Coach Darrell K Royal

nto Central Louisiana. Everyone wondered if there would be a White Christmas and how cold it would be during the Sugar Bowl. It had not snowed on Christmas Day in Central Louisiana since 1895. Mother was concerned that the icy roads and their Oldsmobile’s threadbare tires might cause the car to slide off Highway 165 on the drive to Hargrove Clinic in Oakdale, 15 miles from their home in Longleaf. Daddy hoped the weather would hinder Oklahoma’s All-American Quarterback Darrell Royal's passing and running to give the underdog LSU an edge. In World War II, Daddy drove and flew in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska with the Japanese in pursuit. Snow, ice, and threadbare tires were of little concern, but Oklahoma's quarterback was. William Rigsby Hargrove, M.D., delivered the baby boy, me, on a cold (mid-40s) Monday before the stroke of midnight, at 10:55 on the 19th of December 1949. Thus, my life began as a tiny 10-pound, 8-ounce boy. It was said to have been a 10-month pregnancy. The ordeal was too much for Mother—I would be her last child and Daddy’s only child. She was 36. Daddy was 30. Everyone called me Rand or Randy after my grandpa. Fourteen days after my birth, on January 2, 1950, over 82,000 attended Tulane Stadium for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The weather was clear and in the 70s. The newspapers reported the final score as 35 to 0 in favor of Oklahoma, although Daddy could never recall that score.

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Years later, I became good friends with University of Texas football Coach Darrell K Royal. In 1994, he had no problem remembering the score and every play in detail over lunch on East 6th at Cisco’s Restaurant in Austin. From his youth, Coach Royal loved country music. Mae Axton taught him high school English in Oklahoma. She was a songwriter with a background in musical promotion. When she moved to Nashville, Coach Royal would visit her, and he began to meet other songwriters and country singers. In 1955, Coach Royal was at Mississippi State University for his first collegiate head coaching job, a mere five-hour drive to Nashville. The following year, 1956, both of their lives would change forever when Mae Axton’s co-written tune Heartbreak Hotel was released by Elvis Presley two days after his twenty-first birthday in January, and Coach Royal was announced as head coach of the University of Texas in December. The Texas Longhorns went from a 1–9 record in 1956, their worst record in the university's history, to a 6–4–1 in 1957 and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. The University of Texas had hired a winner and would never accept anything less.
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I never met Mae Axton, but I met many other incredible people due to my friendship with Coach Royal. I first met Lady Bird Johnson at Darrell Royal’s home at one of his legendary pickin’ parties. Her late husband, President Lyndon Johnson, was close friends with Coach Royal. The President would attend Longhorn football games. When asked if he was a Longhorn fan, he replied, “I’m a Darrell Royal fan.”

I last saw Lady Bird Johnson at the Headliners Club in Austin. As always, she was escorted by two Secret Service Agents. She later had her book “Wildflowers Across America” hand-delivered to me at my home in Austin.

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I was thirteen on November 22, 1963. Around 1:00 that afternoon, I walked from my art classroom under the Angleton Junior High football stadium. A very excited classmate, Robert Munson, stopped me between the cafeteria and gym and asked, “Have you heard the President has been shot?”

Darrell Royal was hand-picked to greet President John F. Kennedy when Air Force One touched down at Bergstrom Air Force Base, seven miles from Austin, at 3:15 pm on November 22, 1963. Coach Royal was tying his tie and then heading to the airport when he heard the tragic news on the radio that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. Coach Royal’s close friend, Texas Governor John Connally, was shot, too. Weeks later, on New Year's Day at the Cotton Bowl, Coach Royal won the first of three national championships. While recovering in the hospital, Governor Connally was forced by his doctors to turn the TV off when he became too excited watching the game.
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In April of 1976, Coach Royal picked Johnny Rodriguez and me up at the Sheraton Crest Hotel (today, The LINE Austin). Country singer Moe Bandy was with him. Coach Royal drove us to his home at 1200 Belmont Parkway on Shoal Creek by way of the new Austin highway, MoPac. The first six miles had opened the year before. As he drove, I reminded Coach Royal that his longtime assistant, Leon Manley, recruited Larry Webb and me to play football at the University of Texas in 1968.

“Remind me again why you didn’t play for us?” Coach said.

“Because I never took the required algebra courses.”

“You’d be surprised how many others were refused for that reason,” he said. Coach Royal asked me why I chose Southwest Texas State University (Texas State University today) in San Marcos. I thought I'd be clever and said, “Because of all the pretty girls.”

He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “That’s a hell of a reason to choose a college.” I thought he was going to run off the road. He smiled and added, “We have pretty girls at the University of Texas, too.” I’ve never again compared UT to another college, at least not in front of Coach Royal. I’m sure he never remembered recruiting me and was being his usual gracious self. But he remembered my high school teammate Larry Webb, who played for him, and told me where he was employed, Pelican’s Wharf Restaurant in San Antonio, and other details. I realized Coach Royal was concerned about his former players. I only watched a few football games with Coach. Still, we have attended many music events over the decades since I was in that business: artist management, agent, publishing, booking, and promotion. Country music was his great escape and my way of paying for groceries and half the rent. I’ve never known a person with so many friends. When I asked him about it, he said, “If you want a friend, you’ve got to be a friend first.”

Miss Edith told me Coach Royal loved people. Over the years, I watched many people approach him for autographs and photos. He never seemed bothered. To him, it came with the territory.

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We arrived at Coach Royal’s home on Belmont Parkway in 20 minutes. In the early days, his home at 1200 Belmont Parkway was the site of some of his pickin’ parties. We soon left for a Country Music Association event at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. The CMA decided to make peace with the “outlaw country” rebels by moving its annual board meeting from Nashville to Austin in April 1976. Willie Nelson moved to Austin in 1972 after Coach Royal told him, “You’d be more loved in Austin than anywhere.” Within three years, in 1975, Willie’s critically acclaimed album “Red Headed Stranger “was released. The following year, the CMA came to Austin. The Armadillo was packed when we arrived. I met famous folks who were stars when I was a kid: Floyd Tillman, Pee Wee King, and Ed Ames. Later, Willie Nelson and Charlie Pride showed up after their set at a private party for the CMA at Soap Creek Saloon. There were hippies, rednecks, cowboys, college students, athletes, politicians, and music industry bigshots. Austin went all out for the CMA, with “Big Rikke,” an Armadillo legend known as “the Guacamole Queen,” cooking her famous shrimp enchiladas before the show. Coach Royal retired from coaching in 1976 and remained director of athletics until 1980. He then served as special assistant to the university president on athletic programs. During his tenure, Royal oversaw the integration of African Americans into the UT athletics program.

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Coach Royal’s home at 10507 La Costa Drive south of Austin at Onion Creek Country Club was also the location of many pickin’ parties. However, I attended them at numerous other sites, such as the Villa Capri Hotel in Austin, where many bands stayed, The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Barton Creek Country Club in Barton Creek, Coach Royal’s hotel suites, and my Austin home for the last two decades of his life. I learned to play golf from Coach Royal at Onion Creek. After seeing me struggle, he introduced me to the golf pro. The pro reminded me there were only a few great, tall golfers. He did little to build my confidence but suggested I was too tall for my golf clubs. I bought a new custom set with extended shafts. It helped a little. Nevertheless, I may be the worst golfer that ever played with Coach Royal. He played golf way too fast for me, too.

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Ernest Owen was a close friend of Coach Darrell Royal. I was in Oakhill, Texas, with Coach on Ernest’s huge bus at the Silver Dollar to see an up-and-coming singer. The young singer dropped by the bus to introduce himself to Coach Royal. For 30 minutes, he explained why he would be a star. The only thing that stopped him was when his manager told him it was showtime. When he left, Coach Royal said, “Let that be a lesson on why you should never talk about yourself. Let others do that.” I have never forgotten that advice, except in this article.

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In 1996, I opened my copy of the Austin American-Statesman and read on the front page that the University of Texas honored Coach Royal by renaming the football stadium. Before I finished reading the headline, Coach Royal called me about making arrangements for him to attend a concert that night with an artist I managed. I said I’d be honored and added congratulations. “Oh, that,” he said, “Thank you.” He said he had received a phone call from the University of Texas Board of Regents weeks before. They requested a meeting at his home, which was rare. After retirement, Coach Royal served as the Special Assistant to the President of the athletic program at the University of Texas. Coach Royal said that he told Miss Edith after the phone call that the only reason they would be driving all the way out to their home was that he was being fired and was at peace with that. When they arrived and explained the purpose of the visit, they voted to rename the UT football stadium after him. He was shocked but honored and agreed that the name Texas Memorial Stadium should remain. I have never heard a man speak more humbly. Coach Royal was never boastful. When World War II broke out during his senior year in high school, Coach Royal volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He played football for the 3rd Air Force team in 1945. Additionally, the university established the Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Veterans Committee, composed of alumni who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or the Gulf Wars. The committee is charged with dedicating the stadium to the memory forever and in honor of UT students and alumni who gave their lives for their country.

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The following year, after nine holes of golf on Willie's Pedernales Cut-N-Putt Golf Course, we decided to shoot pool at Freddy Power’s home on the golf course. Bill McDavid and songwriter Sonny Throckmorton were with us. Willie was on tour. The phone rang. Since I was closest to the phone, I reached for it. As I did, Coach Royal said, "Randy, if that’s Edith, tell her I’ll come home as soon as I’m damn good and ready!"

Before I could get the phone to my ear, Coach added, "And tell her I’m damn good and ready—right now."

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Coach Royal asked me if I’d help him with the Ben Willie Darrell Youth Classic. My role began as a “gofer” and advanced very little over the years. Coach Royal would say, “Randy, would you tell Jimmy Dean he’s up next?”

I met some incredible people through Coach. I only had to ask three times, “Who’s that?” Sorry, Don Cherry, Charlie Duke, and Buffalo Bob Smith. And to think, I watched Howdy Doody as a kid. Today, I’m a fan of Don Cherry’s music. And to not know Charlie Duke walked on the moon is inexcusable.

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The last Ben Willie Darrell Youth Classic was held after 30 years. It was hosted by Ben Crenshaw (for the previous ten years), Willie Nelson, and Darrell Royal. Coach Royal always insisted that his name be listed last. A few years later, the decision was made to have a reunion of Ben Crenshaw, Willie Nelson, and Darrell Royal’s charity event. Coach called me. I agreed to help and sponsored the music. That year, the reunion raised over $250,000 for Austin Recovery and the Center for Child Protection. A few weeks before, I asked Coach if I could have a film crew tape the three days of music at my expense. He said, “Let me sleep on it.”

The next day, he called and said, “I’ve decided not to do that, and I’ll tell you why. These entertainers are friends; most would feel obligated to say yes because I would be asking. What bothers me is that some would not like to be recorded even though they said yes. And what bothers me the most is that I’d never know that.”

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Later, I hosted an annual pickin’ party at my Austin home. Coach Royal never missed one. I always ran the dates by him and followed his rules, which included not talking while someone was singing. Coach Royal had a red light in the room where everyone played. The red light appeared when you were talking while someone was performing.” I only had it happen to me once. I was only whispering. It scared me to death when everyone looked at me as if they’d just heard a dog talk. I never did it again. I was standing next to Coach and Cactus Pryor one night at Barton Creek Country Club when a local “star” on stage who had begged to play used a very vulgar word. Coach Royal was agitated. Cactus looked at me as Coach walked off, then looked at the entertainer and said, “He will not be back.” The entertainer was never allowed back.

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Coach Royal was always teaching me. He once said, “Like me, you have many photos taken. Never have one taken with a drink in your hand, even if it’s water or a Coke. If you do within time, you will get the reputation that you are always drunk like Dean Martin has.”

A year or two later, seconds before a photographer took our photo in my backyard at one of our pickin’ parties, I looked at Coach and said, “The drink.” He smiled, replied, “Oh, thanks,” and placed his glass of white wine on the ground. A minute later, I thought, “Willis, who are you to correct Coach Royal?” He knew I was following his advice and was not offended. We played golf once at The Woodlands near Houston. Coach Royal noticed I had an expensive watch on my wrist. He said, “I was given one much more expensive than your years ago by alumni when I retired. It’s in a safe deposit box. They will kill you today for a watch like that. This is what I wear. I paid $20 for it at a convenience store in Austin.”

I never wore that watch again, even though it was a fake Rolex I bought in Mexico. I never dared tell Coach that, but I did wonder what if I had been mugged for a fake watch.

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Coach Royal knew I wanted to be a writer. He introduced me to James Michener. My favorite Michener novels are “Hawaii,” followed by “Centennial” and, of course, “Texas.”
Author Lewis Timberlake invited me to Austin Baptist Church. Lewis had been my Sunday School teacher at Hyde Park Baptist Church. Coach Leon Manley was also in that class. That day, I also met James Michener’s friend, HC Carter. HC invited me to lunch with his wife and former Austin Mayor Ron Mullen and his wife. HC was a founding member of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association. HC and I sat at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant next to each other and spoke the entire time. I love Longhorn Cattle and Kiger Mustangs. I bought two Kiger Mustangs for my granddaughter, Olivia Grace Willis. She’s a ten-year-old cowgirl. HC Carter raised Longhorn Cattle near Dripping Springs, only 20 minutes from where Olivia’s Mustangs are pastured. James Michener was keenly interested in HC’s knowledge of Longhorn Cattle for his novel “Texas,” which later influenced my novels “Texas Wind” and “Destiny.”

While Michener gathered the information for his epic novel “Texas,” he spent many hours with HC Carter on his front porch in Dripping Springs, discussing cattle drives and Texas history. Michener acknowledged HC more in his book than any other source. Michener told HC Carter, “If this book is a failure, it’s your fault.”

James Michener was a philanthropist who donated more than $100 million to educational, cultural, and writing institutions, including $37 million to the University of Texas. Michener lived his final years in Austin and endowed the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. It reminds me of how grateful I am to Coach Darrell Royal’s thoughtfulness in introducing me to James Michener and others who loved Texas and the University of Texas.

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Coach Royal loved Mexican food and introduced me to Rudy "Cisco" Cisneros. He opened Cisco's in East Austin in 1948. I got a call one day from Rudy, "I hear you’re working with Miss Texas. Well, why haven't you brought her by?"

When we arrived, Rudy sat beside her and said, "Honey, the next time you get paid, I'll take you to dinner." Cisco's has been my favorite place to eat breakfast in Austin for decades. Rudy called his table the Liars Table. It was an honor to be a member of Cisco's Liars Club. If you called home from that table and said your car broke down, the caller ID read Liar’s Club. It was rumored that so-called Bookies would occasionally sit at the table. When Coach Royal spoke at Rudy's funeral, he told the story of the time before two-a-day football practices when he called Rudy because he had a tight schedule. "Rudy, how's the line?" Coach asked. "I don't know, Coach; I haven't gotten it in yet."

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On October 12, 2012 (a few weeks before Coach's death), Coach Royal recited “The Eyes of Texas” in a studio while the Kyle Family sang back up. Less than a month later, The Kyle Sisters would sing “The Old Rugged Cross” at his funeral at Coach Royal’s request. He also asked them to change the lyrics when they sang it. He requested the line “So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies, at last, I lay down” be changed to “till my burdens at last I lay down.” He added, "My trophies don't mean much to me now." Remarkably, his request was made with Alzheimer's. Coach died on November 7, 2012, due to complications of Alzheimer's disease.

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Tragedy struck the Royals in April 1973, when 27-year-old daughter Marian, an aspiring artist and mother of two, was killed when her car collided with a shuttle bus on West 7th near Mopac. She was in a coma for 19 days before succumbing. Willie Nelson arrived at the Royals’ house but couldn’t find the words, so he played his song “Healing Hands of Time.”

He’d sing it again for Coach Royal and Miss Edith nine years later after their youngest son David died in a motorcycle accident a couple of blocks from Marian’s crash. And Willie sang it again at Coach Royals’ funeral with tears in his eyes. He wept, not alone. Coach Royal was a mentor, hero, friend, and father figure. I miss him. The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You, Coach—continuously. Hook ‘em Horns! Randy Willis
“To the Best of my Recollection”