What it means to be a Longhorn: Bryant Westbrook

This is the first of a 14-part series celebrating the Hall of Honor class of 2019. In these first-person vignettes, each inductee shares his/her thoughts on 'What it means to be a Longhorn.' Thirteen former University of Texas student-athletes and one former UT System administrator will be inducted on Friday, Aug. 30 into the Hall of Honor. Tickets for the Hall of Honor banquet are available at TexasSports.com/tickets.

Bryant Westbrook Hall of Honor bio

I didn't know much about Texas when I arrived, but I was quickly entrenched in it. I felt the passion the people had for Longhorn Football and UT in general. By the time I left school, if you cut me open I would bleed burnt orange and white.

Growing up, I was a big fan of Michigan and Colorado, but my best friend in high school would always bring up Texas, telling me how great Texas Football was and that football was the biggest thing in the world in Texas. He said, "It's God, Football and Texas. Period." It sounded amazing to live in a place where football is everything, and that's what always stuck in the back of my mind when I was being recruited.

When I took my recruiting visit to Austin, Winfred Tubbs was my host and I was telling him and some other players that I was the best in the country. Chris Carter, who was also on his visit and ended up going to Texas, heard this and started saying, "Well, I'm the best in the country." We went back and forth for a little bit and in my mind, I started thinking that if a guy like that, that has this passion and drive, is going to go to UT, then this might be the school for me.

I knew so little about Texas Football that on the day we drew the numbers I asked for number 20, because that's what I wore in high school. They looked and me and just said, "Uh, no, that one belonged to Earl Campbell."

Steve Bernstein was my recruiting coordinator and the defensive backs coach and had a wonderful aura about him. He said that we were going to put Texas back on the map, and that's just what we did. Winning the last Southwest Conference championship with a win over Texas A&M, sending them off the way they should be sent off, then winning the inaugural Big 12 Championship against Nebraska are among my most memorable moments as a Longhorn.

Also, going against Oklahoma my sophomore year, when Stonie Clark stopped James Allen at the 1-yard line to win the game – that was probably one of the biggest plays in UT history. Being on that field, fourth-and-goal and they gotta score, it was an unbelievable feat.

Helping get Ricky Williams to come to UT was also among my most memorable moments. Coach Bernstein started talking with me about a guy at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego which wasn't too far from my hometown in Oceanside. He said we have a fullback that's coming in that's probably one of the best in the country, and I knew a little bit about Ricky growing up out there, and the next thing I know we have the next Heisman winner at Texas.

The Notre Dame game in Austin also sticks out for me. I had one of the biggest games of my career. I had the hit on Randy Kinder on the option route. It was an awesome play and was definitely a big one for me. That hit kind of set the tone for me getting drafted.

When young players ask me about Texas, I tell them if you want to go somewhere where you can become a legend, somewhere you can be remembered forever, where football is the biggest thing behind family and religion, then you go to a school like The University of Texas. Where a kid from Southern California goes to Austin, Texas and he feels at home. He's way out of his element, but he's able to go somewhere and connect with guys and bond with gentlemen that you play with for four years and it's a bond for a lifetime.

I tell every young DB that the history at UT is like no other. You go back to Raymond Clayborn, Johnnie Johnson, Jerry Gray, Stanley Richard and Lance Gunn. There were so many greats, and the guys that came after us were, oh my goodness – Earl Thomas, Michael Huff, Aaron Ross, Michael Griffin, Quentin Jammer – it's unbelievable.

You go to Texas and you're going to get best coaching in the country, and it's a legacy like no other. There have been so many guys that have laid the foundation, and these guys that are there now are just going to build on that.

It means everything to be a Longhorn. It's one of the most prestigious universities in the country. It's the love and the passion that people have for that sport and that school. You travel all over the country and you see it at other schools, but you don't feel it like you do in Texas, where people love the burnt orange and white.

The guys that I played with and the coaches, they instilled so much confidence and that competitive nature. I've carried that with everything I've done in life. I love to mentor kids, and I tell them that they can accomplish anything if they apply themselves, and those are the things that I learned at UT.

Being around strong-minded guys and strong coaches, some of my peers have gone on to do wonderful things and that's all instilled in you when you get on campus. Dedication, desire and determination – those three things were instilled in us at an early age, and I'm still applying that in my life today.

UT made me the man I am today, instilling great values in me. The coaches are like no other and I am extremely proud and honored to be a Longhorn.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

What it means to be a Longhorn: Bryant Westbrook