August 22, 2024 • 17 mins
Craig Way visits with Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts to talk about revival of the Lone Star Showdown.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back to the Craig Way Show and the Voice
of the Longhorns. Craig Way followed Craig on social media
at Horn Voice.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Show rolls on here this afternoon on this.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Thursday afternoon, coming away from Houston, Texas, USA. Hey, another
thing that we always want to make sure that we
remind you of is your opportunity to win tickets. Whenever
we're giving away tickets to events which might or might
(00:50):
not include concerts, it does in this case because what
we've been doing is giving away tickets for you to
win a pair of tickets to Batfest twenty twenty four
and that comes up on September seventh on the Congress
(01:11):
Avenue Bridge at the Congress Avenue Bridge. So it's Batfest
and the artists include ghost Land, Observatory, Core, Paul Wall,
Pake Us in the Rooftops, Loony's, and more. So what
you do is you enter the designated keyword at AM
thirteen hundred zone dot com for your chance to win.
(01:35):
And every day we've given you a keyword, like, for example,
on Monday it was Fest, on Tuesday it was Congress,
yesterday was Bridge. So today's keyword, your designated keyword, which
you would enter at am thirteen under the Zone dot
com for your chance to win. Today's keyword is zone,
(01:57):
as in this little old radio station Zone. So that's
what you want to do. Enter the designated keyword today,
m thirteen under the Zone dot com for your chance
to win tickets to that fest twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Each week we have been previewing the high school football
season to come with Greg Japper, managing Editory Day Campbells
Texas Football Magazine, and we're going to do that again.
We're down to the one remaining classification to preview. That's
the six man classification one D. But prior to that,
prior to that, since Tip is the managing editor of
this outstanding publication, and I do have to tell you
(02:34):
Tip as he joins his little hotline right now, Cameron
asked me about any culinary stops I've had so far
down here in Houston.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
For this news conference to day, and I said Waaburger
was the limit.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
It's not true. I actually forgot Cam. I did stop
at a Waterburger in Page. Now do either of you
guys know where Page is?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Cam? I do not. You don't know where Page is? Tip?
Do you know where Page, Texas, USA.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Is.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Oh, I'm not sure Tip can hear me. As a
matter of fact, that might be might be the issue
there with regard to the return. I don't know if
there's a specific thing or we can't hear him. He
might be able to hear us, but we can't hear
him at the moment. We'll see if we get that result.
(03:31):
The reason why I bring this up is because I
actually stopped at a waterburger in Page. Now, a lot
of folks around the Greater Austin area do know where
Pages If you've driven anywhere going east on two ninety,
Page is between Austin and Gettings on two ninety it's
right where the near where the cutoff is to go
on to Highway twenty one, and that is Highway twenty
(03:55):
one takes you to College Station, to the Brass's Valley
over to Brian College Station.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So, uh, that's that's where it is.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
So the reason I even mentioned this is because I
stopped at a at a water burger there in uh
in Page, and when I went in to get a
cup of coffee and a breakfast on the bun, a
guy came up and recognized being chatted and asked me,
ask me, you wouldn't have to have a copy of that?
(04:24):
He goes, I listen to the show every day. You
wouldn't have to have a copy of Dave Campbells Texas
Football Magazine want to? And I said, I will give
you one on the way back when I'm coming back
through here this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
So, so I'm gonna have one for there.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I'm not sure Camber will be able to work
out the issue with regard to tap uh.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
No, I think we're having some sort of technical snaff
foo with Greg Tepper unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right now, okay, all right, all right, well I'll tell
you what we're gonna do. Uh let's let's shift gears
here and uh bring folks the conversation I had the
one on one interview there with Trev Alberts, the athletics
director of Texas A and m We'll see if we
can get it worked out whichep.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
If not, we'll catch up with him another time.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
But right now, like I said, this morning down here
in Houston, where Cotton Holdings was announced as the corporate
sponsor of the Lone Star Showdown rivalry series with Texas
A and m SO with regard to that there's a
(05:31):
lot of excitement about it, and we heard in the
first hour of the program from Chris.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Del Conte, the.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Athletics director and vice president of the University of Texas,
his thoughts, and that was kind of a media scrum,
if you will, an overall media availability.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And at the same time that CDC was doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Largely with the Texas Beat writers and reporters, Trev Alberts,
the athletics director for Texas A and M, was doing
the very same thing with those who covered Texas A
and M on a regular basis, like our good friend
Olam Buchanan from Texas dot Com and I think KBTX
Television was there, and then somebody from the Brian college
station EGO. Anyway they had you know, they were kind
(06:17):
of separated off by themselves. So I wanted just to
have an opportunity to hear from Trev Alberts, so was
able to grab a few minutes with him. So here's
my conversation after this was all done with the former
Nebraska All American. Remember played college football at Nebraska and
was the athletic director there before taking the job at
(06:40):
Texas A and M.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
My conversation with Trev alberts.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
All the great moment you had at Nebraska as a player,
as an athletic director. This does a rivalry like this
evoke a lot of those feelings, a lot of those memories.
Speaker 5 (06:56):
It really does say And I guess if you haven't
been as athlete that's participated as a player in it,
it's probably hard to understand because you get the perspective
of a fan. Maybe you don't like Texas A and M,
or you don't like Texas, But I'm just telling you
from a student athlete perspective.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
When you play in.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
A rivalry game, the the the enter, you feel it,
the energy, the focus, the passion. And that's why we
all went to those schools.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
There are kids that go to Texas or to Texa,
A and M.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
To play in these types of games. This is what
it's about.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
This is what makes college football in my humble opinion,
and I'm bys better than any other spoort. It's it's
this and so you know, you uh, you know, perfect,
but there's always going to be people that you know
don't like each other. But in a perfect world, you know,
it's a well run, respected rivalry and you grow the
brand of the rivalry to a point that you know
(07:48):
there's mutual benefit and those student athletes they get to
play in it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Really benefit from it. So I'm a huge believer in it.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
A sad thing that realignment across our you know, college
athletes is not.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Has done it to more than just this game, right
when you.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Think about other programs that you know, it hurt Nebraska
that they weren't playing Oklahoma every year. I mean that
that game every year between Barry Switzer and coach Osborne
held each program accountable. And you know it's like iron
sharpens iron, right, And so that's why I believe in.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
These types of games.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
And you're not gonna win them all. You'll win some,
you'll lose some. I mean, look, RC was sixteen and fourteen.
I mean that's about as even as you can get, right,
But I just think it's so good for the state.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
It's so good for our schools.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
But mostly from a student athlete.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Perspective, I just think it's it's the best.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
You had a unique perspective also working in national media
senior time of the ESPNC and then those things like that,
How did you what was your perspective of the Texas
Texas hanging in rivalry.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Back then when you were working in national television, well,
you know, it was elite.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I think it has a chance to be even more
elite now based on how the world has changed.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
But the heart this part.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
About when you're in the media, when you analyze the
game is if you have a true rivalry. You can
have a team that's won four games, they're not. You
get to the rivalry game, everything.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
Changes and so that's kind of why I like it too.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Like, you know, there's certain teams, well we only won
four games, but we beat the rival everybody's not.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
You know, it just adds a nuance to it.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
So for me, you know, trying to cover it, it's
very hard to try to gain any insight into what
might happen in a rivalry game because of the emotion,
the passion, the energy. Again, it's the accountability and the
discipline that the coaches recognize. If you're in a competition business,
this is defining your tenure and who you are, and.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
So i'd love that too if you're a competitive person.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
One more thing here, and clearly it's important with Cotton
Holdings commitment to this, but how so important is it
that this is a rivalry because of the way you
have it set up that's going to transcend football, that
involves the other sports and that everything is involved on
both camps.
Speaker 6 (10:00):
Guy like that, and I'm glad that was brought up today.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Obviously we're focused on football, but the.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Reality is, I mean, anytime Texas plays Texas and m
or vice versa, there's going to be a heightened sense
of Oh, we're playing you know, those folks from Austin,
or are we're playing those folks from College Station.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
So I think it's great.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Again, I think you know, now we're not going to
compete in all the same sports.
Speaker 6 (10:19):
But again, in sports, you keep score right.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
And again, I think the success of Texas programs helps
hold us accountable and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
In an the end, I think it's great for the
state of Texas.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
It's great for Texas high school student athletes in every sport,
and I don't see a lot of losers here.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, there's there's a lot of excitement about that.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Let me ask you something.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Cameron's a former student at the University of Texas. You
were at UT in a different time and place in
that you were not enrolled at the University of Texas,
when the rivalry was going full tilt. In fact, the
(11:02):
faucet had been shut off other than an opportunity here,
an opportunity there, a postseason thing, but you didn't have
much exposure to Texas versus Texas A and M. So
did I mean, did the news of all of this,
(11:27):
with this rivalry being as they like to say, restored,
now resonate with you? Or was it just kind of
amp because Oklahoma had been such a hot and heavy
rival whereas Texas A and M. The rivalry was so
deep seated for a long long time, decade after decade,
only to be cut off after twenty eleven, with the
(11:49):
exception of you the odd non conference game here or
there for men's and women's basketball, the one midweek game
that they played in baseball, other than when they met
twice in the postseason in the regional in Austin in
twenty eighteen with Texas won and the regional this past
June when Texas A and M won in College Station.
(12:11):
Had it really resonated much with you since you were
coming from Ada State into Texas where there was no
Texas versus Texas A and M annual rivalry.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
There's a handful of Texas events that you always remember
where you were when you watched it, right, Vince Young
and the Rolls Bowl, Remember where that where you were
for that. Colt McCoy in not only the Texas Tech game,
but the Nebraska game in nine, the Big Twelve Championship
of course, the National Championship against Alabama. Even Tyrone swoops
(12:44):
against Notre Dame Texas Alabama this past year. Texas first,
Texas A and M the final game justin Tucker's kick.
That's probably second third on the list of Longhorn fans
in terms of most favored at Texas memory, at least
for me, because that was right when I was growing up.
When we lost that rivalry, I'll be honest.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It sucked.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
There's no other word to really describe it. And I
think over the years dealing with Texas Tech and Baylor
in TCU, and you know you felt the fitrial from
from their fan bases, but we didn't really feel the
same rate wait right, at least from Texas fans. But
A and M is always there. Like like CDC said,
(13:28):
at one point in time, if you grew up in Texas,
it was either you were a Longhorn or you were
an Aggie and we lost that for what twelve thirteen years,
So to be able to have this rivalry back, you know,
it's probably the thing I'm most excited about in moving
into the SEC, because it's not just football, Craig as
you know, but we also get the conference games back
in baseball, in volleyball, in basketball, where there's been a
(13:52):
lot of really fun non conference games over the last
ten or so years. Glad to have that back to
where it's all meaningful, but meaningful in terms of how
the season plays out.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, I think that it's pretty interesting and revealing to
me anyway that this rivalry has resonated with you. Yes,
you went to the University of Texas, but you came
from out of state.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You graduated high school in North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You came in from out of state when the rivalry
had already been halted, so the extent of your exposure
to the rivalry had been television. And clearly, obviously there
were great, great, long worn moments like you pointed out
and the Rose Bowl and the win at Ohio State
and five, and there were some other fabulous moments as well,
(14:47):
but every Texas Texas A and M moment for you
had been a televised moment. You never attended a Texas
Texas A and M football game before coming to UT
and still haven't to this point.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
I mean, but you had never attended one, had you?
I think I was two or three? Do not remember it? Okay?
But yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
No?
Speaker 2 (15:09):
But and also I mean I may have been.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
I am from North Carolina, but you know, my dad,
his family's from Georgetown. So when you grow up, you know,
you learn a few things. And one of the first
two things you learn is you don't root for Oklahoma
and you don't root for A and M. One of
the first two things you learn as a kid in
the Parker household.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Well, you know, it's funny.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I've told this story often that my first exposure to
the Texas long words as a kid growing up in Greensboro,
North Carolina, when I was nine years old, I had
an uncle and aunt come over to kind of babysit
me and my younger brother. My parents were out on
a specific Saturday, and my older brothers and my sister
(15:48):
were I think with them were gone. It was just
me and I was nine and my younger brother was
about to turn eight, and I just happened to come downstairs.
I've been up in my bedroom and I came down
stairs and my uncle my marriage he married my dad's
sister was a native Texan. The town that he when
(16:11):
he was a kid, that would be most closely associated
with him would be Hamilton. But he actually grew up
in a tiny little community out west of Hamilton called Pottsville,
and he was there and then he ended up the
family moved up north by lake Worth. He went to
Lakeworth High School is where he graduated. So we had
the television on and there I see these two football
(16:33):
teams running out, and I've been watching football. Nine was
the year nineteen six. Nine was a year I really
started to watch football. Became a Rams fan that year.
They started the year eleven and zero, and that's when
I got my autograph picture from Roman Gabriel and all
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And these two.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Football teams, and I said, Uncle Jim, who's playing. He goes,
this is the number one team in the country against
the number two team in the country. I says, the
Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks. There's the great Darrel Royal,
the head coach at Texas, and there's Frank Broyles, he's
their Arkansas coach, and I just sat down and I
was transfixed. It was mesmerized, and I instantly became a
(17:10):
Longhorn fan. Part of it was because I didn't like
the snarling pig on the side of the Arkansas helmet
the razorback, but I liked the whole thing with Bevo
and all of that, and I got locked in on that.
So yes, my first exposure also obviously was television, but
I was just curious about that. From your perspective, since
as a student you didn't get a chance to enjoy
(17:34):
and live the Texas versus Texas A and M rivalry
as a student at the University of Texas, it's a
shame that you had to miss out on that, but
at least you had some exposure to it, and now
we all get to celebrate it since it will be
coming back.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
All right, we need a break. We've got some other
things to get to.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
We'll do that when we continue on sports Radio AM
thirteen under the zone of the iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to the Craig Way Show and the Voice
of the Longhorns. Craig Way followed Craig on social media
at Horn Voice.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Show rolls on here this afternoon on this.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Thursday afternoon, coming away from Houston, Texas, USA. Hey, another
thing that we always want to make sure that we
remind you of is your opportunity to win tickets. Whenever
we're giving away tickets to events which might or might
(00:50):
not include concerts, it does in this case because what
we've been doing is giving away tickets for you to
win a pair of tickets to Batfest twenty twenty four
and that comes up on September seventh on the Congress
(01:11):
Avenue Bridge at the Congress Avenue Bridge. So it's Batfest
and the artists include ghost Land, Observatory, Core, Paul Wall,
Pake Us in the Rooftops, Loony's, and more. So what
you do is you enter the designated keyword at AM
thirteen hundred zone dot com for your chance to win.
(01:35):
And every day we've given you a keyword, like, for example,
on Monday it was Fest, on Tuesday it was Congress,
yesterday was Bridge. So today's keyword, your designated keyword, which
you would enter at am thirteen under the Zone dot
com for your chance to win. Today's keyword is zone,
(01:57):
as in this little old radio station Zone. So that's
what you want to do. Enter the designated keyword today,
m thirteen under the Zone dot com for your chance
to win tickets to that fest twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Each week we have been previewing the high school football
season to come with Greg Japper, managing Editory Day Campbells
Texas Football Magazine, and we're going to do that again.
We're down to the one remaining classification to preview. That's
the six man classification one D. But prior to that,
prior to that, since Tip is the managing editor of
this outstanding publication, and I do have to tell you
(02:34):
Tip as he joins his little hotline right now, Cameron
asked me about any culinary stops I've had so far
down here in Houston.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
For this news conference to day, and I said Waaburger
was the limit.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
It's not true. I actually forgot Cam. I did stop
at a Waterburger in Page. Now do either of you
guys know where Page is?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Cam? I do not. You don't know where Page is? Tip?
Do you know where Page, Texas, USA.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Is.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Oh, I'm not sure Tip can hear me. As a
matter of fact, that might be might be the issue
there with regard to the return. I don't know if
there's a specific thing or we can't hear him. He
might be able to hear us, but we can't hear
him at the moment. We'll see if we get that result.
(03:31):
The reason why I bring this up is because I
actually stopped at a waterburger in Page. Now, a lot
of folks around the Greater Austin area do know where
Pages If you've driven anywhere going east on two ninety,
Page is between Austin and Gettings on two ninety it's
right where the near where the cutoff is to go
on to Highway twenty one, and that is Highway twenty
(03:55):
one takes you to College Station, to the Brass's Valley
over to Brian College Station.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So, uh, that's that's where it is.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
So the reason I even mentioned this is because I
stopped at a at a water burger there in uh
in Page, and when I went in to get a
cup of coffee and a breakfast on the bun, a
guy came up and recognized being chatted and asked me,
ask me, you wouldn't have to have a copy of that?
(04:24):
He goes, I listen to the show every day. You
wouldn't have to have a copy of Dave Campbells Texas
Football Magazine want to? And I said, I will give
you one on the way back when I'm coming back
through here this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
So, so I'm gonna have one for there.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I'm not sure Camber will be able to work
out the issue with regard to tap uh.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
No, I think we're having some sort of technical snaff
foo with Greg Tepper unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Right now, okay, all right, all right, well I'll tell
you what we're gonna do. Uh let's let's shift gears
here and uh bring folks the conversation I had the
one on one interview there with Trev Alberts, the athletics
director of Texas A and m We'll see if we
can get it worked out whichep.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
If not, we'll catch up with him another time.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
But right now, like I said, this morning down here
in Houston, where Cotton Holdings was announced as the corporate
sponsor of the Lone Star Showdown rivalry series with Texas
A and m SO with regard to that there's a
(05:31):
lot of excitement about it, and we heard in the
first hour of the program from Chris.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Del Conte, the.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Athletics director and vice president of the University of Texas,
his thoughts, and that was kind of a media scrum,
if you will, an overall media availability.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And at the same time that CDC was doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Largely with the Texas Beat writers and reporters, Trev Alberts,
the athletics director for Texas A and M, was doing
the very same thing with those who covered Texas A
and M on a regular basis, like our good friend
Olam Buchanan from Texas dot Com and I think KBTX
Television was there, and then somebody from the Brian college
station EGO. Anyway they had you know, they were kind
(06:17):
of separated off by themselves. So I wanted just to
have an opportunity to hear from Trev Alberts, so was
able to grab a few minutes with him. So here's
my conversation after this was all done with the former
Nebraska All American. Remember played college football at Nebraska and
was the athletic director there before taking the job at
(06:40):
Texas A and M.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
My conversation with Trev alberts.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
All the great moment you had at Nebraska as a player,
as an athletic director. This does a rivalry like this
evoke a lot of those feelings, a lot of those memories.
Speaker 5 (06:56):
It really does say And I guess if you haven't
been as athlete that's participated as a player in it,
it's probably hard to understand because you get the perspective
of a fan. Maybe you don't like Texas A and M,
or you don't like Texas, But I'm just telling you
from a student athlete perspective.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
When you play in.
Speaker 6 (07:13):
A rivalry game, the the the enter, you feel it,
the energy, the focus, the passion. And that's why we
all went to those schools.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
There are kids that go to Texas or to Texa,
A and M.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
To play in these types of games. This is what
it's about.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
This is what makes college football in my humble opinion,
and I'm bys better than any other spoort. It's it's
this and so you know, you uh, you know, perfect,
but there's always going to be people that you know
don't like each other. But in a perfect world, you know,
it's a well run, respected rivalry and you grow the
brand of the rivalry to a point that you know
(07:48):
there's mutual benefit and those student athletes they get to
play in it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Really benefit from it. So I'm a huge believer in it.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
A sad thing that realignment across our you know, college
athletes is not.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Has done it to more than just this game, right
when you.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Think about other programs that you know, it hurt Nebraska
that they weren't playing Oklahoma every year. I mean that
that game every year between Barry Switzer and coach Osborne
held each program accountable. And you know it's like iron
sharpens iron, right, And so that's why I believe in.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
These types of games.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
And you're not gonna win them all. You'll win some,
you'll lose some. I mean, look, RC was sixteen and fourteen.
I mean that's about as even as you can get, right,
But I just think it's so good for the state.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
It's so good for our schools.
Speaker 6 (08:31):
But mostly from a student athlete.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Perspective, I just think it's it's the best.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
You had a unique perspective also working in national media
senior time of the ESPNC and then those things like that,
How did you what was your perspective of the Texas
Texas hanging in rivalry.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Back then when you were working in national television, well,
you know, it was elite.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I think it has a chance to be even more
elite now based on how the world has changed.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
But the heart this part.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
About when you're in the media, when you analyze the
game is if you have a true rivalry. You can
have a team that's won four games, they're not. You
get to the rivalry game, everything.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
Changes and so that's kind of why I like it too.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Like, you know, there's certain teams, well we only won
four games, but we beat the rival everybody's not.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
You know, it just adds a nuance to it.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
So for me, you know, trying to cover it, it's
very hard to try to gain any insight into what
might happen in a rivalry game because of the emotion,
the passion, the energy. Again, it's the accountability and the
discipline that the coaches recognize. If you're in a competition business,
this is defining your tenure and who you are, and.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
So i'd love that too if you're a competitive person.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
One more thing here, and clearly it's important with Cotton
Holdings commitment to this, but how so important is it
that this is a rivalry because of the way you
have it set up that's going to transcend football, that
involves the other sports and that everything is involved on
both camps.
Speaker 6 (10:00):
Guy like that, and I'm glad that was brought up today.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Obviously we're focused on football, but the.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Reality is, I mean, anytime Texas plays Texas and m
or vice versa, there's going to be a heightened sense
of Oh, we're playing you know, those folks from Austin,
or are we're playing those folks from College Station.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
So I think it's great.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
Again, I think you know, now we're not going to
compete in all the same sports.
Speaker 6 (10:19):
But again, in sports, you keep score right.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
And again, I think the success of Texas programs helps
hold us accountable and vice versa.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
In an the end, I think it's great for the
state of Texas.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
It's great for Texas high school student athletes in every sport,
and I don't see a lot of losers here.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Yeah, there's there's a lot of excitement about that.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Let me ask you something.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Cameron's a former student at the University of Texas. You
were at UT in a different time and place in
that you were not enrolled at the University of Texas,
when the rivalry was going full tilt. In fact, the
(11:02):
faucet had been shut off other than an opportunity here,
an opportunity there, a postseason thing, but you didn't have
much exposure to Texas versus Texas A and M. So
did I mean, did the news of all of this,
(11:27):
with this rivalry being as they like to say, restored,
now resonate with you? Or was it just kind of
amp because Oklahoma had been such a hot and heavy
rival whereas Texas A and M. The rivalry was so
deep seated for a long long time, decade after decade,
only to be cut off after twenty eleven, with the
(11:49):
exception of you the odd non conference game here or
there for men's and women's basketball, the one midweek game
that they played in baseball, other than when they met
twice in the postseason in the regional in Austin in
twenty eighteen with Texas won and the regional this past
June when Texas A and M won in College Station.
(12:11):
Had it really resonated much with you since you were
coming from Ada State into Texas where there was no
Texas versus Texas A and M annual rivalry.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
There's a handful of Texas events that you always remember
where you were when you watched it, right, Vince Young
and the Rolls Bowl, Remember where that where you were
for that. Colt McCoy in not only the Texas Tech game,
but the Nebraska game in nine, the Big Twelve Championship
of course, the National Championship against Alabama. Even Tyrone swoops
(12:44):
against Notre Dame Texas Alabama this past year. Texas first,
Texas A and M the final game justin Tucker's kick.
That's probably second third on the list of Longhorn fans
in terms of most favored at Texas memory, at least
for me, because that was right when I was growing up.
When we lost that rivalry, I'll be honest.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It sucked.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
There's no other word to really describe it. And I
think over the years dealing with Texas Tech and Baylor
in TCU, and you know you felt the fitrial from
from their fan bases, but we didn't really feel the
same rate wait right, at least from Texas fans. But
A and M is always there. Like like CDC said,
(13:28):
at one point in time, if you grew up in Texas,
it was either you were a Longhorn or you were
an Aggie and we lost that for what twelve thirteen years,
So to be able to have this rivalry back, you know,
it's probably the thing I'm most excited about in moving
into the SEC, because it's not just football, Craig as
you know, but we also get the conference games back
in baseball, in volleyball, in basketball, where there's been a
(13:52):
lot of really fun non conference games over the last
ten or so years. Glad to have that back to
where it's all meaningful, but meaningful in terms of how
the season plays out.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, I think that it's pretty interesting and revealing to
me anyway that this rivalry has resonated with you. Yes,
you went to the University of Texas, but you came
from out of state.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You graduated high school in North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You came in from out of state when the rivalry
had already been halted, so the extent of your exposure
to the rivalry had been television. And clearly, obviously there
were great, great, long worn moments like you pointed out
and the Rose Bowl and the win at Ohio State
and five, and there were some other fabulous moments as well,
(14:47):
but every Texas Texas A and M moment for you
had been a televised moment. You never attended a Texas
Texas A and M football game before coming to UT
and still haven't to this point.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
I mean, but you had never attended one, had you?
I think I was two or three? Do not remember it? Okay?
But yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
No?
Speaker 2 (15:09):
But and also I mean I may have been.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
I am from North Carolina, but you know, my dad,
his family's from Georgetown. So when you grow up, you know,
you learn a few things. And one of the first
two things you learn is you don't root for Oklahoma
and you don't root for A and M. One of
the first two things you learn as a kid in
the Parker household.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Well, you know, it's funny.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I've told this story often that my first exposure to
the Texas long words as a kid growing up in Greensboro,
North Carolina, when I was nine years old, I had
an uncle and aunt come over to kind of babysit
me and my younger brother. My parents were out on
a specific Saturday, and my older brothers and my sister
(15:48):
were I think with them were gone. It was just
me and I was nine and my younger brother was
about to turn eight, and I just happened to come downstairs.
I've been up in my bedroom and I came down
stairs and my uncle my marriage he married my dad's
sister was a native Texan. The town that he when
(16:11):
he was a kid, that would be most closely associated
with him would be Hamilton. But he actually grew up
in a tiny little community out west of Hamilton called Pottsville,
and he was there and then he ended up the
family moved up north by lake Worth. He went to
Lakeworth High School is where he graduated. So we had
the television on and there I see these two football
(16:33):
teams running out, and I've been watching football. Nine was
the year nineteen six. Nine was a year I really
started to watch football. Became a Rams fan that year.
They started the year eleven and zero, and that's when
I got my autograph picture from Roman Gabriel and all
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And these two.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Football teams, and I said, Uncle Jim, who's playing. He goes,
this is the number one team in the country against
the number two team in the country. I says, the
Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks. There's the great Darrel Royal,
the head coach at Texas, and there's Frank Broyles, he's
their Arkansas coach, and I just sat down and I
was transfixed. It was mesmerized, and I instantly became a
(17:10):
Longhorn fan. Part of it was because I didn't like
the snarling pig on the side of the Arkansas helmet
the razorback, but I liked the whole thing with Bevo
and all of that, and I got locked in on that.
So yes, my first exposure also obviously was television, but
I was just curious about that. From your perspective, since
as a student you didn't get a chance to enjoy
(17:34):
and live the Texas versus Texas A and M rivalry
as a student at the University of Texas, it's a
shame that you had to miss out on that, but
at least you had some exposure to it, and now
we all get to celebrate it since it will be
coming back.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
All right, we need a break. We've got some other
things to get to.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
We'll do that when we continue on sports Radio AM
thirteen under the zone of the iHeartRadio app.
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