The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Members of 1969 Football team remain part of the Longhorns program
08.25.2019 | Football
The Longhorns celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship in 2019.
AUSTIN, Texas – As Texas Football gets set to start the 2019 season and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship, members of the 1969 team still have a presence around the program.
Legendary Longhorns like Ted Koy and Bob McKay can be seen out at practice on a regular basis, and they enjoy seeing the difference between today's game versus when they played.
"It's still The University of Texas, but it's fun to come out and see what the difference is between when we were here and what it's like now," said McKay, who is a College Football Hall of Famer "Heck, we would just throw the ball every once in a while, and we couldn't block anybody because we were in a four-point stance."
For Koy, a captain on the 1969 team, he likes to see how the young players carry on the tradition that he helped establish at Texas.
"It's a different set of players and a different game, so to speak, but it's really interesting to me to see how the Texas winning tradition is carried on," Koy said. "I particularly like to see how the young kids are developing and working and as they progress and mature how they step onto the field and carry out that winning tradition."
For any former player, they maintain a sense of pride in the program, but their pride especially swells when the team is playing well.
"It's great to see the team back where it's competitive and anybody we play, we can beat," McKay said. "You have to believe you can beat anyone, and that's the good thing, we have that attitude back that we can beat anybody."
"The program is in a great position," Koy said. "When I was a player, Emory Bellard was my backfield coach and he would always tell us, 'In football, there's no such thing as a plateau. You are either getting better or declining in performance.' As I look at the program today, it is definitely improving and it's exciting because of that. It is definitely headed in the right direction."
Koy, McKay and other Longhorn Legends may not be able to contribute on the field anymore, but their presence is an important part of carrying on the Texas tradition.
"It's always great to see our lettermen at practice, they are the heart and soul of this program," head coach Tom Herman said. "Ted and Bob are two of the best and have achieved what all of our players dream of – winning a national championship. They exemplify everything that is great about Texas Football, love the game and really enjoy being around the team. We're grateful for their support."
"Myself and my former teammates can't step out on the field any longer, and we can't help the current staff," Koy said. "So when Tom Herman and the other coaches welcome us, it is very honoring because it is not a right to be there. It is an honor to be invited to be there."
The 2019 season gets underway at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 31, when Texas faces Louisiana Tech. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on Longhorn Network.
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Season tickets are still available for the 2019 fall campaign by visiting TexasSports.com/tickets. The 2019 schedule is highlighted by a marquee non-conference home game with Southeastern Conference power LSU on Sept. 7 (6:30 p.m. Central; presented by St. David's HealthCare). Due to overwhelming demand, single game tickets for the LSU game will not be available for the general public. More than 60,000 season tickets have already been sold for the 2019 campaign, including more than 7,000 new seats. For more information on becoming a season ticket holder, please contact Texas Athletics Ticket Sales & Services at 512-471-3333.
