A Shocking Upset in College Football History
This film captures a football game between the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs and the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns. (TCU players are wearing white jerseys.) The Southwest Conference match-up was played on November 18, 1961, at Texas Memorial Stadium (now known as Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium) in Austin. Although the top-ranked Longhorns make several trips to the red zone, they fail to score, ultimately losing to 24-point underdog TCU in a 0-6 upset. The shocking def — texashistory.unt.edu
The 1961 Texas-TCU football game was one of the most shocking upsets in college football history. The #1 ranked Texas Longhorns, led by legendary coach Darrell Royal and featuring future Heisman Trophy winner Jimmy Saxton, were heavily favored against the unranked TCU Horned Frogs. However, TCU pulled off a stunning 6-0 victory that sent shockwaves through the college football world.
Pre-game Hype and Expectations:
The 1961 Longhorns were a dominant team, boasting an 8-1 record and a high-powered offense led by Saxton.
They were heavily favored to defeat TCU, who were 2-4-1 at the time.
The game attracted a sell-out crowd of 60,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, eager to witness the Longhorns' anticipated victory.
Unforeseen Turn of Events:
The game started according to script, with the Longhorns driving down the field on their opening possession.
However, disaster struck when Saxton was hit by a vicious knee to the head by TCU's Bobby Plummer.
Saxton left the game with a concussion, and the Longhorns' offense sputtered without their star player.
TCU capitalized on the momentum shift, scoring the game's only touchdown on a 50-yard pass from Ron Gibbs to Tommy Iles in the second quarter.
The Longhorns, despite having numerous opportunities to score, failed to convert, missing two crucial field goals.
A Shocking Upset and Lasting Legacy:
The final score of 6-0 stunned the college football world.
It marked the first time that a #1 ranked team had lost to an unranked opponent since 1950.
The upset also spoiled the Longhorns' hopes of winning their first national championship.
