The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Denius Family provides lead gift in UT’s Hall of Fame project
11.02.2018 | Texas Athletics
The continued commitment of longtime University of Texas supporters Frank Denius and his family made possible by The Cain Foundation is helping the Longhorns build their first-ever Athletics Hall of Fame.
PHOTO GALLERY (with renderings of The Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame and additional photos)
NOTE: Saturday is Texas' annual Veterans Recognition Game. Texas Athletics will honor and thank the Denius family with a special halftime tribute. Also, Charmaine McGill and Woffie Denius will represent their father, Frank, at the coin toss as the Veteran of the Game.
American hero and legendary Longhorns supporter Frank Denius and his family have generously backed many projects and events at The University of Texas for decades. Frank Denius passed away in July at the age of 93, but he and his family recently pledged to provide the lead gift towards the construction of The Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. The facility bearing his name will help carry on the legacy of a great Longhorn for generations to come.
"When the UT Athletics Staff approached the Cain Foundation Board with the opportunity to participate in the UT Athletics Hall of Fame, we believed it was the perfect means of honoring and paying tribute to my father," Frank Denius' son, Woffie, said. "It will be a special area that showcases the legacy and achievements of Longhorn Men's and Women's Athletics. Longhorns past, present and future, as well as alumni, prospective student-athletes and fans will all certainly enjoy it. What a perfect place to recognize and honor my father's passion and love for The University of Texas and its coaches and student-athletes."
Establishing a space to celebrate the rich and storied history of Texas Athletics is a priority for UT Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. With the generous commitment of the Denius family made possible by the Cain Foundation towards this project, UT is completing plans on its first-ever Hall of Fame. Construction will start on the project in the Red McCombs Red Zone inside the north end of Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium by January.
"We wanted to build a place where we could celebrate our awesome history every day, and we are beyond grateful to the Denius family and the Cain Foundation for helping us make this a reality," said Del Conte. "This will be an opportunity for us to pay tribute and share the stories of the people, teams and traditions that make Texas Athletics so special. And, alongside that, it also will allow us to honor the legacy of our dear friend Frank Denius for generations to come. We can't thank Beth and Woffie Denius, Gordon and Charmaine McGill and John and Felecia Cain enough for their continued support and their recent commitment that is allowing us to build our Hall of Fame."
The facility will tell the story of Texas Athletics from the vintage days of its first football team in 1893 to what is now one of the nation's premier athletics programs. There will be visual and digital displays honoring the 54 National Championship teams, 589 conference titles, hundreds of individual national champions, more than 2,500 All-Americans and 159 Olympians who have won a combined 144 Olympic medals, as well as the traditions and tales that encompass the history of Longhorns Athletics.
"Longhorn Football was both a passion and a constant in my father's life," Woffie Denius added. "He often said, 'Life is a lot like the game of football.' It requires discipline, self-sacrifice, courage, teamwork and humility – most, if not all, of the same qualities an individual needs to be successful in life."
An impressive statue honoring the nation's largest and one of its most-storied live mascots, BEVO, will greet visitors at the main entrance. The Hall of Fame will also be home to Texas Athletics' current statues of iconic coaches Darrell Royal and Jody Conradt, Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, as well as prominent supporters Joe Jamail, Red McCombs and Tex Moncrief. There will be more than 850 trophies on display, and rooms to recognize the more than 500 members of the Longhorn Hall of Honor, as well as the Longhorns' national and conference championship teams, national award winners, all-time All-Americans, academic award honorees, Olympians, legendary coaches and most recent successes of all of its sports programs.
"This is a project that will bring the history of Texas Athletics to life," Del Conte added. "It's something we're extremely excited about and that we've been working on for months. We can't wait for it all to come together and to start construction. It will be a great source of pride for all of us and something we know everyone will enjoy."
A timeline of all 15 BEVOs, dating back to the first Longhorn steer mascot in 1917 will be a prominent feature, along with a social media command center and the offices of the T-Association. It will be a go-to location for alumni, fans, supporters and college athletics enthusiasts for years to come.
MORE ABOUT FRANK DENIUS:
READ: In Memoriam: Frank Denius – Texas Athletics
An Army veteran and military hero, Frank Denius was one of the 10-most decorated soldiers in the European Theater of WWII, having fought in every major battle in Europe. Perhaps most notably, Denius was a part of the group that landed on Omaha Beach in the "second wave" of the D-Day Invasion. He also was a member of the "Lost Battalion," consisting of merely 665 soldiers, in the battle for Mortain, France, holding off 70,000 German troops and five Panzer Tank Divisions to defend Hill 314. Denius received numerous medals for his military service, including four Silver Stars, the Belgian and French Croix de Guerre, a Presidential Citation, and the highest French honor — Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. He also was wounded twice, each time returning to battle, for which he received two Purple Hearts.
Upon his discharge from the Army, Denius went on to graduate with degrees in business and law from UT and earned the reputation as one of Texas' premier lawyers and civic leaders. Denius was granted UT's highest honors as a Distinguished Alumnus and recipient of the Santa Rita Award. He remained passionate and supportive of UT throughout the years, and one of his daily rituals was attending Longhorn Football practice. He attended 72 straight Red River Showdowns and missed just three home football games in 57 years — one of which was to receive The Patriots Award, bestowed by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Denius later received the "Circle of Honor" Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
As a tribute to Denius at its season opener against Tulsa on Sept. 8, UT dedicated the seat he occupied for many of those years (Section 4, Row 15, Seat 26) in the distinctive burnt orange color with a memorialized plaque. That seat is being left vacant for the 2018 season. The Longhorns also honored Denius with a memorial at the football practice fields that bear his name.
The Texas Football team's helmets this season feature an "FD" decal as a tribute to Denius, and the Longhorns' special teams have long been recognized as its "Special Forces" units in Denius' honor. Texas' kickoff team is currently tabbed the "Cobra Strike" unit in recognition of the "Operation Cobra" that Denius was a part of in Normandy, France in 1944. Members of that unit are wearing a special decal that features the "Cobra Strike" logo throughout this season.
