Texas Football.

 

The Texas Longhorns football team represents the University of Texas at Austin in American football and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Their home games are held at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

As one of the most successful college football programs, Texas boasts over 900 wins and an impressive win percentage of .703. The Longhorns claim four national championships, 33 conference titles, 100 First Team All-Americans, and two Heisman Trophy winners. 

The team began in 1893 and has been led by legendary coaches like Dana X. Bible and Darrell K Royal, who secured three national championships. The Longhorns have been ranked among the top 25 in 66 out of 76 seasons from 1936 to 2012 and claim national championships in 1963, 1969, 1970, and 2005.

Texas holds notable records in bowl game appearances and victories, having participated in 58 bowl games. The program has also produced two Heisman Trophy winners—Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams—and numerous All-Americans and Hall of Fame inductees.

In 2021, Texas and its long-time rival, Oklahoma, announced their move from the Big 12 to the SEC, effective no later than 2025. After negotiations, the two schools will officially join the SEC for the 2024 season.

**Texas Tech**

The rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders has been a long-standing and competitive one. The teams first met in 1928, when Texas secured a 12–0 victory. For many years, Texas dominated, holding an 8–1 record against Tech by 1960. From 1960 to 1995, both schools competed in the Southwest Conference, facing each other annually. Since 1996, the two programs have continued their yearly meetings as members of the Big 12 Conference.

In 1996, the rivalry gained added significance with the introduction of a traveling trophy: the **Chancellor's Spurs**. This trophy was the idea of Texas Tech University's first system chancellor, John T. Montford. The gold and silver spurs are engraved with the logos of both universities—Texas Tech's Double T and Texas' interlocking UT. The spurs were first awarded after Texas' 38–32 victory over Texas Tech that same year.

Through the 2023 season, Texas leads the all-time series 54–18.

In the early years, Texas football uniforms underwent several changes in color. Initially, the team sported gold and white in 1893. By 1895, they transitioned to orange and white, with orange and maroon briefly introduced in 1897 due to the practicality of laundering costs. The Cactus Yearbook from this era documented a mix of colors, reflecting indecision about the official school colors until a pivotal vote was held in 1899. With 1,111 votes cast, 562 favored orange and white, solidifying these colors as the university’s identity, and thus marking the shift from maroon and other variations.

For the next several decades, the Longhorns wore a bright shade of orange, which would fade into yellow by season’s end. By the 1920s, this caused other teams to mock Texas, calling them "yellow bellies." In response, Coach Clyde Littlefield, in 1928, introduced a darker orange, now famously known as "burnt orange," a color designed to maintain its integrity throughout the season. However, this darker shade was phased out during the Great Depression, due to cost, only to be revived in the 1960s by Coach Darrell K Royal, cementing burnt orange as a staple of Texas football's visual identity.

Helmets have also played a significant role in the team’s look. From 1961 to 1962, Longhorns helmets featured individual player numbers above a burnt-orange "Bevo" logo and a large stripe down the middle. This design evolved over the years, with the stripe removed in 1963 and player numbers eliminated by 1967. By then, the Bevo logo took center stage on the helmet’s side. Notably, in 1969, helmets celebrated the 100th anniversary of college football with a special design featuring a large burnt-orange football and the number "100" inside it.

Texas football traditions are deeply rooted in its history, with iconic symbols such as Bevo, the live longhorn steer mascot, and Big Bertha, the world’s largest drum. These traditions, along with the school songs "The Eyes of Texas" and "Texas Fight," as well as the Hook 'em Horns hand signal, form the foundation of Texas football culture.