The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with Alan Lowry
08.02.2007 | Football
What are your memories about being a part of the Texas program for two National Championships? I think the best thing about going to Texas when I did is that they had just won 10 straight games, and then we won the next 20 after that, so we had a 30-game winning streak while I was there. My freshman year and my sophomore year, we won the National Championship. Those are great memories - to be a freshman and see a National Championship team, and then as a sophomore be a starter on a National Championship team. I do remember that we didn't finish it up that sophomore year because we lost to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, but we still won one of the National Championships.
Then in terms of just being on the campus at Texas, what do you remember most? The people - the people are so great. Being around the fans when I also got to coach there, and going out and meeting all of the alumni and all of the supporters of The University and having the ability to build relationships with all of those people, it was really a fantastic opportunity for me.
There are a lot of renovations taking place to the stadium, the team also has its indoor practice facility, what do you think when you see that progress? Even when I was there, they were building the upper deck, they were putting in Astroturf that was state of the art. It's called the "university of first class." That's what it is all the time, and it always will be.
Watching the program now from a distance, what are your thoughts on the way Mack Brown has built it? I think Mack has done everything right. He came in and he did everything he needed to do to get the ex-players back, he did everything he needed to do to get the high school football coaches back. From then on with their football, they've coached it well, they've got the speed, they've got the strength, they've come back to that and they're going to win a lot of games.
Did you get a chance to watch the 2005 National Championship game? I did have a chance to watch it. I was at my house, but I was watching it with Coach Jeff Fisher, who is a USC alumnus. We were there with his family and my family, so it was kind of going back and forth as the game went on. It was really a fun night, and we got down to that last play, and we were talking about what they had to do. When Vince ran it in, I said, "I can't believe they left the corner open," and Jeff couldn't either. It was a fun night.
Having watched that game, what were your thoughts to see Vince Young come to this organization and go through his first training camp and rookie season? We were really fortunate we were able to draft him. In the NFL draft, you never know if he's going to be there or he's not going to be there. He was there and we were able to get him, and it was a great thing for us. As soon as he took over as the quarterback, it wasn't just that he's a great quarterback, he's a great leader. He's still learning as a quarterback, but he can make enough plays running and passing that the players all rally around him, and they think they can win just because he's under center.
Is there a common thread between the Longhorns in the NFL and is there a reason so many are able to make it there? I think that just speaks so well to how they recruit, and who they recruit as far as the character, the integrity the guys have above and beyond their football abilities, and they have very good football abilities. They can run and they can play the game.
What have you specifically noticed about the former Longhorns on this team? I think you just look at Bo Scaife and see he had three knee operations, he comes in here, he hasn't missed a day, he works really hard, he's the consummate pro, because he's always prepared and ready to play. You see the same thing out of Vince (Young) and Michael Griffin and Ahmard Hall. Ahmard is a guy that you know what you're going to get from him everyday. He's going to come to work and he's going to play hard. Even if he makes a mistake, it's going to be a full-speed mistake just like the rest of the guys.
Do you speak much with the guys about the tradition of Texas and the links from your era to their era? Well, not a whole lot, but it's been a long time since I played there, but we share that common bond and we talk about that some, and it's something that's always there.
