Bill Little commentary: About the ribbons

In the days when Hollywood had larger-than-life heroes, it would take a big one to make a simple thing such as a ribbon famous.

Enter John Wayne, who rode as a cavalry officer in the old West, in a movie titled "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon," and he, the song and the ribbon entered the world of immortality.

When the Texas Longhorn team is asked about things which have touched their lives, two entities immediately out rank others. One is the military, because so many have served, or had great friends and relatives who have served, in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The other is the disease known as cancer.

That is why Saturday, this 2013 Texas Longhorns team will use ribbon decals on their helmets to signify a dedication to a loved one who has battled that disease. We often refrain from using the word "battle" in sports jargon, but there is absolutely no question that when one is fighting cancer, it is a war (albeit of a different kind) for survival.

Several years ago, one of the Longhorns suggested that the team follow the NFL's lead in recognizing these brave victims who have been stricken -- some without any sign or indication of reason -- with the life-changing disease.

It is, for all of us, a reminder that while sport is important, it is not a war and it is certainly not a hospital room where the human spirit and modern medicine join forces against a grim reaper with a sickle which cuts through the heart and soul of human kind.

The "Dedication Game" has always been important in Mack Brown's program. It has always focused on a theme of playing for somebody else. Each year, team members pick a person who is, or was, close to them and they dedicate their play that day to them.

In the cases of a person who is still living, the players send a note or take time for a phone call before the game to let them know they are playing that day for them. If it is for a person who has passed on, they remember them in various ways.

As the Longhorns embark on their Big 12 Conference season against Kansas State, it seems a perfect time to pause to think about others.

When Case McCoy decided to spend his summer building houses and installing precious water systems in Peru, he told his Dad that he was doing it because, "All my life has been about football and me. I want to do this for someone else."

The team theme radiates the message that this team will fight for each other. In this symbolic effort on Saturday night, they will be dedicating their collective efforts to fight for somebody else.

As far as the game is concerned, the stars could not have aligned more perfectly for a new beginning. Since entering the Big 12 Conference, Kansas State has been a stumbling block for the Longhorns. In the original alignment where the two schools participated in different divisions and played each other every three and four years, the Wildcats and the Longhorns met in the seasons of 1998 and 1999, then again in 2002 and 2003, and finally in 2006 and 2007. In the 'Horns' highest profile seasons of 2004 and 2005 and 2008 and 2009, the teams did not play.

Now, of course, the Big 12 is particularly competitive because with ten teams, everybody plays everybody else every year. And if you are in the business of clearing a path to something (as the Longhorns believe they can be concerning a goal of a Big 12 championship), the first thing you have to do is chop into the brush right in front of you.

Once called by Sports Illustrated "the worst football program in America", Kansas State has long since put that to rest under the superb guidance of Bill Snyder. The veteran coach has brought the Wildcat program to the top of the Big 12 and has earned national respect. He's perhaps Mack Brown's best friend in the coaching profession, and the two share a dedication to family and football that is evident when you get like minds together.

Saturday's game will be a showcase, with a national ABC audience watching and listening to Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit.

In the last two meetings, Texas has gone into the fourth quarter with a chance to win against the Wildcats, but in the end the 'Horns failed to close the deal.

So as they dedicate this game to a cause bigger than college football, you can add the word "fight" with appropriate respect when it comes to the battle against cancer. The ribbons will remind them of that.

You can assume this team will play for each other, so that football, family and faith are paramount in their thoughts. And since the primary goal is to win, they will need to add one more word to their vocabulary.

They need to "finish."

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics