The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Former Football player René Ramirez passes away
06.21.2023 | Football
A Texas Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, Ramirez was an All-Southwest Conference performer who was a vital building block in the construction of Darrell Royal's program in the late 1950s.
Video: Hall of Honor Induction
René Ramirez, a former University of Texas Football player (1957-59) and 2013 Texas Athletics Hall of Honor inductee, passed away Tuesday at his home in McAllen, Texas, from natural causes. He was 85 years old.
A native of Hebbronville, Texas, Ramirez was a vital building block in the construction of Darrell Royal's program at Texas in the late 1950s and one of Royal's first recruits.
"He was surrounded by people he loved, and until the day he died, everything was Hook 'em Horns, Hook 'em Horns," said his daughter, Teresa Castillo. "When he would have a good day, we'd sing him and play UT band songs, and he would just light up. I tell people that when we were little, we knew Texas Fight and The Eyes of Texas before we knew our ABCs. Ever since we could remember, that was always a part of our life, and he expected everyone to go to Texas. Half of us did, but all nine of (his children) have college degrees. I attribute that to my father because education was so important to him.
"He made a huge impact in so many ways, not just for Texas, but for other people throughout his life. His work ethic, his belief in God is just who he was. Just the way he treated people, his personality, he didn't judge people. Everyone knew him and everyone liked him. With his personality, he would light up a room."
As a sophomore in 1957, he led the team in all-purpose yards and scoring as Royal's first team went 6-3-1 during the regular season and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl. His breakthrough moment came against Rice when he gathered a bouncing kickoff in the third quarter and took it 80 yards for what would be the game-winning score in a 19-14 victory. It was his second touchdown of the quarter after having rushed for one earlier.
In 1958, he had significant plays in Texas' 15-14 victory over Oklahoma that ended the Sooners' six-year dominance of that series, ran for a 52-yard touchdown in the 24-6 victory over Arkansas, and scored three touchdowns in the season finale, a 27-0 win over Texas A&M.
As a senior in 1959, Ramirez, who became known as the 'Galloping Gaucho,' earned first-team All-Southwest Conference honors helping the Longhorns to a 9-1 record and tying for Royal's first SWC title. That season, Texas finished No. 4 in the nation and played Syracuse in the 1960 Cotton Bowl.
After football, Ramirez worked in the insurance business in Austin and in his native Rio Grande Valley and later operated several businesses. Earlier in his life, he founded the René Ramirez Youth Development Camp to help underprivileged kids from east Austin.
He graduated from Texas in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering as a member of the Phi Kappa Theta Catholic fraternity. He was later inducted into the Hebbronville Hall of Fame, the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in Laredo, the Hispanic Hall of Fame in San Antonio, and the Rusk Athletic Club Hall of Fame in Houston.
"We didn't realize how popular my dad was when we were kids, but as we got older, we started understanding his impact and achievements and accomplishments and what he's done over his life," Castillo said. "He's lived a wonderful, beautiful, fruitful life, and we're really proud of him."
Viewing and Service Information: The viewing will take place this Friday, June 23, at Del Angel Funeral Home (3611 N Taylor Rd, Mission, Texas 78573) from 2-9 p.m. with the rosary held at 7 p.m. If sending flowers, the family would be honored to have them received in burnt orange or white to commemorate René's beloved alma mater. The catholic mass will take place on Wednesday, June 28, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in the chapel. The burial ceremony will follow on the same day at Del Angel at 1 p.m. The grave site is right across the cemetery road on the north side of the main building. Come early. Stay late. Bleed Orange. Hook 'em!
