The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with James Street
06.05.2002 | Football
On Wednesday, Mack Brown-TexasFootball.com had the opportunity to talk with former Longhorns quarterback and pitcher James Street. A two-sport star as a Longhorn (football, baseball), Street posted a school-record 20 wins (against no losses) as a starting quarterback from 1968-69 and helped lead the Longhorns to the 1969 National Championship. The Longhorns posted a perfect 11-0 record (7-0 in the Southwest Conference) and capped off their second national title in school annals with a 21-17 victory against No. 9 Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl. Street earned consensus All-SWC honors as a senior after completing 40-of-81 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 412 yards and five scores. On the diamond, he helped lead UT to three consecutive College World Series appearances and posted a career record of 29-8. Street also registered 21 complete games, a 1.86 ERA (No. 7 on UT's career chart) and 302 strikeouts (No. 7 on UT's career list). He threw a perfect game in 1970 (vs. Texas Tech) and a no-hitter in '69 (vs. SMU), was a two-time second-team All-America selection and a three-time All-SWC choice.
These days, Street runs his own business, The James Street Group, and spends a majority of his free time watching his four younger sons playing baseball with his wife, Janie. Their oldest son, Ryan (28), is an architect in Austin, while his second-oldest son, Huston, is in the midst of helping the No. 3 Texas baseball team in its quest to reach its second College World Series in the last three years. Huston, the Longhorns' closer, has posted 4-1 record, 10 saves and a sparkling 0.92 ERA in his freshman campaign. He recently was tabbed a Freshman All-American and the Big 12's Freshman Pitcher of the Year. His other three sons -- twins Jordon and Juston, both 16, and Hanson, 14 -- play on summer select and American Legion teams in Austin. Street was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1982.
Can you give us an update to what you are up to these days? Well, I am busy with work and watch my four boys play baseball all the time. I own my own business, the James Street Group and I am a structured settlements specialist. I work with people who have recently settled law suits on the plaintiff side and help those people with financial planning after they settle. So, most of the time you can either find me at work or at one of the ballparks my sons are playing at. My wife, Janie, and I travel back-and-forth between ballparks often, sometimes in the early hours of the morning.
What are some of your fondest memories from your playing days? The opportunity to play in the UT/Arkansas games and Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame was coming out of retirement, so to speak, to play in the bowl game and their name was synonymous with college football back then. They were the only team you could watch on Sundays (the Fighting Irish's games were replayed on that day). I also had the opportunity to go to the College World Series three years in a row, although I was hurt my senior year. I have great memories of my time at Texas and it was a lot of fun. It's amazing how many people remember the things I did while I was a Longhorn. It was just a neat experience. As I have gotten older, I realize just how lucky I was and how everything fell into place for me. I got to meet President Nixon after the Arkansas game in 1969 and President Johnson after the Notre Dame game that year. Later on, I went to Las Vegas and had the fortune to meet Elvis backstage and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers. Elvis said Texas deserved to beat Arkansas and Bill Medley said he wanted Arkansas to win. I look back and it all seems like it was a fairy tale or someone else's life. My experiences at UT continue to open doors for me and I'm thankful for the memories and everything UT has done for me.
Can you talk about the pride of being a Texas Longhorn? There is a lot of pride when you become a Longhorn. Sometimes, I don't think all the kids that play at UT now realize how special it is. When you come to UT, you have access to a network of people for the rest of your life, whether you were a starter or not. When you go out to the business world, being a Longhorn means a lot. Whenever I am attending mediations, people always want to talk about my playing days and what's going on these days. Just going to UT meant a lot to me and I take pride in that. My time at Texas opened several doors for me and that is continuing 30 years later.
Why is the UT football program such a special fraternity? I was at the baseball games last weekend and Coach Royal was there and everyone in the stands were talking to him. There's a lot of pride in saying that I played for such a great coach and for a school like Texas. I was only here for four years, but Coach Royal led the program for 20 years. All the athletes who were associated with him at the time were living a dream and it was a great opportunity. It's important that players understand how important it is to be a Longhorn and to make the most of it. One of the greatest moves Coach Brown made was to reunite the football family who have played for The University of Texas. He brought back the tradition, which has always been there but had been slid back a little bit. That has helped build the foundation and made the family stronger. Being a Longhorn is a feeling of pride and this family can open doors for you.
Can you talk about the job Coach Brown has done in his first four years? He's done a great job. He brought Coach Royal and the former players back into the program and created a great relationship with the state's high school coaches. The high schools of Texas are a great source of talent, and once they come to UT, they are a strong source for promotion for the team itself. He has surrounded himself with great assistant coaches and support staff. The team's success spills from the players to the students to the town to across the state. That's really something he has done well. He's brought back pride to the program and that was something Coach Royal was always big on. The program not only represents itself, but it also represents The University and the state and that shows on the field.
How exciting has it been to watch Huston pitch for the Longhorns this season? It really has been a neat experience. I never realized how great of an experience it was going to be. Every time he steps on the mound, I take great pride in what he accomplishes. It not only has been a great experience for me but for his mother and brothers too. He's done a great job and he's out there representing himself and UT well. He plays with a lot of heart but scares his mom out there. She wants him to be so successful and not fail. I get more nervous watching him than if I was out there myself. This is something he's wanted to do since he was nine and 10 years old and having the opportunity to fulfill the dream of playing at Texas has been great. He prepares himself one day at a time and brings the attitude to win each day. He's been very fortunate to do well this year, but I'm not surprised in the success he's had.