The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorn legends: Football Hall of Honor inductee Charlie Talbert
10.02.2007 | Football
For a modest person who constantly played for the team and not for the individual accolades, Charlie Talbert was taken aback to hear about his selection into the Longhorn Hall of Honor.
"It is something that was unexpected," Talbert explained. "I expected that winning the National Championship my senior year was all the recognition I needed. It is just an honor and I am flattered to be selected into the Hall."
For his contribution to the 1963 National Championship team and his performance on the field, Talbert is one of seven former athletes that will be inducted this year into the Texas Athletics' Longhorn Hall of Honor.
"Charlie was always great, never was in trouble of any kind, and he represented us with pride," commented David McWilliams, Talbert's teammate on the '63 squad and a former UT head coach. "When he graduated, he continued to give back to the program."
Talbert will be joining his older brother, Don, and younger brother Diron in the Hall.
Don was an All-American tackle who played for the Longhorns from 1959-1961, and was later drafted by the Dallas Cowboys after completing his career at Texas. He would then spend the next 10 years playing in the National Football League.
Diron, the younger brother, played for the Longhorns from 1964-1966 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams upon graduating. He spent the majority of his pro football career with the Washington Redskins.
"It is certainly a big honor to join them," Talbert said. "They both were extremely excited. I was lucky enough to play with both of them during my career. It is something we have a lot of pride in, now that the three of us will be in the Hall of Honor."
During a time where the forward pass was not often utilized, Talbert led the 1963 National Championship squad with 14 receptions for 188 yards and one touchdown. During the last regular season outing, Talbert caught three passes on the final Texas drive to help set up a score and seal the come-from-behind victory against Texas A&M.
He also played on the other side of the ball, serving as a defensive end, and intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown during his career.
"The thing I remember about Charlie was how tall and skinny he was," McWilliams recalled. "Coach put some weight on him, but the first thing you knew when you went out to practice was that he was tougher than anyone else on the field."
"During my era, you had 11 starters that had to play seven minutes straight on offense, defense, and on special teams," Talbert stated. "It was tiring and extremely tough during practice when you had to learn multiple positions."
However, Talbert was not bothered by taking on such a feat. Along with studying the playbook for football, Talbert excelled in the classroom and was selected to the Southwest Conference all-academic team during his senior year.
"Coach [Darrell] Royal didn't have to worry if Charlie was going to be around because he took care of business in the classroom and on the field," McWilliams remarked. "That was Coach Royal's number one thing - if you don't take care of your business in the classroom, he wasn't going to play you."
After finishing his football career and graduating with a business degree, Talbert enrolled in The University of Texas Law School and earned his second degree. Upon graduation, Talbert attended the naval officer's academy and joined the Navy for three years.
After parting ways with the Navy, Talbert moved to Houston and got involved with the real estate business. He has been occupied with the development of hotels in Houston and Austin since 1980.
Even with his busy schedule, Talbert finds time to make trips to Austin on a regular basis.
"I usually make all the home games and some of the away games and I've done that since I got out of the Navy," Talbert said. "I used to take the little kids up and now I'm bringing the grandkids up. I usually come up to Austin mainly for football, but I also come up to operate my hotels."
He admits that the scenery around campus has changed tremendously over the past 40 years.
"There have been a number of physical changes that have taken place to the face of the campus, especially around the stadium," Talbert recollected. "That area has had a huge facelift and it is hard to imagine the way it used to be in my era. So much has changed.
"When I first came here, the head coach and the athletic director were in a one room office in the old Gregory Gym. To see where they've gone from there to the new facilities has been amazing. It's great to see that we are able to provide that for the next generation."
For a grateful and proud member of the 2007 inducting class, Talbert credits all of his teammates and coaches for his selection.
"I have been away from the University of Texas for over 40 years now and I always say that my team in my era all deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Honor," Talbert said. "I was not an All-American performer and I was basically a team person, so I am extremely flattered and humbled by being selected."