing near last month. He was listening and telling stories right up to the end with his boys and they were all able to say good-bye to one another and express the love and admiration they held for each other for decades. Coach...

Well, folks, it’s that time of the year again. It’s time to raise a stein and proclaim, “Gut Heil!”  Yes, it’s OKTOBERFEST, people, and this time of the year EVERYONE gets to don lederhosen, wear felt hats and master the art of holding a brimming stein of delectable German beer perfectly parallel to the ground, in a true test of strength, all the while belting out “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” (beer hall drinking song). Anyone who loves to drink beer gets to be German during Oktoberfest.  In my previous life, September signified the end of the Grand Slam tennis season with the conclusion of...