April 20, 2011
What have you been doing since your playing days with the Texas football team ended?
Well, I got a shot with Tampa [Tampa Bay Buccaneers] after I left Texas, and didn’t quite stick in the NFL as long as I wanted to, so I came back to Austin and a lot of people saw me out at Covert selling vehicles, and that turned out not really to be my forte. I stumbled upon Longhorn village, and I felt like it was a fit for me. I was a Longhorn and they were opening a new spot out here, so it turned out to be a real good thing.
What is your current position at Longhorn Village?
My position is on the security staff, and what we basically do is make sure the facilities are secure. We are in a really nice neighborhood, so that hasn’t been a big issue for us. So we basically are like a concierge service for the residents, and we take of all of their needs. Anywhere from housekeeping, all the way up to maintenance.
Do the residents recognize you as a former Texas football player?
Absolutely. I didn’t think it would be so much the case when I started. But most of the people are pretty big Longhorn fans, and as soon as they hear my name or see my name tag they know exactly who I am and want to introduce me to their family and friends that are coming to visit. So the name recognition is definitely there.
Is it a very welcoming atmosphere?
It is. There are a lot of nice people who live here, and almost all of the community is full, and everyone is very welcoming. I like how they treat the new residents, and they make sure they do a good job of welcoming everybody, and making them feel comfortable here.
Do you still follow the Longhorn football team?
I do. I am a big college football fan. I am a Longhorn fan period, so you may walk in my house and see Longhorns’ women’s volleyball on TV or any time I see the Longhorns - regardless of what sport it is - I tend to watch. I am still active and still have my season tickets and get to as many games as I can. Coach Brown has been nothing but good for the university. I admire him, and often times wished I could have played for him.
What are your memories of playing for the University of Texas?
Our team was a little bit like this [Longhorn Village] out here. We had a family. We had a group of guys that came in under a new coach, under [John] Mackovic, and ended up having to gel together to make things work. When we first got there, Texas was coming off of a couple bad seasons, and the thing I remember most is not going to a bowl game my freshman year. But by the time I wrapped up my senior year, we were in the Sugar Bowl and had an impressive record, and one of the top rankings in the country.
How did you make the decision to attend the University of Texas?
I remember seeing my cousin, when I was probably eight years old, his little pee-wee league football team was the Texas Longhorns. That was probably my first recollection that I can remember. I think during the recruiting process it was the fact that I did have family in town, and I was fairly familiar with Austin. I wanted to go somewhere that had a tradition, which is really important to me. Being from Texas and living in Texas, most guys when they get the opportunity to sign with UT, [they] do it. So it wasn’t a really difficult decision for me. Austin is far enough from home and close enough to home. So it was really easy for me to decide.
Do you still stay in contact with your former teammates?
I do. I have kind of been the guy that tries to keep everybody in touch with each other. I have a lot of phone numbers. I actually talk to Tony [Brackens] quite often. A lot of guys in Houston and Dallas gravitate toward Austin. That’s where most of the recruiting comes from, so a lot of time it feels like I’m doing a triangle every month because I go up to Houston to visit somebody, then up to Dallas, and then back to Austin. So I do keep up with the guys, and Facebook definitely helps.
What was the best part of playing football at the University of Texas?
I have always been a real goal-oriented person. So being able to lace them up for the University of Texas - I was a very physical player, and I think that’s the part that I probably miss the most, the physical aspect of the game. And the comaraderie - living with your friends is something that I miss the most. You could just go up and down the hall, and now everybody is spread out over the state and the country and it makes it harder.
How do you deal with always being remembered for the stop you made against Oklahoma?
I was a junior at Texas when we went to the Sun Bowl at El Paso, and Doug Flutie was one of the featured speakers at that game, and that was the same year that I had made the Oklahoma stop. I talked to him, and he gave me perspective of what would happen to me, and I didn’t have an idea at the time. I hear about it every day, especially working here at Longhorn village. When I introduce myself to people in the community they may remember my name but not remember where to place it. So once we get to figuring it out, I talk about the play anyway. The way I have been able to look at it is; a lot of guys come and go. There have been hundreds of scholarship athletes through UT since I have been, and I am still out there. My name is still out there. People are still familiar with who I am, and that gives me an opportunity to meet and network with a lot more people. So I don’t really mind it that much.
What is this new business endeavor that you have started?
Well, my grandmother passed away last year. She was ninety-three years old, and she was always a big part of my life. She baked tea cakes for us growing up. And it’s a soft cookie and it’s not real sweet, so she had them for when we would get home from school. So I just have a lot of real good memories associated with it. Many people don’t make them anymore. When I talk to people they say, “My grandmother use to make them. I had an aunt that use to make them.” So I have been just trying to figure out life, and where I fit in. I thought it would be a good idea to start a company and get those tea cakes out to people. [It’s] doing really well.
You have always dabbled in poetry. Do you want to leave us with a quick rhyme?
The last we spoke, I was in the middle of a sack and a pillage,
Now I am selling tea cakes, and working at the Longhorn Village.
