The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2019
A hard-hitting, lockdown, four-year starter at cornerback, Bryant Westbrook was a key part of a group that led a Longhorn football resurgence in the mid-1990s. The San Diego native and Parade High School All-American helped Texas to three conference championships (two Southwest Conference/one Big 12), including the final SWC and the first-ever Big 12 titles. Westbrook played a role in two games for the ages in UT annals that set up those titles, as in 1995 Texas snapped Texas A&M's 31-game home winning streak to secure the SWC Championship and in 1996 the Longhorns upset two-time defending National Champion and No. 3-ranked Nebraska to claim the 1996 Big 12 crown. Prior to 1994, Texas had finished the year ranked in the Top-25 nationally just once in the previous 10 seasons. Westbrook was a major contributor as the Longhorns recorded three-straight Top-25 finishes from 1994-96, including earning berths in two "New Year's Day" bowl games, the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. A two-time first-team all-conference selection (1995 SWC and 1996 Big 12) and second-team All-American in 1996, Westbrook was a team captain as a senior. In 43 career games (36 starts), he posted 183 tackles (145 solo), nine interceptions, 34 pass breakups, six caused fumbles, one fumble recovery, 10 tackles for loss, a sack and blocked two punts (one he recovered and returned 35 yards for a touchdown). After a stellar true freshman campaign in 1993, Westbrook was in the midst of a breakout sophomore season that saw him intercept four passes in that season's first six games before a knee injury ended his year. He still earned second-team All-SWC honors that year before becoming a first-teamer as a junior and senior. The fifth overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, Westbrook was the earliest a Longhorn was selected in 15 years (since Kenneth Sims in 1982). He played six NFL seasons but his career was cut short by a series of injuries, including two season-ending Achilles' tendon tears. Despite the injuries, Westbrook made the best of his six seasons, playing in 74 career NFL games and starting 55, mostly with the Lions. He also had a short stint with the Dallas Cowboys and finished his career with the Green Bay Packers. He recorded 13 career interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Of his 233 career tackles, 197 were solo stops. Selected to the All-Rookie team in 1997, Westbrook started 30 of 31 games in his first two seasons and had 119 tackles (100 solo), five interceptions (two returned for TDs) and 39 PBU. His best year came in 2000 when he recorded a career-best six interceptions, including one he took back 101 yards for a score. A Pro bowl alternate that year, Westbrook sustained a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon which cost him the latter part of what was on pace to be an All-Pro campaign. Despite the premature ending of the 2000 season, he registered 52 tackles (43 solo), and a career-high of 21 PBU. After his NFL career, Westbrook has spent nearly a decade as a high school coach, now coaching the secondary at perennial Arizona powerhouse Sagauro High School in Scottsdale.
