1970-1979

Under Sports Information Director Bill Little’s guidance, the covers of the 1970s took on a new and more realistic look. Said Little in an interview, “It just didn’t feel right to continue doing cartoons. I decided we needed to showcase the campus and team more and so decided to use photographs—first of buildings and facilities, and later of game action.” The switch proved to be a good one, as the resulting covers had a clean, modern look that enhanced the image of the University and the Longhorns.

While the legacy of the Vietnam War, the Watergate break-in, and Nixon’s subsequent cover-up and resignation left many Americans uneasy about the nation’s future in the early Seventies, Longhorn fans had few concerns with Darryl Royal at the helm. The Longhorns won the National Championship again in 1970 and took the SWC Championships in 1970, ‘71, ‘72 and ’73 as well. After 20 years of coaching, however, Royal decided to step away and turn the Horns over to his former assistant, Fred Akers, in the spring of 1977. Akers’ first year was incredible.  The 1977 team went 11-0; Earl Campbell won the Heisman Trophy; and though the Horns lost in the Cotton Bowl to Notre Dame, the impact of Royal’s retirement had definitely lessened. Although he never achieved Royal’s greatness, Akers’ teams posted winning seasons for the next nine years and always had a bowl berth.