I don't know exactly when I became a Texas Longhorn fan - as far as I know, there was never a time when I wasn't one. My earliest memory of Texas Longhorn football was my mom and dad making an effort to watch a Saturday afternoon game in the early 80s. An acquaintance of the family was playing quarterback for the Horns and so there was a buzz around the house for this particular match-up. Having said that, the only thing I remember from that game was the team running out onto the field amidst the pregame ritual and hype. I have no idea who the Horns were playing that day and I'm not sure who won the game. But back in the early 80s under coach Fred Akers, Texas was better than average, so there's a decent chance the good guys came out on top that afternoon.
As I got older, my love for the Longhorns grew and grew. I eventually became what you might describe as a super-fan. I had the opportunity to attend several games, both home and away and I watched as many as I could on TV. One the most memorable seasons I experienced was the 1990 season. It was my first year to play football (7th Grade) and Bevo's bunch had their best year since the near-miss of a national championship in 1983. Six years later, as a freshmen in college, I vividly remember Texas upsetting Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 championship game. Though we beat the heavily favored Huskers, we later lost the Fiesta Bowl and finished just 8-5 on the season. Nine years later, my beloved team went all the way and defeated the men of Troy, 41-38 for our 4th National Title and our 800th win all time. A little over 12 years later, I was present in Austin for the program's 900th all time win. Who did we defeat for that historic victory? USC. And though this season will not rank as highly as the 05 season, it still ranks as one of my favorites in a long, long time. After spending nearly a decade winning 9 or fewer games and ending nearly every season unranked, the Texas Longhorns finished on a high this year, defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and ending the season back in the Top 10 at #9. Hopefully it will be less than a decade before we win another conference and national championship and reach that elusive 1,000th program victory.
Reflecting on this past season, it dawned on me that Texas has played 42 seasons of football in my lifetime. With that in mind, I decided to rank the Top 25 seasons of Longhorn football since 1977. 1977 was not only the year of my birth, but it was also the first season after our legendary coach, Darrel K. Royal retired. Some of the greatest teams in our history were coached by DKR, but after looking at the accomplishments of many of the teams in my lifetime, there have been some really good seasons since our stadium's namesake hung up his whistle. From 25 to 1, here's my objectively subjective list.
25. 1987, 7-5, Bluebonnet Bowl Champions, #19
24. 1999, 9-5, #21
23. 2012, 9-4, #18
22. 1982, 9-3, #17
21. 1979, 9-3, #12
20. 2000, 9-3, #12
19. 2003, 10-3, #11
18. 1994, 8-4, Southwest Conference Champions, Sun Bowl Champions, #23
17. 1996, 8-5, Big 12 Champions, #23
16. 2006, 10-3, Alamo Bowl Champions, #13
15. 1979, 9-3, Sun Bowl Champions, #9
14. 1998, 9-3, Cotton Bowl Champions, #15
13. 2007, 10-3, Holiday Bowl Champions, #10
12. 2018, 10-4, Sugar Bowl Champions, #9
11. 1995, 10-2-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #14
10. 1990, 10-2, Southwest Conference Champions, #11
9. 2002, 11-2, Cotton Bowl Champions, #6
8. 2001, 11-2, Holiday Bowl Champions, #5
7. 1981, 10-1-1, Cotton Bowl Champions, #2
6. 1983, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #5
5. 1977, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #4
4. 2004, 11-1, Rose Bowl Champions, #4
3. 2008, 12-1, Fiesta Bowl Champions, #3
2. 2009, 13-1, Big 12 Champions, #2
1. 2005, 13-0, Big 12 Champions, Rose Bowl Champions, National Champions, #1
There have been 17 other seasons played since I've been alive, but they weren't worth mentioning. To 2019 and beyond...Ok. Cool. Hook'em! - Shay
