Longhorn Hall of Honor: Blake Brockermeyer

While offensive linemen don't earn much of the glory or typically end up in postgame highlights, their role on the team is valuable, especially given the time commitment required of the position.

A 6-foot-4, 300-pound, athletic and dominant left tackle for the Texas Longhorns, Blake Brockermeyer did earn notoriety as a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection and First Team All-American. Texas Athletics continues to acknowledge Brockermeyer's efforts, as he is among the 2015 hall of honor inductees.

"It's a huge honor to be in the same breath as guys like Jerry Sisemore, Harley Sewell and Scott Appleton, to name a few," he said on his induction. "Just growing up in Fort Worth and watching those guys play as kids and to be mentioned in the same paragraph as them is a huge honor."

One of the key aspects for offensive linemen, Brockermeyer noted, is communication with the entire offense.

"We would have to work together a lot because we're doing a lot of things together," he said. "Everyone has to be on the same page, especially the guy next to you, because he's got to know if you're doing something different."

While at Texas, Brockermeyer started all 34 games of his career, which ended on a 16-game streak without allowing a sack. For Brockermeyer, being a good offensive lineman meant playing with a "mean streak" and possessing a great work ethic. His final games as a Longhorn filled him with a source of pride that prepared him for the next step in his playing career – nine years in the NFL.

"In every game I ever played in, that's one of the things that I wanted to make sure I tried to do, was not to give up the sack," he said. "A lot of times I didn't, but a lot of times I did. It's a mental game, because especially if you get beat early, you have to be able to learn from it and move on."

Brockermeyer has fond memories of his time in burnt orange, including his final game in the Sun Bowl where the Longhorns defeated a North Carolina team led by future Texas head coach Mack Brown. He points to the annual rivalry game against Oklahoma as his most memorable experience in a Texas uniform.

"Being in that atmosphere and in that environment and rivalry game -- it's the stuff that as a kid you see on TV and as you get older you watch the games," he said. "Half of the stadium is orange and the other half is red, and that's something that I'll never forget."

Following his junior season at Texas, Brockermeyer was drafted in the first round (29th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He started at left tackle all four of his years with the Panthers from 1995-98 before signing as a free agent with the Chicago Bears, where he started for three seasons from 1999-2001. He played two more seasons with the Denver Broncos before concluding his nine-year NFL career having played in 136 games with 103 starts.

Following his career in the NFL, Brockermeyer and his wife, Kristy, settled in Fort Worth with their four sons, Jack, Luke, Tommy and James. Brockermeyer started coaching his kids from a young age.

"The more I coached, the more I liked it, and now it's turned into something that I really love doing," he said."

Brockermeyer said he is looking forward to coming back to Austin and participating in the Hall of Honor induction ceremony.

"Texas gave me all the resources that I needed to succeed in college. Not only athletically, but also academically it gave me a foundation to work from," he said. "It just helped me evolve and grow and kind of worked through a lot of the same issues that all kids have -- trying to mature and become better people."

Day of Distinction: 2015 Men's and Women's Hall of Honor Induction

Please join Texas Athletics as we induct 13 decorated and distinguished former University of Texas student-athletes and staff into the Men's and Women's Athletics Halls of Honor on Friday, Sept. 25

Tickets start at $35. To purchase, or if you have additional questions, please call (512) 232-4422.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics