Darrell Royal

Darrell K. Royal, a College Football Hall of Fame member, is the most successful football coach, in terms of wins, in University of Texas Longhorn history.

Related Topics:
College Football Hall of Fame - Football - Coach - University of Texas - Longhorn

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Royal played college football at the University of Oklahoma and served as an assistant coach at North Carolina State, Tulsa and Mississippi State. He coached the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian League, and in 1955, he returned to Mississippi State for his first collegiate head coaching job. He spent the 1956 season at the University of Washington. Royal took over as head coach at University of Texas in December of 1956, and achieved success almost instantaneously. The team went from a 1-9 season, their worst record ever, in 1956 to a 6-4-1 season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl in 1957. In Royal's 20 years as head coach, UT never had a losing season. Royal posted a 167-47-5 career record at Texas. His overall coaching record was 184-60-5.

Related Topics:
University of Oklahoma - 1955 - 1956 - University of Washington - Coach - University of Texas - 1957

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With Royal at the helm, UT won three national championships (1963, 1969, and 1970), won or shared 11 Southwest Conference championships, and made 16 bowl appearances.

Related Topics:
1963 - 1969 - 1970 - Southwest Conference

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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.

Related Topics:
College football - Wishbone formation

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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.

Related Topics:
1962 - 1976 - 1980 - Athletic - 1996 - Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

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Royal was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

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