 "Photo: Brandon McKelvey")
It seems trivial to have one's life defined by nothing more than a game. Three hours on a Saturday shouldn't change lives.
But when Texas played Arkansas Dec. 6, 1969, two states - and to some extent the nation - were shaped by 22 men on a field.
"In '69, you had Woodstock, the first man on the moon and a lot of things that happened," said James Street, Texas' quarterback in '69. "From a sports perspective, that game was it."
That Saturday was set aside especially for those two teams, with no games played except one in Fayetteville, Ark. Both teams lived up to the date as Texas was ranked No. 1 in the nation and Arkansas No. 2. Texas had won 18 games in a row, and Arkansas had won 15.
"This was a game isolated on the college football schedule, and everything built up to it," said author Terry Frei, who wrote "Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming," a book based on the '69 game. "The level of mystery and intrigue added to the allure of the game. We live in a time where everything is covered, there are 59 games on TV every week, and that game wasn't the best-played game ever, but in terms of drama it's the best."
The importance of the game was on such a grand scale that President Richard Nixon flew in on his helicopter for the game and sat in the announcer's booth at half-time. While the game was played the same week as the anti-war protest on Capitol Hill and the Vietnam War draft lottery, Nixon made time to fly to Fayetteville.
"I watched the game again a few weeks ago, and I thought it was so unique when the President of the United States flies in on his helicopter, then analyzes the two coaches at halftime," said Texas coach Mack Brown, who was a freshman at Vanderbilt when the game was played.
The game, dubbed "The Big Shootout," was the premier game of the premier rivalry of the 1960s - a rivalry that dated back to 1894. Texas is still considered Arkansas' biggest rival and is
the team they have played the most times in school history. In '69, it was a showdown between Street and Arkansas quarterback Bill Montgomery and coaches Darrell Royal and Frank Broyles, two of the great coaches of the generation.
"Going into the state, all the church message boards said were something negative about Texas," Street said. "When I go up there, people know more about the game than I do. Arkansas people still go up to me and tell me 'Hell, I didn't like you then, I'm not sure if I like you now.'"
Arkansas scored first and took a 14-0 lead into the third quarter when Street scored on a 42-yard run and was successful on a two-point conversion to make the score 14-8. The score remained the same with less than seven minutes remaining when Texas had a fourth-and-three from their own 43. Street called a time out with Texas' chances running out.
"I went over to the sidelines, and I said, 'Darrell, this may make you make you coach of the year, maybe coach of the century. Let me tell you what to run,'" Street said. "Coach had the ability to block out what I was saying, what everybody was saying, and to come up with that call on the spur of the moment, not thinking what would happen if the play didn't work, if a wishbone team couldn't throw a deep pass. I damn sure wouldn't have called that one."
Royal called for "53 veer pass," a long pass play with tight end Randy Peschel in the game. At the time, Street had only attempted nine passes and had thrown two interceptions.
Peschel caught the pass for a 44-yard gain, and Texas scored to take the 15-14 lead for good two plays later. It was the thrilling ending to a game that already had everything else.
"You always think about the '69 game," Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt said. "We had the game won, and I remember as a youngster watching that. It was a tough, tough way to end the game."
But the game itself stands alone in history not because it determined the national champion - this was a sporting event with social impact. The 'Big Shootout' was the "Miracle on Ice" before the miracle, in a place without ice.
"It was a flashpoint for so many things going on campuses around the country that year," Frei said. "With all that was going on, it is one of the time markers for people. People who may not remember the game know what they were doing at the time of the game."
For some, the three hours were merely a vacation from the stark reality that war was near.
"The president congratulated one of the guys in the locker room after the game, and he said, 'Thank you Mr. President,'" Street said. "The president then said, 'No, it was you who won the ball game,' and he said, 'No, no, thank you for my lottery number.' It was like 350 or something to that effect."
For the state of Arkansas, those final minutes were its one great heartbreak.
"I haven't read the book, and I haven't looked at the film once," Broyles said. "There's no use to relive the sad moments, although we're proud of it. I've been asked many times to watch the game, but I think they understand why."
After the game, President Nixon handed Royal a plaque commemorating the win. Texas would go on to beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, finishing an undefeated season that also included a win over No. 8 Oklahoma and a win at Texas A&M. Arkansas left with nothing and a loss in the one game that mattered to them.
"I always think first of the attitude of Arkansans, about how there's almost a sense of regret and martyrdom remembered about the game in Arkansas," Frei said. "As both a tremendous disappointment and also a heroic moment, there is a sense of a Greek tragedy involved.
"For Texas, this game is one of many games they will remember as part of a larger picture, but for Arkansas, there was a singular feeling about it, as strange as that sounds, since they didn't win it."
Saturday, Texas-Arkansas will be a rivalry renewed, but it is more importantly a reminder of that day in 1969, when lives were played out on a field in Fayetteville.
Pick up our print version for more on UT's game this weekend.
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