What If? 1983: Texas Longhorns win the National Championship (The TL)

[49ersfootball]

COMING SOON......

It was a season nobody at the 40 Acres would ever forget. The University of Texas Longhorns Football Team needed things to go their way & Football Coach Fred Akers was being pressured to bring the program back into prominence after the legendary Darrell K. Royal retired following the 1976 Season.

The 1983 Season was going to be interesting..... What happened next is going to have ramifications on College Football.....

 

[49ersfootball]

Prologue...
Friday, November 26th, 1983
Kyle Field, College Station, TX

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The #2 Texas Longhorns had crushed their arch-rival, Texas A&M in a blowout 45-13 victory. It was an estimated crowd of 76,751 in attendance with the Longhorns celebrating an undefeated regular Season of (11-0) & winning the Southwest Conference Championship (SWC) & the talk among Longhorns fans was winning the school's elusive fourth national championship. During the 1983 Season, the Longhorns remained behind the top team in the country, #1 Nebraska, who was gunning for their third national championship.

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Now that most intriguing part of the season was who would they face in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas & that will be talked about later in the TL.

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[49ersfootball]

Chapter 1: The Longhorns crushing the Aggies
3:38 PM CST, Friday, November 26th, 1983
Kyle Field, College Station, TX

Texas Longhorns Football Coach Fred Akers being carried off the field by his players following the Longhorns' 45-13 thrashing of Texas A&M.
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It was an estimated crowd of 76,751 in attendance to watch the #2 University of Texas at Austin Longhorns Football team blowing out their arch-rival, Texas A&M by a score of 45-13. The blowout victory gave Texas Longhorns Football Coach Fred Akers another undefeated season (the first undefeated season on his watch in 1977 when the Longhorns went (11-0) in his first year on the job). Plus, the Longhorns' undefeated regular season gave them the (SWC) Southwest Conference Championship (1916, 1918, 1920, 1928, 1930, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 & 1977), their 23rd SWC conference championship in school history; Longhorns fans across Austin & across the Lone Star State began talking about winning the national championship, which would be the school's fourth (1963, 1969, 1970) & while inside the locker-room following the game, many players began chanting "Let's Win the Natty" which concerned Akers because he was worried about the team being distracted with going a major bowl game coming up.

During the 1983 Season, the Longhorns ranked #2 behind #1 Nebraska the entire season from September 17th (when the Longhorns beat #5 Auburn in Auburn, AL: 20-7) until the final regular season game on November 26th as they crushed their instate arch-rival Texas A&M. It was going to be up to the national pollsters including the Associated Press on who'll the Longhorns will be facing in one of the major bowl games coming up & the chatter was intriguing on where they'll end up: Cotton, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Rose, etc.,

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[49ersfootball]

Georgia beats their arch-rival George Tech
3:00 PM EST, Friday, November 26th, 1983
Grant Field, Atlanta, GA

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Losing to #3 Auburn at home in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry Game 13-7 on November 12th hurt the Bulldogs' national championship hopes including repeating as Southeastern Conference champions in an attempt to win it for the third consecutive year. Fast forward to November 26th & the Bulldogs defeated their rival Georgia Tech in Atlanta by a score of 27-24. The win gave the Bulldogs a record of (9-1-1): the tie was from their game against Clemson on September 17th.

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According to some of the sports analysts, Georgia, who was ranked #7, was rumored to be playing in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, TX set for January 1st, 1984 but who they would be playing against was going to up to the NCAA & others.....

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[49ersfootball]

New Years Day Bowl Matchups
12:24 PM CST, Monday, November 29th, 1983
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#4 Illinois clinched the Big 10 conference championship & a berth in the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, CA with a 49-21 blowout victory over Indiana, the Fighting Illini's ninth consecutive victory, finishing the 1983 College Football Season at (10-1): they also jumped ahead of #6 Miami & replaced Georgia at #4 in the Top 25. This would be the last change in the Top 5 for the 1983 College Football Season as the key traditional New Year's Day bowl match-ups including the other bowl games were officially set:

*Independence Bowl: #18 Air Force vs Ole Miss
December 10th, 1983
Independence Stadium: Shreveport, LA

*California Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Cal State Fullerton
December 17th, 1983
Bulldog Stadium
Fresno, CA

*Florida Citrus Bowl: #20 Maryland vs Tennessee
December 27th, 1983
Florida Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

*Hall of Fame Classic Bowl: #14 West Virginia vs Kentucky
December 22nd, 1983
Legion Field
Birmingham, AL

*Holiday Bowl: #9 Brigham Young vs Missouri
December 23rd, 1983
Jack Murphy Stadium
San Diego, CA

*Sun Bowl: Alabama vs SMU
December 28th, 1983
Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX

*Aloha Bowl: Penn St vs Washington
December 26th, 1983
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI

*Liberty Bowl: #13 Penn St vs Notre Dame
December 30th, 1983
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN

*Gator Bowl: #10 Iowa vs #11 Florida
December 30th, 1983
Gator Bowl Stadium
Jacksonville, FL

*Peach Bowl: North Carolina vs Florida St
December 30th, 1983
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta, GA

*Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl: Oklahoma St vs #20 Baylor
December 31st, 1983
Astrodome
Houston, TX

*Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn vs #8 Michigan
January 2nd, 1984
Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, LA

*Cotton Bowl Classic: #7 Georgia vs #2 Texas
January 2nd, 1984
Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX

*Orange Bowl: #5 Miami vs #1 Nebraska
January 2nd, 1984
Orange Bowl
Miami, FL

*Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio St vs #15 Pittsburgh
January 2nd, 1984
Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, AZ

*Rose Bowl: #14 UCLA vs #4 Illinois
January 2nd, 1984
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA

 

[49ersfootball]

The Longhorns' upcoming New Year's Day Bowl prospects
2;16 PM CST, Thursday, December 1st, 1983
Austin, TX

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Following watching which major bowl games each college football team would be playing, the #2 Texas Longhorns learned they would be facing #7 Georgia in the upcoming Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas set for January 2nd, 1984. Coach Akers realized he couldn't afford to have a national championship slip by his fingers like it did in 1977 & again in 1981, so he & the coaching staff got the entire football team to come for late evening practice for their upcoming bowl game because the entire country was going to be watching the Cotton Bowl to see if the Longhorns were for real or just "all talk & no action".

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Despite holding an (11-0) record & being SWC champions, the Longhorns needed to get to work ASAP because the national championship talk was going to be non-stop from everyone: sports analysts, students on campus, etc.,

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[49ersfootball]

The Coach who found his voice....
2:26 PM CST, Friday, December 2nd, 1983
University of Texas at Austin Campus, Austin, TX.

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When the legendary Darrell K. Royal retired from coaching following the 1976 Season, many had assumed his long-time assistant coach Mike Campbell would be named as the Longhorns Football Coach, but the University had other plans however. Instead of choosing Campbell (which may have been Royal's preferred choice to the University of Texas at Austin Board of Regents, etc.,) they picked a younger, former assistant coach of Royal's: Fred Akers....

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Akers began his coaching career in 1963 by coaching at Edinburg High School (1963-64) & then at Lubbock High School (1965), going (26-12-1) overall before heading into the college football ranks by serving as the co-offensive coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns Football Team from 1966 to 1974, serving in the coaching staff under the legendary Royal, where during his time in Austin, the Longhorns won national championships in 1969 & again in 1970, before being tapped to serve as Head Football Coach of the Wyoming Cowboys (1975-76) for two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). In Akers' first season in Laramie, Wyoming went (2-9) with a dreadful record of (1-6 against WAC opponents), finishing 8th in the WAC & also had the humiliating distinction of being outscored by 219-174.

During Akers' second & final season in Laramie in 1976, the Cowboys improved their record to (8-4), they were tied for the WAC championship (Wyoming was named co-champions of the WAC that year with a 6-1 record against WAC opponents); outscored the opposition by a total of 278-250. The statistical leaders of the Wyoming Cowboys Football team: Don Clayton with 409 passing yards, Robbie Wright with 718 rushing yards, Walter Howard with 305 receiving yards & Don Christopulos with 53 points scored. The improvement meant this was Wyoming's first winning season since 1969 including the first bowl game appearance since the 1967 season. Wyoming would lose to Oklahoma in the 1976 Fiesta Bowl in a blowout 41-7 loss. Following the 1976 season, it didn't take long before Akers would bail Laramie & return to the 40 Acres, becoming the new Head Football Coach for the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns Football Team.

Bringing his staff with him from Wyoming, Akers immediately got rid of the wishbone offense which Royal had used for years & preferred to use only one running back with the implementation of the "I-Formation" with the assistance of future Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell; Akers & the Longhorns went undefeated in 1977 with an (11-0 record) & winning the SWC championship that year. However, the Longhorns would get crushed by eventual national champion Notre Dame in the 1977 Cotton Bowl Classic 38-10.

In 1978, the Longhorns finished (9-3) with a 42-0 blowout victory over Maryland in the Sun Bowl; the following year in 1979: the Longhorn faithful had high hopes for the school's 4th national championship as the Longhorns had originally began the season with a perfect six consecutive wins dating back to the final two games of the 1978 season, they kicked off 1979 with a record of (4-0) & were ranked #2, but hopes for another national championship were derailed with the Longhorns losing to #10 Arkansas on October 20th (where the Razorbacks won 17-14). Not to be deterred, the Longhorns began a new winning streak, winning five games in a row by defeating the following teams: at SMU (30-6), vs Texas Tech (14-6), at #5 Houston (21-13), vs TCU (35-10) & vs #17 Baylor (13-0): the Longhorns were ranked #6 & they needed a crucial win against Texas A&M on the road in College Station if they had any shot at playing for the national championship against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl......but unfortunately, the Longhorns would lose to their arch rival Aggies (13-7) & they would go on to lose in the 1979 Sun Bowl against #13 Washington (14-7), ending the 1979 campaign with a record of (9-3).

Fast forward to 1980 & the Longhorns got off to a (5-0) start, going as high as #2 in the polls for several weeks before several key injuries inside the football team derailed their season which didn't help with losses to SMU, Texas Tech, Baylor & losing to Texas A&M once again & in that stretch: the Longhorns went downward in a (2-4) rough patch, they would lose another bowl game: the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston falling to #13 North Carolina (16-7). Almost immediately, many of the Longhorn faithful, alumni, boosters & die-hard fans were complaining about Akers' effectiveness & whether he was up to the job including the embarrassment of not living up to the high expectations of many as well as the coaching legacy of the legendary Royal....

After just five seasons in Austin, Akers came so close to winning national championship during the 1981 season by compiling a record of (10-1-1) that year: the lone loss was an embarrassing blowout loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville on October 17th (42-11), which damaged their national championship hopes once again plus having a tie against Houston (14-14) on November 7th in the Houston Astrodome in Houston; the Longhorns went on to defeat #3 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas by coming back from behind to win 14-12 & finished the 1981 Season ranked #2 in the Associated Press Poll & #4 in the Coaches Poll respectively. In 1982, high hopes for the Longhorns ended up with disappointment once again as the Longhorns suffered two defeats during their regular season: losing to Oklahoma (28-22) in the Red River Shootout on October 9th & losing to #4 SMU (who would win a split national championship that year) at home (30-17), the Longhorns would finish the 1982 campaign with a record of (9-3) losing to North Carolina in the 1982 Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX on December 25th, 1982 by a score of (26-10). By this time, this was the Longhorns' third Sun Bowl appearance in four years & first since 1979. Despite the bowl game loss, the Longhorns carried that momentum from the 1982 season into the following year.

 

[49ersfootball]

Chapter 1 will be finished following the Christmas holiday break 😎

 

[49ersfootball]

Beginning this week:
*Personal PoVs
*Experts making picks on the Bowl games
*Profile on the Longhorn faithful

 

[49ersfootball]

Who do you want to win the 1983 National Championship? Pollsters asks college football fans
*December 14th, 1983: CBS News did a polling survey only consisting of college football fans across the country. Asking who do they prefer to win the National Championship of the 1983 Season.

Among the following questions:
*Do you believe there should be a playoff in College Football?
Yes: 62%
No: 27%
Undecided: 9%

*Who do you think should win the National Championship?
#1 Nebraska Cornhuskers: 38%
#2 Texas Longhorns: 21%
#5 Miami Hurricanes: 5%
Undecided: 36%

*Would you prefer a split national championship among two college football teams?
Yes: 30%
No: 57%

 

[49ersfootball]

White
4:00 PM CST, December 14th, 1983
Houston, TX.

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TX Governor Mark Wells White, Jr., (D) had just gotten done with his first year in office: where among the highlights, his first legislative session as Governor wasn't that too great due to lack of effectiveness of following through on campaign pledges during the 1982 gubernatorial campaign trail (where White defeated Clements 53% to 45% in the Blue Wave of 1982).

To ask where to begin: let's start with the following:

Upon taking office as the Lone Star State's 43rd Governor on January 18th, 1983 & the months that followed during the early part of his administration: tough decisions needed to be made. The difficult budget crunch, which engulfed a once-proud multibillion-dollar surpluses of the Briscoe & Clements administrations; it also didn't help that Governor White had non-stop difficulty on whether he wanted to follow through on campaign promise of wanting a tax increase. Then all of a sudden in typical political double-speak, he couldn't decide which kind of an increase he would prefer if he wanted to pursue it.

The TX State Legislature also had difficulty on what to do during the 1983 legislative session of the 68th TX State Legislature: the TX State Senate was bogged down in a bitter battle over former Governor Clements' holdover appointments & couldn't get any wiggle room to getting rid of the holdover appointments; what also didn't help matters over in the TX House of Representatives, which is where the lower chamber was bogged down into multiple issues & crises, where TX House Speaker Gib Lewis (D-Fort Worth) was strongly criticized for failing to disclose his financial holdings. The big issues facing Texans: trucking, deregulation, utility reform, interest rates: all of whom fizzled out with deals that had no clear purpose or alternatives.

Once again, Governor White still couldn't grasp into telling the Legislature what he wanted done & passed. More critical issues of interests continued to die: Horse Racing, Water Package, Teacher Salaries (which White promised during the 1982 campaign) all died out. It also infuriated many people that the tax bill was viciously gutted & dismantled non-stop.

Results of the 1983 legislative session: It did NOT end well for Governor White, who made teacher pay & education one of his top priorities of his administration. Due to his annoying aloofness from getting involved in the tough, difficult negotiations on reforming the Public Utility Commission in the House & Senate, the Governor wasted his big opportunity & pretty much his political capital into earning the respect of legislators in the heavily Dem-controlled TX State Legislature by doubling-down on one hopeless issue, an elected 3-member Public Utility Commission, which most folks KNEW wasn't going anywhere.

Among the gaffes & embarrassing pitfalls of Governor White's administration: his follies of the tax bills were downright pathetic & embarrassing; while White successfully embraced & dismissed highway bonds, gasoline taxes, severance taxes & sin taxes; what also infuriated many in the Legislature was White's aggressive treatment of legislators, including the fact he went in the home districts of those he perceived as enemies, by campaigning against them, which infuriated & angered many. His antics & ruthless tactics reminded people of his GOP predecessor, former TX Governor William P. Clements, Jr., including the controversial, pathetic tactics that were used by then-US President Jerry Brown, which infuriated Congress to the point that they overrode many of his policy initiatives during Brown's presidency. Make no mistake, White was named as one of the biggest losers of the 1983 legislative session by Texas Monthly.

 

[49ersfootball]

This TL will be moved to WhatIfs.FreeForums.net (my personal forum) for awhile because I'm too busy working on the Cursed American Presidency TL.
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