Our high school had a "Wall of Fame" in the weight room. It was the early 1970's and weight training for sports was in its infancy. The "Wall" had had four bench press categories from left to right:

225 lbs - 250lbs – 275lbs – 300lbs

There were only a couple of 300 pound bench pressers in our high school then, and they were both seniors and revered as being "Studs", which was the buzz word we used to use back then. I was an unusually strong kid for those days, and had a competitive streak about me. I hated being a freshman, and I hated having anyone on that wall ahead of me, regardless of age. So I got working right after the freshman season ended in order to put myself at the top of the heap. I hit the gym like a maniac every day. I began to see quick results.

225 pounds came quickly within a few weeks. I made sure that our freshman coach put my name up on the wall. I was the only freshman there. 250 pounds came within another month. Once again I stood there while my name was shifted to the right on the wall. Before Easter of my freshman year I had pushed up 275 pounds. Now I was logging twice the time in the weight room in order to reach my goal.

I was obsessed.

I tried to press that damned 300 pounds every single day, and every single day I just couldn't lock my elbows. Finally........ on the very last day of school, I went into the gym with a do or die attitude. That damned weight HAD to go up. It just had to.

During the warm-ups I felt weak, so I warmed up twice as much as I usually did. Then I began putting on the weight. 225 was all of a sudden easy....like there was someone helping me lift. 250 was feeling just like 225 used to feel. I began to get nervous. I knew that I only had a few peak lifts before my muscles would fade.

I then gambled and skipped my usual attempt at 275 to go straight to 300. Unbelievably, the weight just flew up! It felt like 275 used to feel! I ran around the high school to find my coach and make him put my name up on the board. When I finally found him, he wouldn't put my name up without seeing me lift, so......I dragged him to the weight room and, after a quick warm up, pushed the 300 pounds up like it was a walk in the park!

My name went up under the two seniors and I became somewhat of a celebrity, as I was the only freshman on the board past the 225 mark. I continued to lift through the summer, and was placed straight onto the varsity team, where I made all league 2nd team as an offensive guard. My freshman positions were fullback and middle linebacker.

Here's the thing; After finally lifting that 300 pounds, I never felt intimidated by that weight again. I still look at it like it's about as threatening as an old sock. I laugh whenever I remember how things used to be for that raw boned freshman wanabe.

As life took its twists and turns, I have been in and out of the gym at various times. No matter what my condition or situation, I always knew that 300lbs was a joke. Today, at 57 years old, I can walk into the gym, warm up for a couple of reps, and bench press 300lbs in my sleep.

How big was this win against Oklahoma?

There are inscriptions on the trophy. There are statistics kept for generations. There are memories which will last a lifetime. There is no way to erase this FACT:

TEXAS 24 – OKLAHOMA 17 !!!!

This team of ours has been staring at that wall for a long, long time. They have been feeling that weight pushing down on them every time they have stepped onto that field. They worked and worked and worked, and yet they could never seem to find that extra push in order to lock their elbows.

Then one day, just when it all could have seemed hopeless, they simply woke up and went to work, just like their fabulous coach does every morning. All of a sudden on this one glorious fall day they took that heaviest of all weights and pushed it up like it had the same heft as Lamkin's Spanish Glossary or Mixon's Golden Book of Manners. They simply shoved the ball right down Oklahoma's bacteria lined throat!

From this day forward, this team of ours will look at ranked opponents like I have looked at 300 pounds since I was 15 years old;

It was done........... It will be doable from this day forward.

This victory over a very tough Oklahoma team is the corner turned. It has been written. It will be remembered. And best of all, for a team of a few maligned seniors and bunch of alpha dog freshman, it has been FELT! It's now in their DNA.

I love this coach.

I love this team.