Darrell Royal
|
|
College Football Hall of Fame member Darrell Royal is the most successful football coach, in terms of wins, in University of Texas history.
Royal took over as head coach in December of 1956, and achieved success almost instantaneously. The team went from a 1-9 season in 1956 to a 6-3-1 season in 1957. In Royal's 20 years as head coach, UT never had a losing season.
With Royal at the helm, UT won three national championships, won or shared 11 Southwest Conference championships, and made 16 bowl appearances.
Royal is also known as a great innovator on the football field and off. He introduced two key changes to college football -- the "flip-flop" and the wishbone formation backfield. He was also the first coach in the nation to employ an academic counselor. Four out of every five of his players went on to earn their degree.
Starting in 1962, Royal also served as athletics director for UT. He retired from coaching in 1976, and remained director of athletics until 1980. He now serves as special assistant to the university president on athletic programs. In 1996, the University honored him by renaming Texas Memorial stadium to Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.