“Untold Stories” are the Roo Tales yet to be written for a second book after the first book is finished and published. Hope you enjoy these untold story previews.
Here’s one:
The 1981 team gets all the glory. Sure, I mean, yeah. They did win a national championship and all. Not too shabby.
But the 1981 team was simply standing on the shoulders of the team from 1979. It was that squad which taught the ones who came after how to win.
The 1970s were a challenging decade for AC football. That changed dramatically in 1979, the year the Roos just decided to win. AC went 9-1 during the regular season, and won the TIAA title with a dramatic victory over Sul Ross at home. The season ended in disappointment with a loss in the NAIA playoffs, but by then the culture had changed. From 1979 until my own graduation in 1992, AC football won 90 games with a winning percentage of 70%. That span included multiple conference championships, playoff appearances, and of course the national title.
I’ve tried to think of a hook to tell the story of 1979, and I think I’ve got it. There was another 1979 team whose season looked remarkably similar to the Roos. The Dallas Cowboys.
Roger Staubach & Cliff Harris led the Cowboys to an NFC East Title in 1979, which was won in dramatic fashion at home on the last day of the season. Down in the 4th quarter at Texas Stadium to Washington, Staubach led Dallas back with two late TD passes. The last one to Tony Hill with just seconds remaining is one of the most iconic in Cowboys history. Cowboys fans are all familiar with the WFAA call of the catch. “Touchdown! Tony Hill!”
Like the Roos, the 1979 season for Dallas ended with a disappointing playoff loss. But the season was still one of the most memorable during the Cowboys glory years. It was also the last season for Staubach & Harris.
We’ve had seasons in review for the 1981, 1988, 1968, and 2000 Roo football teams. The 1979 team definitely deserves one. When we tell their story, maybe we’ll do so alongside the 1979 Dallas Cowboys. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about the 1979 Roos alongside video clips of Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson, & Hill? Or Harris, Randy White, Harvey Martin, & Too Tall Jones? Sign me up for that.
The 1979 Roos are another great “untold story.” For another day.
