Fans of the well-known football team Texas Longhorns mourn today as we lose a loyal servant, Darrell Royal, who recently passed away (announced by the University of Texas on November 7th, 2012).

Royal’s football career started in 1945 when he played for the Third Air Force Team under the United States Army Air Corps, and was then later recruited for the University of Oklahoma, where he played quarterback and defensive back.

In 1954, Royal started coaching football, starting as an assistant coach for North Carolina State (1950), University of Tulsa (1951), and Mississippi State (1952). Royal’s professional head coaching career started with the Canadian Edmonton Eskimos in 1953, Mississippi State (1954-1955), University of Washington (1956), and his long-time running career at University of Texas from 1957-1976.

After Royal’s tenure coaching the University of Texas’ Longhorns from 1957-1976, Royal retired and became an Athletic Director at the university. For Royal’s amazing talents and dedication to the University of Texas, the school honored him by renaming the football stadium from “Texas Memorial Stadium” to “Darrell K Royal, Texas Memorial Stadium.”

On Wednesday, November 7th, the University of Texas announced on their blog that Darrel Royal had passed away after suffering a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Royal was 88 years old at the time of his passing. Many of Royal’s fans have left their respects on Twitter: