Darrell Royal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Darrell Royal

Royal in 1966
Biographical details
Born	(1924-07-06)July 6, 1924 Hollis, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	November 7, 2012(2012-11-07) (aged 88) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
1946–1949	Oklahoma
Position(s)	Quarterback, defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1950	NC State (assistant)
1951	Tulsa (assistant)
1952	Mississippi State (off. backs)
1953	Edmonton Eskimos
1954–1955	Mississippi State
1956	Washington
1957–1976	Texas
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1962–1980	Texas
Head coaching record
Overall	184–60–5 (college)
Bowls	8–7–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
3 national (1963, 1969, 1970) 11 SWC (1959, 1961–1963, 1968–1973, 1975)
Awards
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2010) Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award (2000) 2× AFCA Coach of the Year (1963, 1970) 2× Sporting News College Football COY (1963, 1969) 2× Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1961, 1963) First-team All-American (1949) First-team All-Big Seven (1949) Second-team All-Big Seven (1948)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1983 (profile)

Darrell K Royal (born July 6, 1924 – died November 7, 2012) was a famous American gridiron football player and coach. He led college football teams at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957–1976). His total coaching record was 184 wins, 60 losses, and 5 ties.

During his 20 years at the University of Texas, Royal's teams won three national championships (in 1963, 1969, and 1970). They also won 11 Southwest Conference titles. He won more games than any other coach in the history of Texas Longhorns football. Royal also coached the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League for one season in 1953. He never had a losing season as a head coach in his entire career. Royal was an All-American player at the University of Oklahoma from 1946 to 1949. He was added to the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1983. The Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns play, was named in his honor in 1996.

Early Life and Family

Darrell's middle name, "K," was not a short form. It was given to him to honor his mother, Katy. She passed away when he was a baby. For many years, Darrell was told she died during his birth. Later, as an adult, he learned she had actually died from cancer.

Playing Football in College

After finishing Hollis High School in 1942, Darrell Royal joined the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He played football for the 3rd Air Force team in 1945. Scouts from the University of Oklahoma Sooners noticed his talent and recruited him.

From 1946 to 1949, he played quarterback and defensive back for Oklahoma. His coach and mentor was Bud Wilkinson. While at Oklahoma, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity.

Royal was especially good as a defensive back. He still holds Oklahoma records for 18 career interceptions. He also had three interceptions in one game against Oklahoma A&M in 1947. As a part-time quarterback, he helped his team win many games. In 1992, Royal was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Coaching Career Highlights

Starting as a Coach

Darrell Royal began his coaching career as an assistant. He worked at North Carolina State, Tulsa, and Mississippi State. In 1953, he coached the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League.

In 1954, he became a head coach for the first time at Mississippi State. After two seasons, he moved to the University of Washington in 1956. However, he stayed in Seattle for less than a year.

Leading the Texas Longhorns

On December 18, 1956, Royal became the head coach at the University of Texas (UT). The team had a very tough year in 1956, winning only one game. But under Royal, they quickly improved to a 6–4–1 record in 1957. They even played in the Sugar Bowl. Within two years, the Longhorns were ranked fourth in the country and played in the Cotton Bowl.

During Royal's 20 years as head coach at Texas, his teams never had a losing season. He achieved an amazing record of 167 wins, 47 losses, and 5 ties at Texas. His total career record was 184 wins, 60 losses, and 5 ties. Some of his most exciting games were against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

With Coach Royal, Texas won the school's first three national championships (in 1963, 1969, and 1970). They also won or shared 11 Southwest Conference championships. His teams played in 16 bowl games. His 1963 and 1969 teams were undefeated and untied. This was a rare achievement for the Longhorns.

Royal's teams were known for running the ball a lot. He often said, "Three things can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad." He actually heard this quote from another coach, Woody Hayes.

From 1962, Royal also served as Texas's athletic director. He stopped coaching in 1976 but remained the athletic director until 1980. He then became a special assistant to the university president for sports programs.

During his time, Royal helped bring African-American players into the UT sports program. While black students were allowed at UT in 1956, and sports opened to them in 1963, it took time for black student-athletes to join. Royal offered a scholarship to Julius Whittier, who became the first black student-athlete to play for the Texas Longhorns football team. Whittier later became a chief prosecutor in Dallas.

Royal also coached Freddie Steinmark, a player on the 1969 National Championship team. Freddie later passed away from bone cancer. His story has been told in books and a 2015 movie, My All American, where Aaron Eckhart played Coach Royal.

In 1996, the University of Texas honored Royal by renaming their stadium Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Coach Royal was famous for his inspiring sayings, called Royalisms. These were motivational messages for his players:

• "God gives talent, size, speed. But a guy can control how hard he tries."
• "I want to be remembered as a winning coach, but I also want to be remembered as an honest and ethical coach."
• "You've got to think lucky. If you fall into a mud hole, check your back pocket—you might have caught a fish."
• "Punt returns will kill you quicker than a minnow can swim a dipper."
• "Don't matter what they throw at us. Only angry people win football games."

Later Life and Passing

In his retirement, Darrell Royal enjoyed time with his wife, Edith. He was also friends with famous people like former president Lyndon B. Johnson and musician Willie Nelson. He loved playing golf and being outdoors. In 1991, Royal even bought Willie Nelson's Pedernales Country Club to help Nelson with tax issues. He also helped start a summer camp called Camp Champions in Marble Falls, Texas, which is still open today.

Darrell Royal passed away on November 7, 2012, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. He is buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

He was survived by his wife, Edith, whom he married in 1944. They had a son, Sammy Mack. Their two other children, Marian and David, passed away earlier in car accidents.

Coaching Records

College Football Record

Canadian Football Record

Images for kids

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  Royal in 1966