Longhorns in the College Football Hall of Fame
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Hub Bechtol
End/1944-46 (Inducted, 1991)
Considered one of the finest receivers in Longhorns history, Hub Bechtol was the first consensus All-American from The University of Texas. He is one of only two Longhorns ever to earn All-America honors three times. A native of Lubbock, Bechtol actually began his collegiate career at Texas Tech, were he earned one letter in football prior to serving in the Navy in World War II. Following his stint in the military, he returned to school, electing to enroll at Texas where he earned three letters in football (1944-46) and two in basketball. Bechtol made his fame catching passes from another All-American, Bobby Layne. In his senior year, he was an integral part of the third-best passing attack in the nation. As a junior, he helped Texas earn a No. 10 national ranking and helped Layne lead the Longhorns to a Southwest Conference Championship and a Cotton Bowl win over Missouri. In that game, Bechtol caught nine passes for 138 yards. He also set a UT single-season record for touchdown receptions with seven that year. Bechtol went on to play professional football with the Baltimore Colts for three seasons before returning to Austin to work in real estate and insurance. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1963. |
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Dana X. Bible
Coach/1937-46 (Inducted, 1951)
One of the winningest coaches in the history of the college game, Dana X. Bible's 10-year run at Texas (1937-1946) is credited with laying the foundation for the modern legacy of Longhorns football. Following success at Texas A&M and Nebraska, Bible was hired in 1937 to turn the Texas fortunes around. He inherited a team that was more depressed than the nation's economy, but before his time was over, his teams won three Southwest Conference championships, all coming in the final five years of his Longhorns career. He is credited for "The Bible Plan," which placed emphasis on education as well as success on the football field. His 1941 team, which was featured on the cover of Life magazine, is still regarded as one of the greatest in school history. Winner of 201 games in 33 years as a head coach (he was 63-31-3 at Texas), Bible was the third-winningest coach in the history of the game when he retired -- trailing only Amos Alonzo Stagg, who coached for 57 years, and Pop Warner, who coached for 44 seasons. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1960. |
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Earl Campbell
Running Back/1974-77 (Inducted, 1990)
Earl Campbell galloped into Texas football history with his Heisman Trophy-winning 1977 season. He rushed for 1,744 yards (SWC record that stood for 16 years) and 19 touchdowns, and led the nation in rushing and scoring. He posted 200-yard rushing games against Texas A&M (222) and SMU (213), both on the road, and set a school record with 10 100-yard rushing games that year. Campbell was an instant success at Texas, rushing for 928 yards as a freshman Wishbone fullback. He claimed the first of three consensus All-SWC honors that year. As a sophomore in 1975, he ran for 1,118 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning the first of his two consensus All-America awards. Injuries dampened his junior season when he played with a pulled hamstring much of the season, netting only 653 yards and missing four games. But by his senior season, he was at full strength. He moved to tailback in the "I" formation utilized by new head coach Fred Akers, and turned in one of the finest rushing campaigns in UT history. He finished his career with UT rushing records of 4,443 yards and 41 touchdowns. Inducted into both the College Football and NFL Hall of Fame, Campbell would go on to earn NFL Rookie of the Year honors, win four league rushing titles and earn five Pro Bowl appearances in a stellar career with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. He rushed for 9,407 yards and 74 TDs in eight NFL seasons. Following his retirement, Campbell returned to Austin where he owns a food company. He also serves UT Athletics as an assistant to the athletics director. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1988. |
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Doug English
Defensive Tackle/1972-74 (Inducted, 2011)
After helping lead the Longhorns to a 10-1 finish, a Southwest Conference championship and a No. 3 final AP ranking in his first varsity season in 1972, Doug English quickly established himself as one of the top defensive lineman to come through the University of Texas. Following the Longhorns’ win over fourth-ranked Alabama in the 1973 Cotton Bowl, Texas won its second consecutive SWC title in 1973 with English anchoring the defensive line. In his three seasons, Texas compiled a 26-8 record and finished in the top 20 all three years. English twice earned All-Southwest Conference honors and was named First Team All-America as a senior in 1974. He also received UT’s George “Hook” McCullough Outstanding Football Player Award and the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award while serving as a team captain his senior season. For his career, English tallied 260 tackles (111 solo) and four forced fumbles while totaling 105 tackles as a senior. Drafted in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft, English, a Dallas native, played 10 seasons with the Lions. He recorded a career-high 13 sacks and two safeties in 1983 while helping lead the Lions to the NFC Central Division title. He finished his NFL career with 59 sacks while earning All-Pro honors four times (1981-84). His four safeties tie him for the most career safeties in NFL history. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1986. |
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Chris Gilbert
Running Back/1966-68 (Inducted, 1999)
Chris Gilbert, the crown jewel in an era when Texas Longhorns running backs dominated the nation's ground games, was the first player in NCAA history to gain 1,000 yards in each of the seasons for which he was eligible. Gilbert played for Darrell Royal's Longhorns from 1966 through the initial year of the famed Wishbone offense in 1968, and competed in a time when freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder was a three-time All-SWC back who rushed for more than 100 yards in exactly half of his 30 games and had four 200-yard efforts. The three-time team MVP finished his career as the SWC's and Texas' all-time leading rusher with 3,231 yards, which ranked third on the NCAA all-time list at the time. As a sophomore in 1966, Gilbert rushed for a then-school record 1,080 yards and was voted the Outstanding Back in the 1966 Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Ole Miss. He added 1,019 yards to his total as a junior in 1967 and recorded the longest run from scrimmage by a Longhorn with a 96-yard touchdown run against TCU. Gilbert's senior season marked the inaugural year of the famed Wishbone offense, and he rushed for a record 1,132 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. His efforts helped Texas to a 9-1-1 season and a No. 3 national ranking after a 36-13 victory over Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl. Following graduation, Gilbert was drafted by the New York Jets but chose to enter private business in Texas, running a highly successful summer camp for youngsters and managing a respected residential real estate business. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1978.
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Johnnie Johnson
Defensive Back/1976-79 (Inducted, 2007)
A versatile threat as a fierce tackler and punt returner, Texas' Johnnie Johnson set numerous Texas records during his four-year career and was twice named a consensus All-America ('78, '79). Hailing from LaGrange, Texas, Johnson earned recognition from the Downtown Athletic Club as the nation's top defensive back in 1978. He finished his career with 13 interceptions returned for 150 yards, 282 tackles and led a defense that surrendered an average of only nine points per game. Equally as impressive as his defensive accomplishments, Johnson accumulated over 1,000 career punt return yards and still owns the UT records for single season punt returns (44) and career punt returns (114). The three-time All-Southwest Conference pick currently ranks second all-time in school season return yards (538) and fourth in career return yards (1,004). Selected as the 17th overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, he spent 10 of his 11 years in the professional ranks with the Los Angeles Rams. He was also selected to the SWC ll-Decade Team for the 1970s and to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1990. |
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Malcolm Kutner
End/1939-41 (Inducted, 1974)
Malcolm Kutner, a star in the D.X. Bible era of Texas Football, was one of two All-Americans honored on the 1941 team, generally regarded as the best of its era and one of the best teams in Texas history. Kutner was a three-sport star at Texas, earning letters in football, basketball and track. But his versatility as a football player, where his primary position was as an end, helped earn praise for Bible's innovative offense as "the best balanced, perhaps most versatile ever developed in the cow country, if not in the nation." In all, Kutner earned seven varsity letters: three in football, three in basketball and one in track where he was a member of two Southwest Conference champion relay teams. He was the first Texas player chosen to compete in the Chicago Tribune's collegiate all-star game, matching an all-star team of just-finished collegians against the NFL champions. Kutner continued his playing as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces team during World War II. Following his service career he played five years as a member of the Chicago Cardinals. As a professional, he was rookie of the year in 1946 and made the All-Pro team in both 1947 and 1948, earning NFL Most Valuable Player honors in 1948. Kutner retired from the NFL following the 1950 season and entered the oil business in Texas. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1965. |
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Bobby Layne
Quarterback/1944-47 (Inducted, 1968)
It was his great friend Doak Walker who said of Bobby Layne, "Layne never lost a game. Time just ran out on him." Layne is generally regarded as the one of the greatest quarterbacks in Texas history. He was known as much for his free spirit approach to life as he was to the game he played. Recruited as a baseball pitcher, Layne was one of the best two-sport stars in school history. But it would be in football that he would forever etch his name. He finished his Texas career with a school-record 3,145 yards passing on 210 completions and 400 attempts. He was the Outstanding Back of the 1948 Sugar Bowl victory over No. 6 Alabama following his senior year of 1947 and was one of the first inductees into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame based on his incredible performance in the 1946 classic win over Missouri. In the 40-27 victory over the Tigers, Layne accounted for every point, scoring four touchdowns, kicking four extra points and passing for the other two touchdowns. His brilliant 15-year professional career included leading the Detroit Lions to three league titles and twice being named all-league quarterback during a career in Detroit and Pittsburgh. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1967 and was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1963. |
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Roosevelt Leaks
Running Back/1972-74 (Inducted, 2005)
A tremendous running back and fearless pioneer, Roosevelt Leaks became the first black athlete to earn All-America and All-Conference honors for the Longhorns, forever changing the complexion of football at Texas and the Southwest Conference. Prior to suffering a serious knee injury that hampered his senior season, Leaks earned consensus first-team All-America honors in 1973 and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, the first and highest place of the three UT underclassmen to finish in the Top 10. A two-time first-team All-Conference selection, he was named Southwest Conference MVP in 1973, while setting the conference record for rushing yards (1,415). A team captain and MVP, Leaks guided the Longhorns to two conference titles. Drafted in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, Leaks enjoyed a nine-year professional career with the Colts and Buffalo Bills. A community-minded individual, Leaks hosts an annual charity golf tournament for children in East Austin. In 2003, he became the first recipient of the Living Legends Award presented by the Ministry of Challenge. |
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Bud McFadin
Guard/1948-50 (Inducted, 1983)
From tiny Iraan, Texas, Bud McFadin came to UT and became a two-time All-American as an offensive guard and defensive tackle and was named Most Valuable Player of the Cotton Bowl game following the 1950 season. That year, he helped lead Texas to the Southwest Conference championship and a No. 3 national ranking. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Southwest Conference in his senior season of 1950 and was a first-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. Prior to the start of his pro career, he was named MVP of the collegiate all-star game that matched top college players against the NFL champions. McFadin went on to play 11 seasons of professional football, and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. Along with the Rams, McFadin also starred at Denver and Houston, where he concluded his career. He is one of only two former Longhorns to appear as a Pro Bowl selection with two different teams -- Los Angeles (1956-57) and Denver (1962-64). When he finished his NFL playing career, McFadin became a coach for Houston and spent five seasons tutoring the defensive line. After leaving coaching, McFadin turned to farming near Victoria, Texas. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1973. |
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Steve McMichael
Defensive Tackle/1976-79 (Inducted, 2009)
A four-year letterman from 1976-79, Steve McMichael was a member of the 1977 Southwest Conference Championship team. Twice selected All-Southwest Conference (1978-79), he graduated as the school’s all-time leader in career tackles (369) and sacks (30). A finalist for the Lombardi and Outland Awards in 1979, McMichael claimed team and Hula Bowl MVP honors. During his time at Texas, the Longhorns posted an impressive 34-12-1 record.
McMichael went on to be drafted in the third round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He signed with the Chicago Bears in 1981 and spent 13 seasons with the team, including six Central Division Championships and a victory in Super Bowl XX. McMichael retired as a five-time All-Pro selection and holds the Chicago Bears record for most consecutive games played (191).
Following his playing career, McMichael became a pro wrestler, coached in the Continental Indoor Football League and commentated for the Chicago Bears. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1999. |
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Tommy Nobis
Linebacker, Guard/1963-65 (Inducted, 1981)
Considered the finest linebacker in Texas history, Tommy Nobis ranks as one of the greatest football players of all time. UT's famous number 60 was a two-time All-American, made the All-SWC team three years and was the only sophomore starter on the Longhorns' 1963 National Championship team. The next year, he registered one of the most famous tackles in Orange Bowl history when he led his teammates on a fourth-and-inches halting of Joe Namath at the goal line to preserve the Horns' 21-17 victory over No. 1 Alabama. Darrell Royal called Nobis the best two-way lineman he ever coached, and in 1965 Sports Illustrated tagged him "the best defender in College Football." He went on to win the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award as a senior. Nobis averaged nearly 20 tackles per game with UT, despite the effort of opponents to run away from him. He also was often the primary blocker for touchdown runs on teams that were ranked No. 1 in the nation at some point during each of his three years. A knee injury slowed the latter part of his senior season, but he went on to a successful 10-year career with the Atlanta Falcons. He was named to the NFL's All-1960s team, and was selected to the Football News' all-time All-American team. As a member of the front office of the Falcons, Nobis' popularity and durability are evident by a career that has spanned 35 years with the Atlanta franchise. The San Antonio native was a first-round draft choice of the Falcons in 1966. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1976. |
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Darrell Royal
Coach/1957-76 (Inducted, 1983)
In December of 1956, Darrell Royal came to Texas as one of the youngest head coaches in America, and for the next 20 years, he led the Longhorns to success that was unparalleled in Southwest Conference history. Royal's remarkable record included 11 teams that finished in the nation's Top 10 and three National Championships. He also registered 11 Southwest Conference titles, 16 bowl berths, 26 All-Americans and 77 All-Southwest Conference players. He also recorded unprecedented streaks, including a 30-game winning streak from 1968 through 1970 and record run of six straight Cotton Bowl appearances. Royal finished his career with a UT-record 167 victories, including 109 wins against league competition. His honors were numerous as well. Royal was tabbed Coach of the Year on numerous occasions, earned a spot in a number of halls of fame and was picked as coach of the decade in the 1960s. In the 10-year period from 1961-70, Royal's teams finished in the nation's top five seven times, including the three seasons at No. 1. Royal was not only a winner, he also was recognized as one of the game's great innovators -- simplifying offenses by flipping the offensive line and later installing the famed wishbone offense, which he unveiled in 1968. After he retired in 1976, Royal continued to serve as athletics director -- a post he held since 1964 -- and later was an assistant to the UT president, advising that office on matters pertaining to athletics. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1976. |
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James Saxton
Running Back/1959-61 (Inducted, 1996)
Tabbed the "quickest player in America" in 1961 by legendary Longhorns coach Darrell Royal, James Saxton turned in one of the most spectacular seasons by a UT back that year. A first-team All-Southwest Conference back and the Longhorns MVP, he capped his career in spectacular fashion in 1961, eventually finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting and earning the Texas Sports Writers Association Amateur Athlete of the Year award. While the Longhorns rolled to a 10-1 record and climbed as high as No. 1 in the nation during his senior campaign, Saxton led the Southwest Conference in rushing with 846 yards on just 107 carries. He also scored nine touchdowns and led the Longhorns attack with breathtaking runs of 80, 79, 66, 56, 49 and 45 yards. Saxton set a UT single-game rushing record against SMU with 173 yards and a week later picked up 171 yards against Baylor. His 7.9 yards per carry average that year was the highest recorded in SWC history. The Palestine, Texas, native topped off his terrific year by helping Texas upset No. 5 Mississippi (12-7) in the 1962 Cotton Bowl. His 73-yard punt on a quick kick in that game still stands as a UT bowl game record. Saxton helped the Horns to a 25-5 regular-season record during his three-year career. He finished his career ranked third on the UT all-time rushing list (1,524 y |
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Harley Sewell
Guard/1950-52 (Inducted, 2000)
Harley Sewell, who came from the tiny Texas town of St. Jo, was a first-team All-American two-way guard who helped the Longhorns to a 9-2 season in 1952 and was chosen defensive MVP in the 1953 Cotton Bowl victory over Tennessee. In that game, he led a Texas defense that limited Tennessee to six first downs and an amazing total of minus-14 yards rushing. A two-time All-SWC selection in 1951 and 1952, Sewell was drafted with the 13th pick of the first round by the Detroit Lions in 1953, and he played for the Lions from 1953-62 before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Rams. In Detroit, Sewell teamed with fellow Texans Bobby Layne and Doak Walker to earn NFL championship rings in 1953 and 1957, and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Currently working as a college scout for the St. Louis Rams, Sewell makes his home in Arlington, Texas. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1975. |
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Jerry Sisemore
Offensive Tackle/1970-72 (Inducted, 2002)
One of the great offensive tackles of his era, Sisemore was a three-year letterwinner, a two-time consensus All-American (1971-72) and a team captain during one of the best three-year periods in the history of Texas Football. In his three seasons, the Longhorns posted a 28-5 (.848) overall record, lost only one game in Southwest Conference play, won three consecutive league championships and played in three straight Cotton Bowls. As a sophomore in 1970, Sisemore helped lead UT to a 10-1 record and the Longhorns' third National Championship in school history. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder also played in numerous all-star games following his outstanding career, including the Senior Bowl and Coaches All-America Game in 1973. Sisemore was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1980. He was selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles with the third overall pick. Sisemore remained with the team for the duration of his 12-year career and also was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 1980 and '82. During his tenure, Philadelphia appeared in the postseason four times and won the 1980 NFC Championship before losing to the Oakland Raiders by a score of 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. |
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Mortimer "Bud" Sprague
Tackle/1923-24 (Inducted, 1970)
Mortimer "Bud" Sprague was only 16 when he came to The University, but by his junior year he was a 200-pound anchor in the middle of the defensive line on an undefeated Longhorns team. He played on three UT football teams that had a combined record of 20-5-2. He was an All-Southwest Conference tackle, but he also doubled as an outstanding track athlete. Sprague excelled in the rare combination in track as a sprinter and shot putter. He won the Southwest Conference shot put title in 1925 and ran on the 440-yard relay team. After graduating from Texas, he won the then-allowed privilege of continuing his college career by enrolling at West Point. There, his career blossomed. He was a vital member of Army's great teams of the late 1920s, a two-time All-American and captain of the 1928 team. Sprague had a distinguished career in the insurance business and was president of the New York Board of Trade and director of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970 for his deeds at both Army and Texas and was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1993. |
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Harrison Stafford
Halfback/1930-32 (Inducted, 1975)
A walk-on from Wharton, Texas, Harrison Stafford went on to become regarded as perhaps the toughest football player in Longhorns history. Statistics never told the story of Stafford, who was considered the finest blocking back in Texas history. He was an outstanding runner and receiver, but his fame would be carved by his crushing blocks and devastating tackles. Stafford came to The University completely unannounced and volunteered for the freshman team where assistant coach Shorty Alderson worked him out and reported to head coach Clyde Littlefield, "Clyde, I found you the darndest football player you ever saw. He tore up a couple of dummies and hurt a couple of men. He says his name is Harrison Stafford." Stafford went on to earn All-Southwest Conference honors three times and was named to several All-American teams of the era. A versatile person as well as an athlete, he also served as a member of the UT Student Assembly in 1931-32. A knee injury cut short his professional career, and Stafford returned to Texas and became a successful rancher. He was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1959. |
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