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ing occasional trips to Austin and would always check Coach Royal’s schedule to make sure he was in town before booking a flight.

You couldn’t enjoy a conversation with an iconic person that would be more fulfilling than one with Royal. His favorite breakfast place, Cisco’s Restaurant, Bakery & Bar on East 6th Street, was an emporium of reminiscing, homespun philosophy, and unflappability.

As soon as the waiter took our order, a couple of railbirds gathered around and joined the conversation as if it were a fraternity and they were full-fledged members. It didn’t frustrate or irritate the coach. He never shooed them away. If there ever were a man who could walk with kings and not lose the common touch, it was Darrell K. Royal.

With Texas coming to town for a marquee SEC game with Georgia this weekend, I have spent my early morning coffee time reminiscing about those times Coach Royal and I talked on the phone or had breakfast at Cisco’s Bakery.

Early in his career, Royal came under the influence of coaches who were schooled by Tennessee’s great coach Robert Neyland. “I think General Neyland had more influence on the game of football than any other coach that ever lived,” he said during one of our breakfast meetings.

Coach Royal was enamored with the Neyland view that if you can’t run off tackle, you can’t win in football. You play defense, first and foremost. Further, you best underscore all phases of the kicking game if you want to win games and championships.

My files on Royal contain highlights of the Darrell Royal lifestyle and legacy, which leaves one with constant admiration for his ability to maintain success and leave an enduring legacy that will forever identify him as one of America’s greatest college coaches.

Famous for his homespun humor, Royal once said of his All-America running back, James Saxton, “He could run faster than small town gossip.” When he introduced Masters champion and Austin resident, Ben Crenshaw, to country singer Don Williams, Royal said of the singer, “He’s straighter than six o’clock.” In your mind’s eye, you conclude that is damn straight.

Perhaps Royal’s best quote, one that reflects the humility with which he lived life, was, “There ain’t ever been a horse that can’t be rode, and there ain’t ever been a man that can’t be throwed.”

When he beat his former coach, Bud Wilkinson, for the first time, it was hard on Royal emotionally. Naturally, he wanted to win the biggest game on the schedule, but he told a friend, “It just didn’t seem right to beat Mr. Wilkinson.” It was Royal who once said about his profession, “Climbing is a thrill, maintaining is a bitch.”

His friendship with Arkansas coach Frank Broyles was the epitome of what coaching and competition ought to be. Fight it out on the field, but embrace warm friendship and fellowship afterwards. Broyles, a member at Augusta, often took his friend to play this famous course. They would frequently play 36 holes, a reflection on how much they enjoyed the game.

Broyles once told me, “Darrell and I truly loved thegame. Wewerenot scratch golfers, but our wives were scratch shoppers.”

The late Spike Dikes, who became the head coach at Texas Tech, after spending time with Darrell at Texas as an assistant coach, came to Athens to speak once and stayed at my address. We were having a beer on my back porch and Spike had this to say about Royal. “He absolutely had no ego, but you never had a problem figuring out who was the head coach. His relationship with Emory Bellard was a fine example of who he really was. He gave Emory credit for the wishbone, always saying, ‘That’s Emory’s deal.’” In 2010, the AFCA honored Royal at its annual convention, but he was not up for making the trip to Orlando to be honored. I put together some thoughts that were published in several papers. A few friends sent him clippings. This prompted a call from him to say thank you.

I was out and he left word on my telephone recorder, which I regrettably did not save, but I have always thought about the fact that I was the beneficiary of a rare tip of the cap.

Most coaches never have a kind word for a columnist. They only comment when you write something they don’t like.