RIP Coach Royal

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Didn't see this posted yet, but Boomer Sooner and H oo k 'em Coach Royal.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/11/07/ex-university-texas-football-coach-royal-dies-in-austin-age-88-had-alzheimer/

[badger]

Remember him here as the Sooner he was, not the whorn he became :)

RIP DKR
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/397/380/ou1946darrellroyal_display_image.jpg?1318611347

[stoopified]

RIP

[70sooner]

to a great Oklahoman and OU AA. RIP, DKR.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

He didn't teach them to win, but always remember it took a great Wilkinson Sooner to teach 'em how to win championships.

The man had a hard life that he had to claw his way out of to achieve greatness. And still, he suffered a lot of tragedy even as he was at the pinnacle of his career, and of course late in life with the horror of Alzheimers.

RIP.

[Wishboned]

He was a great Sooner, and a credit to the state of Oklahoma.

RIP

[Mississippi Sooner]

It's amazing that his 18 interceptions still stand as the school record at OU.

[colleyvillesooner]

RIP

[General Applewhite]

A great Sooner and a great Longhorn. RIP

[SoonerInLubbock]

Sad news, one of those rare moments when Longhorns and Sooners can both agree.

[hawaii 5-0]

Ditto that.

He was a great one for OU.

5-0

[SapulpaSooner]

R I P he will be missed on both sides of the red River

[goingoneight]

Great player, coach and man. But what long, fun and exciting life that must have been.

[JLEW1818]

RIP.

[Ruf/Nek7]

RIP DKR. He picked a good time to go. Won't have to endure the next four years.

[Jay C. Upchurch]

Sooners Mourn the Passing of All-American Darrell Royal

Longtime University of Texas head coach starred for Sooners in 1940s

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma was saddened to learn of the passing of Darrell Royal, who earned football All-America honors in 1949.

“The University of Oklahoma joins the rest of the nation in celebrating the life’s work of Darrell Royal,” said OU vice president for intercollegiate athletics and director of athletics, Joe Castiglione. “We’ve truly lost an icon – a champion, an innovator and an educator. As an All-America player at the University of Oklahoma, he represented his home state with a unique versatility that we still celebrate today. Without question, he left an even more indelible mark on collegiate athletics during his distinguished coaching and administrative tenure at the University of Texas, where he made on immeasurable impact on the University and the countless individuals he touched.”
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops echoed Castiglione’s comments.
“Coach Royal will always have a special place in the hearts of Sooners’ fans as an unbelievably talented player,” said Stoops. “From a coaching perspective, I have great admiration for his many accomplishments, his great players and his championship teams, and especially appreciate the fact that he never suffered a losing season in 23 seasons as a head coach.”
Royal was named an All-American during the 1949 season. One of the greatest all-around players ever to compete for the Sooners, he led Oklahoma in passing during his senior year with 509 yards while rushing for 189 yards. During that season he completed 34-of-63 attempts with only one interception.
His punting ability was second to none, which he displayed when he booted one 81 yards against Oklahoma A&M in 1948. His ability on defense almost surpassed what he accomplished on offense. He is the all-time interception leader at OU with 17.
The all-conference selection also was an outstanding punt returner. During the 1948 season, he had returns of 73 and 95 yards for touchdowns. The latter is tied for the 12th-longest play in school history.
He was selected in the 20th round of the 1950 NFL Draft by the New York Bulldogs. He went on to become a legendary coaching figure at the University of Texas.

OU SID Report

[Jay C. Upchurch]

Just a note about Coach Royal... over the years, I had the privilege to interview him several times and he was always gracious with his time and words. Never said a bad thing about OU - in fact, you could hear the passion and respect he had for his alma mater even though he was a Longhorn for so many years. A great Sooner and a great representative for UT.

[TUSooner]

I recall my dear departed Grandpa often saying that Darrell Royal was the best football player OU ever had.

[TUSooner]

RIP DKR. He picked a good time to go. Won't have to endure the next four years of Republican whining and b!tching.
Fixed. :wink:

[cjames317]

RIP DKR. I would've enjoyed a beer or 3 with him:

http://www.willienelson.com/story/news-2012-willie_nelson-coach_darrell_royal/legendary-coach-darrell-royal-dies-at-88

[Herr Scholz]

Great coach and better man.

[Wishboned]

Just a note about Coach Royal... over the years, I had the privilege to interview him several times and he was always gracious with his time and words. Never said a bad thing about OU - in fact, you could hear the passion and respect he had for his alma mater even though he was a Longhorn for so many years. A great Sooner and a great representative for UT.

I'm trying to remember the story I read where after Royal beat Wilkinson for the first time he actually got physically ill. I'm a little vague on the details at the moment though.

[StoopTroup]

I'm trying to remember the story I read where after Royal beat Wilkinson for the first time he actually got physically ill. I'm a little vague on the details at the moment though.

I believe that would be a normal response. :D

RIP Darrell. It's good to hear stories about a guy like him that really tried to make UofT a better place. I have always felt it appropriate for them to honor him for trying to bring football to a level that they can at least be proud of. It shows that many of them do really understand where the Real Roots of their Program came from. Darrell Royal is totally responsible for it all. Great Guy and like Herr said...Great Man.

[OUTrumpet]

I'm trying to remember the story I read where after Royal beat Wilkinson for the first time he actually got physically ill. I'm a little vague on the details at the moment though.

It was in The Undefeated. He said he was sick for having to go against his mentor/hero, someone he had put on such a high pedestal.

[SoonerStormchaser]

What are our friends on ShaggyBevo saying? I'm ignoring Whornfans.com cause they've probably crashed by now.

[Salt City Sooner]

I'm trying to remember the story I read where after Royal beat Wilkinson for the first time he actually got physically ill. I'm a little vague on the details at the moment though.

Royal pushed himself harder as an adult, sometimes learning the hard way how much was too much. In 1958, Royal coached his second Texas team to defeat his alma mater, still led by his own college coach, the future Hall of Famer Bud Wilkinson. University of Oklahoma president George L. Cross went into the Longhorns' locker room to congratulate Royal. He found the 34-year-old out back, pale and obviously having just finished retching.

"When I congratulated him on his victory," Cross said in his autobiography, "he mustered a wan smile, acknowledged that he was glad to win, but said that it somehow 'just didn't seem right to beat Mr. Wilkinson.'"

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8602432/darrell-k-royal-won-three-national-titles-texas-coach-dies-88-college-football

[PLaw]

RIP BOOMER SOONER!

[VA Sooner]

RIP Coach Royal.

Good coach, good man.

[tycat947]

RIP to a Great Sooner!

[MyT Oklahoma]

Rest In Peace.

[sendbaht]

He was a Sooner in his heart and a LH in his pocket. I do think it is cool that texas named their stadium after a Oklahoma Sooner....I give them credit and it shows respect.:)) RIP Sir...

[Sooner70]

What was Royal's overall career record against OU in the RRS series ? What was his record vs. Switzer teams?

[Wishboned]

What was Royal's overall career record against OU in the RRS series ? What was his record vs. Switzer teams?

Royal holds the record for most wins in the series. He's 12-7-1. Including an 8 game win streak from 58-65.

His record against Switzer was 0-3-1

[MyT Oklahoma]

^^ More importantly was was his record as a Sooner player against UT?

[70sooner]

2-1 vs Texas.

[Jacie]

Royal holds the record for most wins in the series. He's 12-7-1. Including an 8 game win streak from 58-65.

His record against Switzer was 0-3-1


Royal hated Switzer. I guess playing against The King made it not fun. If you are old enough to have followed OU football then, you knew Barry caused Darrel to retire at least a couple of years earlier than he might have otherwise.

And in a foreshadowing of what would happen at Oklahoma after 1988, sa*et had what most schools would consider a respectable record under Royal's immediate successor (but not good enough for them), followed by less-than-stellar results from the two coaches after that. Then they hired Mack Brown . . .

[FaninAma]

I never held a grudge against Royal for taking the Texas HC position. Bud Wilkinson was still at OU and who in his profession would turn down that opportunity?

I used to take the little detour off I-40 just to drive through Hollis, OK on a few occasions just to see the home town of Darrel Royal. Its not too far or different from the town I lived in when I was in elementary school, Lone Wolf.

Condolences to his family and the University of Texas program.

[Wishboned]

Royal hated Switzer. I guess playing against The King made it not fun. If you are old enough to have followed OU football then, you knew Barry caused Darrel to retire at least a couple of years earlier than he might have otherwise.

And in a foreshadowing of what would happen at Oklahoma after 1988, sa*et had what most schools would consider a respectable record under Royal's immediate successor (but not good enough for them), followed by less-than-stellar results from the two coaches after that. Then they hired Mack Brown . . .


And the funny thing is that Royal is responsible for Switzer using the wishbone.




Go to John E. Hoover's blog


No one man had more of an impact on the ongoing football fortunes of both Oklahoma and Texas than Darrell Royal.

Royal died on Wednesday at the age of 88, a Rushmore icon in the annals of both schools.

Texas in 1996 named its stadium after the Oklahoma native and former Sooner. OU should someday feel compelled to affix Royal's name to something nearly as hallowed.

Royal elevated the Longhorns to college football's pinnacle once. But he also lifted the Sooners to unequaled greatness - twice.

As an OU quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter from 1946-49, Royal was named All-America in '49. But much more than that, Royal was one of the best players on Bud Wilkinson's early teams that helped turn OU into a permanent powerhouse.

As head coach at Texas from 1957-76, Royal won three national championships and resurrected the Longhorns to a 167-47-5 record over 20 years.

And after he and Wishbone creator Emory Bellard installed the dynamic offense in Austin, Royal - out of sympathy, of all things - instructed Bellard to teach it, every philosophical bit, to Barry Switzer.

Switzer talks about having to "feed the monster" at OU. Royal fed that monster in two different eras.


Boomer Sooner: Excellence in versatility
Royal grew up in Hollis, in extreme southwestern Oklahoma, during the Dust Bowl era. Just like in Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," he endured the torment of poverty that eventually forced his family to migrate to California. But Royal stayed just two months out west and, at age 14, hitchhiked back to Oklahoma to live with his grandmother.

As a child, he dreamed about OU football, playing his own contests in the front yard while a radio broadcast Sooner games on the porch. He said in Harold Keith's book, "47 Straight," that the "Boomer Sooner" fight song "lifted me right out of my socks."

After a brilliant high school career, Royal enlisted in U.S. Army Air Corps and served four years in World War II.

In 1946, Wilkinson was a first-year OU assistant under Jim Tatum. According to Keith's book, 31 of the Sooners' top 33 players in '46 were war veterans.

In 1947, Wilkinson became the Sooners' head coach, and the OU "monster" was born. A year later, with Royal at quarterback, OU beat Texas for the first time in nine years.

Royal still holds OU records for career interceptions (18) and longest punt return (96) and ranks among several top 10 lists, averaging 15.7 yards on punt returns and 38.5 on punts. In '46 and '47, he led the team in defensive interceptions, and in '48 and '49, he led the team in passing offense.

Think about that.

Also in '49, Royal guided the Sooners to their first perfect season in 31 years, leading Wilkinson's troops to two Sugar Bowls and a string of 31 consecutive victories. Billy Vessels, OU's Heisman winner in '52, called the '49 Sooners "the best college football team of all time."


Hook 'em Horns: Building a Texas legend
Royal said he always wanted to coach. That's why he hung around Wilkinson and his staff long after other players had left for the day.

He worked as an assistant at North Carolina State in 1950, at Tulsa in '51, and at Mississippi State in '52 before he became head coach of the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos in '53.

He went back to Mississippi State as head coach in '54-55, and was head coach at Washington in '56 before Texas called.

From 1939-53, Texas won 77 percent of the time, but the three years before Royal, the Longhorns couldn't even put together a winning season. Texas was 1-9 in 1956, but Royal turned the team around immediately and never had a losing record. He won national championships in 1963, '69 and '70.

Wilkinson was 9-2 against the 'Horns - before Royal showed up in Austin. Starting in Royal's second season, Texas beat the Sooners eight years in a row from 1958-65, helping end the OU careers of both Wilkinson and Gomer Jones.

Texas fans would disagree, but for Royal, his first win in the Cotton Bowl was hardly cause for joy. After railing against the new 2-point conversion rule - which Wilkinson, as a member of the national rules committee, helped bring about - Royal beat his old mentor 15-14, getting a 2-pointer after Texas' first touchdown.

Former OU president George Cross recounted in his book, "Presidents Can't Punt," that Royal felt so bad after beating Wilkinson that he threw up outside the 'Horns' locker room.

"It just didn't seem right to beat Mr. Wilkinson," Royal told Cross that day.


Giving back: Switzer's Wishbone
Maybe that's why in 1971, after sending Wilkinson into retirement and beating Chuck Fairbanks' Sooners four years in a row, Royal finally showed Oklahoma some compassion.

After using Bellard's Wishbone to go 30-2-1 over three seasons and winning national championships in 1969 and '70, Royal called Bellard into his office with a startling request.

Bellard retold the conversation in Wann Smith's book, "Wishbone: Oklahoma football 1959-85":

"Chuck Fairbanks and his coaches are in bad shape up in Oklahoma," Royal said, according to Bellard's 2009 interview with Smith. "They're fixin' to get fired. I want to help him. Barry Switzer will be calling you to learn about the Wishbone."

Switzer, also in a 2009 interview with Smith for the book, was equally stunned at Royal's impossible goodwill.

"When you consider the nature of the situation," Switzer said, "here was Texas, a blood rival, helping us out. It was an incredible thing for them to do. Ford would never give Chevrolet ideas on how to beat them at production or marketing, but Darrell and Emory, to their credit, helped us. And from that point on, we killed them."

Just like it had under Wilkinson and Royal, the tide turned once more on the Red River Rivalry. In Switzer's two years as OU's offensive coordinator and 16 as head coach, the Sooners beat Texas 11 times.

"I gave them all our knowledge about the formation," Bellard told Smith. "And within a year or so, we couldn't catch 'em. They had too much speed and talent. In retrospect, I doubt Darrell would be nearly as benevolent if he had it to do over again."