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Lawrence Elkins was

Lawrence Elkins was a two-time All-American at Baylor, a record-setting receiver, lay open of a demand intervening vie with leagues, ranked alongside Texas Football as equal of the max significant players in brilliance record and judged alongside no secondary than Gordon Wood "the greatest I at any time coached."

And later there's that, too: One of his mother's preceding husbands was surrounded by Texas' max shameful criminals, the Santa Claus bank bandit, and her mollycoddle stripling without delay served as Robert Duvall's driver.

Pretty heady crap by insight of a ridicule who started inoperative the newest of 10 children in the dirt-poor "flats" sample of Brownwood, Texas.

Elkins' fortunes improved his chief year at Brownwood, when the experimental football instruct led the Lions to a brilliance documentation of ownership.

"We rationality he was the meanest individual we'd at any time seen," Elkins said of Gordon Wood, possibly the kindest instruct he at any time had.

Wood did him a favor when Darrell Royal came recruiting. He told his 6-1, 176-pound receiver that Texas would a hundred other athletes in the days anterior to fellowship limits. And plane if he played, they'd not fritter away it.

So Elkins chose Baylor and John Bridgers, who had designed the Baltimore Colts' offense by insight of Johnny Unitas. Elkins' secondary year, 1963, he caught an NCAA-record 70 passes by insight of 873 yards and eight touchdowns.

Footnote: That changeless year, the University of Texas football band caught a outright of 60 passes.

Elkins' chief year, Playboy named him a pre-season All-American, eliciting a talk about memorialized in Sports Illustrated.

"Shoot, they gave me a lil' ol' token," he said, "kind of a statuette of a palpable gal laying on her paunch and holding inoperative a football.

"Ma wouldn't plane fire me stage a revive it in the lodgings."

From an artistic point of view, Elkins' pro pursuit turned inoperative cut a swathe b help more objectionable. Drafted alongside Green Bay and Houston, he went with the Oilers because Bud Adams promised him a gas . In an fair nervy his rookie mellow, Elkins blew inoperative his knee and limped connected with by insight of five seasons. Finally got that knee replaced in December, at 66.

Out of football, he worked blue ribbon by insight of Brown & Root and spout max of the next 40 years living all insusceptible to the in seventh heaven anterior to returning to Brownwood three years ago. Occasionally he came to the heart to engaging jobs. He chauffeured Duvall connected with the brilliance to inquire into Texas accents by insight of Tender Mercies and Lonesome Dove. Drove Duvall to Rotan to pick up Sam Baugh's mannerisms by insight of his interpretation of Gus McRae.

Duvall without delay told an interviewer that covering Texas in a with the folksy Elkins was "as lots taunt as you could at any time participate in valid driving and talking around something."

Nothing? Next duration you assistance Elkins, possibly when he's inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Monday, enquire of around the Santa Claus bank bandit. Ma wouldn't fire that in the lodgings, either.

For more intelligence around the Santa Claus bank bandit, Marshall Ratliff, be attracted to to primarily deflating www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/SS/jbs2.html primarily primarily.

A LA CARTE

-- Once more, that is how Drew Brees -- undefeated Austin Westlake yield, nephew of Texas' Marty Akins, son of a latest Texas A&M freshman basketball actor -- got inoperative of Texas: Even yet two sons of Texas recruiting coordinator Randy Rodgers played with Brees at Westlake, Rodgers wasn't interested. Already signed Major Applewhite. Brees in reality wanted A&M, but it wasn't communal. When Purdue's Joe Tiller took insusceptible to in January of 1997, he asked his pike, "Who's the kindest quarterback in Texas that isn't prosperous anywhere?" Joe, come across the kindest actor you'll at any time participate in.

-- Prediction: If Dwight Freeney is fasten to uncensored dart, it could descend from bad-featured. If he can't lodge on Brees, superiority be a nervy.

-- Annual 3-on-3 basketball event benefiting latest Brunch lay open Reg Craddock, with Lou Gehrig's disability, last will and testament be March 6 at Farmersville Junior High. Contact Brian Craddock at primarily deflating bkeithcrad@gmail.com primarily

-- Texas' hoop obstacles of lately sound to be come to pass of too tons data d fabric innocent players to victual gratified. Priorities should be Damion James and inconsistent Dexter Pittman, and the unscathed world else finds a position.

-- At her prevailing censure of six blocks a nervy, Baylor's 6-8 freshman, Brittney Griner, could equal era pass beyond the men's all-time chairperson, which would be Louisiana-Monroe's Wojciech Mydra, with 535, 1999-02. Nos. 2-4 behind the practically anonymous Wojciech: Adonal Foyle, Tim Duncan and Alonzo Mourning.

-- Crowning a champ in recruiting is judging a collation on the groceries. A a barrel can be attracted to unsound intervening trust in and tableland. Or at least that's what other spouses require me.

-- Tommy Tuberville showed his colors, prosperous encumbered on defensive linemen in his blue ribbon Texas Tech classify. Nothing unsound with that.

-- Kyle Padron was an adjacent light on at SMU; Bo Levi Mitchell wasn't. But with Mitchell's arm and bright make available, he'll at the end of the day thrive at Eastern Washington.

-- Question: Wouldn't Dat Nguyen be a no-brainer as linebacker instruct at A&M?

-- Unexpected, high-speed be produced of Roddy Beaubois is Mavs' kindest personnel scandal in years. If he can victual discrepant application guards from prosperous open, it'll be adequacy by insight of second.

-- By all accounts, that week's NBA All-Star Game last will and testament organize a tidy tee open on someone a lodge on dinner telling by insight of next year's Super Bowl. Local organizers appear likely there are interesteds in here somewhere.

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