On December 6th, the final score of the UT vs. Arkansas game was 15-14 and UT won in the final minutes. We were screaming and jumping up and down. Our family friend Bob that was over to watch had sat in this one chair for the whole game. We had Mexican tile in the family room and he had jumped up so much that he had worn the stain of the Mexican tile with the chair.
Later that day, my parents took me down to the drag (Guadalupe Street in front of the university)to celebrate with all of the other fans. It was madhouse of people of all walks of life. You have to remember this was 1969. The smell of pot was around and someone even offered my dad a joint. He did of course turn it down. It was a blast to be down there with everyone. The tower was lit up in solid orange with a white "#1" on all four sides.
Sunday the team came home and my parents took me out to the airport to meet the team. It was just so exciting. The team loved the crowd. It was an awesome weekend. Texas went on on New Year's Day to beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. UT was the national champions in all of the polls.
There was a down spot right after the Shootout in Arkansas. One of the team members, Freddie Steinmark, found out that he had a bone tumor in his leg. He had his leg amputated six days after the shootout. If you want to read an outstanding book, read about his journey from football player to having his leg amputated. It is a great book and is called "I Play to Win". Freddie passed away in June of 1971.
From the 1969 season I became a die hard UT football fanatic.
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