What It Means to Be a Longhorn: Darrel Royal Mack Brown and Texas's Greatest Players [Hardcover]

Bill Little (Author), Jenna McEachern (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"I was hoping Texas would call, but I wasn't full of myself enough to throw my name out there."--Darrell Royal, about being hired as head coach in 1956 "To be a Longhorn means...you don't have to say, `Hello.' Just say, `Hook 'em,' and that's okay."--Mack Brown "So what does it mean to be a Longhorn? To me, it's love..."--Vince Young

From the Inside Flap

From the illuminating forewords by Darrell Royal and Mack Brown to reflections from Vince Young, What It Means to Be a Longhorn is an unprecedented collection of stories, thoughts, and memories of many of Texas football's greatest names. Coach Royal reflects on his team's remarkable run during his distinguished career: he posted an astonishing 167-47-5 career record and directed Texas to national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970. Mack Brown follows with memories of the team's fourth national championship in 2006. In addition, the games, plays, and legends of Texas football lore are brought to life by the coaches and players who made them happen, from Howard Terry and Rooster Andrews to Major Applewhite and Vince Young. Other notable contributors include Tommy Nobis, Chris Simms, Roosevelt Leaks, Jerry Sisemore, Doug English, Eric Metcalf, Ricky Williams, Michael Huff, and many others. Each player's story is unique, yet there is a common thread that runs through all of them: when faced with a choice of colleges, each had the courage to challenge himself to compete with and against the best. They trusted their coaches to push them to their limits and beyond. They had the guts to step in front of 80,000 screaming fans to represent a school with impossibly high standards. The players stoically subjugated their personal desires and goals in order to achieve success as a team. Longhorns fans everywhere will enjoy reading Howard Terry's recollection of the varsity team defeating Notre Dame in South Bend in 1934; how Keith Moreland is recognized more for his playing days in Austin than his baseball career as a member of the Chicago Cubs; and reliving the epic 2006 Bowl Championship Series victory over USC through David Thomas's stirring firsthand account. Moment after moment is captured through the eyes and words of the players themselves and is enhanced by a collection of photos that creates a burnt orange and white tapestry of words and images that aptly reflect the depth and meaning behind Longhorns football.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572439513
• ISBN-13: 978-1572439511
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,144,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jenna Hays McEachern grew up in the world of football. Her father was a successful Texas high school football coach, and both of her brothers were on the team. She has followed the Longhorns since she was nine years old.

While pursuing her degree in photojournalism at The University of Texas, McEachern also majored in UT cheerleading. She worked for Jones Ramsey and Bill Little as an editor and
go-fer in the Sports Information Department and was the editor for "One Heartbeat--A Philosophy of Teamwork, Life, and Leadership" and for "One Heartbeat II--The Road the National Championship," both written by Mack Brown and Bill Little.

Little and McEachern also collaborated on "What It Means to be a Longhorn", a collection of oral histories of some of Texas' greatest players. Her second effort, "100 Things Longhorns Should Know and Do Before They Die" was published by Triumph Books in 2008. "Life with Darrell Royal", by McEachern and Edith Royal, will be published by UT Press in August 2012.

Jenna is married to former Longhorn quarterback Randy McEachern. They still live in Austin where they reared three near-flawless children--Bailey, Hays, and Lester Simmons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME READ!!!, August 23, 2007

By 

M. Whitley (TEXAS, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What It Means to Be a Longhorn: Darrel Royal Mack Brown and Texas's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

VERY AWESOME READ!! SIMPLY CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. THE PERFECT ADDITION TO ANY LONGHORN COLLECTION. BILL LITTLE DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB ON THIS BOOK. IT'S LIKE A LONGHORN TIMELINE FOR PLAYERS. AN INSTANT CLASSIC!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating stories, July 4, 2008

By 

Russell D. Stevens "Horn4Life" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What It Means to Be a Longhorn: Darrel Royal Mack Brown and Texas's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

As a die hard Longhorn I found the stories to be fascinating and often very funny; from Earl Campbell talking about Darrell Royal coming to visit his mom to Doug English talking about his only touchdown in college [which came off a punt blocked ironically by Earl Campell], I thought it was good reading and recommend it to any Longhorn fan who wants to hear a little of the inside 'scoop' on Longhorn football life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Perspective of Longhorn Living, August 30, 2007

By 

Jason G. Bronstad "Colorado Longhorn" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What It Means to Be a Longhorn: Darrel Royal Mack Brown and Texas's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

Sit back and prepare to see how over the years, The University of Texas has impacted lives. While the crux of this is supposed to be just about football players, you quickly realize that this book transcends football and really touches how U.T. Austin impacts lives.

I highly recommend for anyone that has every had any connection to U.T. Austin or for any High School student that wants to understand what U.T. is all about.

Hook 'em