Never seen the Tower look so sexy. UT just giving the 1969 Texas Football National Championship team the shine they deserve on a casual Tuesday night in July. No one died yesterday. It wasn’t the anniversary of the Championship game. It was just a nice little sup to the boys of ‘69.
I would love if this became an annual tradition though. Not just because 69 looks nice on the tower, which it does, but because if any team deserves an annual shoutout, its the 1969 football team. It was full of fucking badasses and incredible wins. Led by James Street, the Horns started off the year ranked fourth in the country. Early in the season they beat OU by ten points, gaining the top spot in the polls by late November. On December 6th, they traveled to Fayetteville to play Arkansas in what is now known as the “Game of the Century.” Down fourteen points in the fourth, UT rallied to win 15–14. A few weeks later, they met ninth-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Winning the game would clinch UT the National Championship. On the final drive of the game, facing fourth down twice, we scored with 68 seconds left to win 21-17.
In 2019, people often are quick to forget the past. But legends like James Street and Freddie Steinmark are what built this program and this city. It gave us the reputation of being tough, gritty and having a never quit attitude. These guys weren’t chasing million dollar contracts in the NFL, they played for the love of the game. They played for pride. They played for their city. Their school. And their boys.
If you haven’t seen the movie “My All American”, watch it tonight. The movie tells the story of the ‘69 team and Freddie Steinmark, who after leaving the game against Arkansas with an injured leg, learned his injury was due to a tumor in his left thigh bone. His leg was amputated within days of the diagnosis, but he vowed to be on the sidelines of the Longhorns National Championship Cotton Bowl game that was just three week away.
SPOILER ALERT: He made the game.
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