Nov. 7, 2012
Texas Governor Rick Perry
"Darrell Royal was a coaching icon and the face of football in the Lone Star State for a generation of Texans. His legacy can be counted in national championships, but also in his unending devotion to his university and in the Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer's Disease. Anita and I join Texans everywhere in mourning his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife, Edith, son, Mack, and his extended family and friends."
UT President Bill Powers
"It's certainly a great loss for our campus, Austin and all of Texas, and we grieve that loss.
"Coach Royal was a tremendous football coach, athletic director and member of the community, and I'm proud to say he was a close friend, and more than anything else was a great man, and we will miss him. Our prayers and thoughts go out to Edith and all of the Royal family."
UT Men's Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds
"No words are adequate to describe the impact Darrell Royal had on this state, The University, UT Athletics and Texas Football. He was simply the foundation, the beginning. Anywhere you look today, on this campus, you see his fingerprints.
"When I came to Texas in 1981, he was very much a friend and mentor who helped me navigate his place."
UT Football coach Mack Brown
"Today is a very sad day. I lost a wonderful friend, a mentor, a confidant and my hero. College football lost maybe its best ever and the world lost a great man. I can hardly put in words how much Coach Royal means to me and all that he has done for me and my family. I wouldn't even be at Texas without Coach. His counsel and friendship meant a lot to me before I came to Texas, but it's been my guiding light for my 15 years here.
"Coach gave so much more to the State of Texas and college football than he took away. He forgot more football than most of us will ever know, including me. His impact on the game, the coaches and players, the community and the millions of lives he touched, is insurmountable. He will be missed in so many ways.
"I lost my Dad when I was 54, and Coach filled a real void in my life and treated me like family. Sally and I gained a lot coming to Texas and being a part of this tremendous program but no more than our relationship with Coach and Edith. They were our closest of friends. Our heart pours out to Edith and the family and our thoughts and prayers are with her and the family. We will always be there to lend any and all support that we can as she and Coach always did for us."
UT Women's Athletics Director Chris Plonsky
"To me, Darrell Royal represented the essence of family. His values, exhibited through his marriage to Edith, were reflected throughout his program. He built champions on all of his teams and coached his players into grown men. He had such a remarkable influence.
"He was smart and a visionary. He was the one who advised campus to build a women's athletics department at Texas that was supported and sustained. It was through his initial wisdom that our success as a women's department grew."
Former UT Women’s Basketball coach and Athletics Director Jody Conradt
“Even before I came to Texas, I knew that Darrell Royal was synonymous with The University. Shortly after I was hired, I scheduled a meeting to visit with him to discuss the culture here. I was having some trouble recruiting. Unlike with young men, people were initially skeptical to send their daughters here because it was such a big place. Darrell said, ‘Just tell them that when they’re picking a restaurant, they usually end up at the place with the most cars.’
“He was wise, he was kind and he belonged to all of us. I felt that way, and I think that’s a feeling most people have.”
Former University of Arkansas Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Frank Broyles
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my longtime friend Darrell Royal. Although our teams were rivals on the field, Darrell and I enjoyed a close friendship that carried far beyond football. Our families vacationed together in the offseason, and we enjoyed many memorable moments together that I always treasure.
"Darrell was one of the greatest football coaches our sport has known. His record and many accomplishments speak for themselves, but his influence on college football, the University of Texas and the impact he had in the lives of thousands of young men who played for him is impossible to fully measure.
"In the final years of his life, Darrell faced his battle with Alzheimer's with the same courage and dignity he displayed throughout his career. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Edith, his family and the many friends and colleagues who have been a part of the extraordinary life and career of Coach Darrell Royal."
University of Oklahoma Football coach Bob Stoops
"Coach Royal will always have a special place in the hearts of Sooners' fans as an unbelievably talented player. From a coaching perspective, I have great admiration for his many accomplishments, his great players and his championship teams, and especially appreciate the fact that he never suffered a losing season in 23 seasons as a head coach."
University of Oklahoma Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione
"The University of Oklahoma joins the rest of the nation in celebrating the life's work of Darrell Royal. We've truly lost an icon -- a champion, an innovator and an educator. As an All-America player at the University of Oklahoma, he represented his home state with a unique versatility that we still celebrate today. Without question, he left an even more indelible mark on collegiate athletics during his distinguished coaching and administrative tenure at the University of Texas, where he made on immeasurable impact on the University and the countless individuals he touched."
