1976 Texas Longhorns Sports Newsletter & Bevo Cartoon (Earl Campbell was at UT)

Description: Offered is a four-page University of Texas Sports Newsletter regularly published by the Longhorn writer and fan Tom Murray. Mr. Murray also published a sports column for a great number of years for the Taylor Daily Press Sports Department newspaper. His four-page newsletter was called "Sports Murray-Go-Round", and at the top of his newsletter is a cartoon which features Bevo (the Texas Longhorns' mascot) climbing onto an orange-and-white Merry (Murray)-Go-Round, and writer Tom Murray filled the four pages chopped full of Texas Longhorns Sports. Usually the great bulk of his writings and interests centered on the Longhorns football team, but he believed in spreading his writings around to include the latest in all Texas sports. Tom Murray's writings in his Newsletter reminds me of a weekly (in football season) four-page Newsletter that Bud Wilkinson published long-ago when he was coaching at the University of Oklahoma, (when his protege, Darrell Royal, was playing quarterback for him, and before Darrell Royal became UT's legendary head coach). Wilkinson's Newsletter became very collectible in Norman and among OU fans. Collectors went to great extremes in attempting to put together a full collection of his Newsletters. I feel very fortunate in having successfully saved several of Tom Murray's long-forgotten Newsletters. This one is dated March 10, 1976, and was largely devoted (about 65%) to the football department's successful recruitment of Texas High School seniors. Some of this year's class consisted of Johnny Jones (Lampasas), Johnnie Johnson (LaGrange), Mike Lockett (Fort Worth Eastern Hills), Steve McMichael, and too many to list here. (If you want to see all the recruits and read highlights on them, then get the Newsletter.) In several different sections, it was stated as a priority for the Longhorns to find the right people to spring Earl Campbell loose. As a mere sophomore Campbell had gained over 1,000 yards, and the entire coaching staff knew they had something special in him. (Of course he went on the win the Heisman.) Other topics discussed were Darrell Royal was going to have to revamp his coaching staff because Willie Zapalac left to go to the pros (St. Louis Cardinals). Spike Dykes became the chief Defensive Line Coach, etc. The Newsletter is simply chopped full of the great names of past Texas football players and coaches. And it talks about recruiting against the likes of Frank Broyles, Barry Switzer, and even Bear Bryant. And it addresses illegal recruiting and cheating. And other sports included were baseball, where Cliff Gustafson was National Coach of the Year when he won the National Championship. And basketball was swamped with candidates when Head Coach Leon Black resigned. And all the other sports were provided the reader with current updates. I have spent far too much time here attempting to indoctrinate the reader as to what all is included in this Bevo Murray-Go-Round Newsletter. Suffice it to say this item is only for the serious Longhorn fan's interest, or possibly to the longtime reader of the Taylor Daily News who grew up reading Tom Murray's sports column. But just a bit of advice: if the reader will click on each photo included above and enlarge each photo, I do believe the reader will be able to tell what much of this Newsletter addresses. I shall await and see if this initial listing of mine creates any interest before listing the others. If there is genuine interest I shall list others, but I am not going to do this for merely the exercise. But not that long ago, the Burnt Orange was discussed in the same breath as was the Georgias, the Alabamas, and the elites of the college football world. Can Sark and Arch Manning successfully bring the 'Horns back? A lot of people are banking on it; but it ain't happened yet. If they cannot, someone can, and the fun Bevo Newsletters, etc., can once again return to prominence. Thank you for viewing my EBAY auction item. (Please note: I do not ship internationally.) God bless.

Price: 8.95 USD

Location: Tyler, Texas

End Time: 2024-08-04T19:16:12.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.5 USD