1957 Texas Longhorns football team

1957 Texas Longhorns football
Sugar Bowl, L 7–39 vs. Ole Miss
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 11
Record	6–4–1 (4–1–1 SWC)
Head coach	Darrell Royal (1st season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1956 1958  →

1957 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Rice $	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 11 Texas	4	–	1	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
No. 9 Texas A&M	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
SMU	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Arkansas	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
TCU	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
Baylor	0	–	5	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1957 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas (now known as the University of Texas at Austin) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1957 college football season. In their first year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 6–4–1, with a mark of 4–1–1 in conference play, and finished second in the SWC. Texas concluded their season with a loss against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. ^[1]

This was the first year as head coach for future College Football Hall of Fame coach, Darrell Royal. ^[2] On Thanksgiving Day, Texas upset #4 Texas A&M, led Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow, at Kyle Field, 9–7. ^[3]

Preseason

The abysmal 1-9 season the previous year was the catalyst for Longhorns head coach Ed Price's resignation, effective December 31, 1956, but Price and his predecessor Blair Cherry had chaffed under criticism from alumni and boosters for years following losses to rival Oklahoma and a perceived failure in "the big games". Following Price's announcement Darrell Royal was first recommended to Texas athletic director and legendary former coach Dana X. Bible by Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd. At the time Royal was the head coach at Washington and a former player at Oklahoma, but was enthusiastic about the opportunity to coach the Longhorns. After impressing the Board of Regents and Athletic Council he was hired as the new Head Coach on the condition he also take over as Athletic Director within 5 years. Royal immediately began assembling his coaching staff which notably included Texas football's first academic counselor, Lan Hewlitt, in an effort to improve the academic success of players. ^{[4] [5]}

The Royal coaching staff

Name	New Position	Previous Team	Previous Position
Darrell Royal	Head Coach	Washington	Head Coach
Ray Willsey	Assistant	Washington	Assistant
Jack Swarthout	Assistant	Washington	Freshman coach
Mike Campbell	Ends/Linebackers	Washington	Assistant
Jim Pittman	Offensive line	Washington	Assistant
Charles Shira	Defensive line	Mississippi State	Defensive line
James "T" Jones	Defensive backs	Texas	Assistant
Bob Schultze	Freshman coach	Texas	Assistant
Frank Medina	Head trainer	Texas	Assistant
Lan Hewlitt	Academic counselor

^[5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at Georgia *		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	W 26–7	33,000	[6]
September 28	Tulane *	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	W 20–6	35,000	[7]
October 5	South Carolina *	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	L 21–27	38,500	[8]
October 12	vs. No. 1 Oklahoma *		Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	L 7–21	75,504	[9]
October 19	at No. 10 Arkansas		Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR (rivalry)	W 17–0	27,000	[10]
October 26	No. 13 Rice	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	W 19–14	48,000	[11]
November 2	at SMU	No. 13	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 12–19	42,000	[12]
November 9	Baylor		Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	T 7–7	37,000	[13]
November 16	No. 17 TCU		Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	W 14–2	30,000	[14]
November 28	at No. 4 Texas A&M		Kyle Field College Station, TX (rivalry)	W 9–7	42,000	[15]
January 1	vs. No. 7 Ole Miss *	No. 11	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	L 7–39	82,000	[16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1957 Texas Longhorns Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
2. "Texas Rips Georgia Easily". The Sunday News Journal, via Google News. Daytona Beach, Florida. Associated Press. September 22, 1957.
3. "Texas Knocks Aggies Out of Title Race". The Milwaukee Journal, via Google News. November 29, 1957.
4. Freeman, Denne (1974). Hook 'em Horns : A Story of Texas Football. Strode Publishers. pp. 84–91. ISBN   9780873970549.
5. "THE "RESURGENCE" OF TEXAS FOOTBALL". texaslsn.org. October 14, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
6. "Longhorns gore Bulldogs, 26–7, in Atlanta clash". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 22, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Texas whips Wave, 20–6". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 29, 1957. Retrieved September 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gamecocks rally, beat Texas 27–21". The State. October 6, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Sooners survive Texas ordeal, 21–7". Tulsa Sunday World. October 13, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Longhorns surprise Arkansas with 17–0 beating". The Galveston Daily News. October 20, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Long run gives Texas victory". The El Paso Times. October 27, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Mustangs spring 19–12 surprise on Longhorns". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 3, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Traylor leads Bears in tie with Longhorns". The Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. November 10, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Texas beats TCU, 14–2, to retain hopes". The American-Statesman. November 17, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Longhorns kick Aggies from SWC title picture, 9–7". The Victoria Advocate. November 29, 1957. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Ole Miss whips Texas 39–7". The Chattanooga Times. January 2, 1958. Retrieved April 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.