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Westlake alum and current Texas Longhorn Jake Ehlinger.
50 Years After '69 Title, UT Still Attracts Local Recruits
On Tuesday, The University of Texas announced that it would be celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1969 national championship football team during Saturday's Big 12 conference home game against Kansas. The 2019 team will wear a throwback uniform that is similar to the one worn in the program's second national championship season and members from that year will be recognized at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
It is always a win when a college program attracts local high school talent, so we found 1969 and 2019 UT rostered athletes that played high school ball in the Austin and San Antonio markets. The full list of players from this part of Texas is listed below, but let's start with a couple stats that help bridge the half-century gap.
1. 28 Austin/San Antonio area high schools had graduates on the 1969 or 2019 team, and nine had multiple representatives. Lake Travis, Westlake, Austin McCallum and San Antonio MacArthur had three players, while Austin Northeast Early College (previously Austin Reagan), San Antonio Churchill, Belton, Temple and Cameron Yoe had two. San Antonio Churchill and Belton are also the area's only two high schools with alums on both the 1969 and 2019 teams.
2. The 2019 team has 22 players from the Austin/San Antonio area, which is up from the 19 on the 1969 team. Austin area high school alums represent 77.3% of Austin/San Antonio area Texas Longhorn football players in 2019, which is up from 57.9% in 1969. Note: Fredericksburg is covered by VYPE Austin and VYPE San Antonio, but its slightly shorter drive to San Antonio put it with the Alamo City area athletes for this exercise.
3. Austin Reagan and San Antonio Reagan had a player on the 1969 and 2019 teams respectively.
Austin (11 1969 players and 17 2019 players)
Lake Travis: K Cameron Dicker (2019), TE Cade Brewer (2019) and OL Chad Wolf (2019)
Westlake: QB Sam Ehlinger (2019), DB Doak Wilson (2019) and LB Jake Ehlinger (2019)
Austin McCallum: HB Rick Nabors (1969), DE Bill Zapalac (1969) and C Jeff Zapalac (1969)
Austin Northeast Early College (formerly Austin Reagan): LB Mike Campbell (1969) and HB Tom Campbell (1969)
Belton: OT Danny Lester (1969) and OL Zach Shackelford (2019)
Temple: TE Jared Wiley (2019) and DL Ta'Quon Graham (2019)
Cameron Yoe: LB Wayne Kirk (1969) and LB Mack McKinney (1969)
Austin Vandegrift: WR Kartik Akkihal (2019)
Round Rock: RB Mason Ramirez (2019)
Copperas Cove: OL J.P. Urquidez (2019)
Dripping Springs: WR Parker Alford (2019)
Leander Glenn: TE Nathan Hatter (2019)
Austin Navarro Early College (formerly Austin Lanier): OE Randy Peschel (1969)
Smithville: LB Johnny Otahal (1969)
Rockdale: OG Mike Speer (1969)
Regents School of Austin: LB Russell Hine (2019)
Austin St. Michael's Catholic Academy: QB Sam Saxton (2019)
Hyde Park: QB Ben Ballard (2019)
San Antonio (8 1969 players and 5 2019 players)
San Antonio MacArthur: DT Bob Huffman (1969), OG Charles Rogers (1969) and LB Dan Terwelp (1969)
San Antonio Churchill: HB Sam Lawless (1969) and LB Cort Jaquess (2019)
Cibolo Steele: DB Caden Sterns (2019)
San Antonio Reagan: OL Derek Kerstetter (2019)
Cuero: RB Jordan Whittington (2019)
Fredericksburg: K Happy Feller (1969)
Gonzales: OE Ken Ehrig (1969)
Randolph: LB Rick Troberman (1969)
Yoakum: WR Joshua Moore (2019)
Leakey: LB Jack Rushing (1969)
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