John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
The first time I attended a football game in Houston was the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1963 when Baylor defeated LSU 14-7, a victory that enabled the Bears to finish an 8-3 season – second in the Southwest Conference to the undefeated, national champion University of Texas Longhorns.
For all I knew on that cold, crisp, cloudy afternoon at Rice Stadium -- four days shy of Christmas – that, as an 11-year-old, my first trip to Houston to watch a football game would be my last.
Little did I know I'd end up attending quite a few more football games in Houston, including Baylor vs. LSU in the Kinder's Texas Bowl on Dec. 31.
Like every Baylor football fan I know, I'm pumped about the Bears playing the Tigers. Both teams are 8-4, and the Bears closed the season with a six-game winning streak in which they averaged 41.3 points a game.
Head Coach Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator on LSU's 2019 national championship team, advanced from a 2-4 record that put him on a seat so hot he couldn't sit to being praised for a terrific transformation that's excited and captivated Baylor fans across the Lone Star State, many coming to Houston to see if the Bears can extend their winning streak.
Since David Fletcher, the general manager of Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, announced on Sunday that Baylor would be playing LSU this year, the game brought back a museum of memories about my first trip to Houston to see a football game.
Back in 1963, Head Coach Darrell Royal's Longhorns dominated the SWC, and they were well on their way to winning their first national championship under their legendary coach. Their toughest challenger that season would be Baylor, led by two All-Americans, quarterback Don Trull and wide receiver Lawrence Elkins. They were one of the most prolific pass-catch combinations in college football.
Trull was so good that season he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
On Nov. 9, Head Coach John Bridgers took the Bears to Austin for one of the biggest games in school history. The Bears were 5-1, and the mighty Longhorns were 7-0. As I did during all Baylor games, I listened to Frank Fallon's broadcast on my transistor radio.
When Trull threw a pass in the end zone intended for Elkins, safety Duke Carlisle, who was also UT's starting quarterback, intercepted to secure a 7-0 victory that kept the Longhorns undefeated.
And I cried for a week.
After the Longhorns beat Baylor to increase their record to 8-0, I sobbed in the bedroom I shared with my younger brother. My father came into the bedroom and told me something I've never forgotten about being a Baylor fan.
"John Craig," he said, sadly, "there are three things in life you'll have to get used to: death, taxes and Texas."
And that was the truth until the Longhorns bolted for the SEC.
It took me a long time to get over that loss to the Bevos. When I look back on that Texas team, I realize there was no shame to lose to the Longhorns, who had one of the best teams in college history.
The Longhorns' defense was magnificent in 1963. They limited opponents to seven or fewer points in eight games. They didn't give up more than 13. They surrendered 6.5 points a game and scored 21.4.
In the Cotton Bowl, No. 1-ranked Texas played No. 2-ranked Navy and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Roger Staubach. The Longhorns crushed Navy 28-6 to complete a 11-0 season – the first of three national titles they won under Royal.
The Bears' consolation prize was the Bluebonnet Bowl against LSU. My father asked if I wanted to attend the game. I wasn't a stranger to Houston with what seemed like its endless freeways, mind-boggling traffic jams and stifling humidity. Beginning in 1962, our family came to Houston once each summer to watch the Colt 45's, which fueled my lifelong fascination with the Astros.
We went to Houston hoping and praying for the Bears to beat the Tigers. Back then – as it is today – LSU had one of the best and most successful football programs. The Tigers went from Paul Dietzel with his Chinese Bandits to Charles "Cholly Mac" McLendon – one legendary head coach to another.
Like the Bears, LSU entered the game with a 7-3 record. The Tigers scored first, a touchdown in the first quarter, but they wouldn't score again.
Led by a ferocious defense and Trull living up to his All-American reputation, the Bears scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on his touchdown passes to wide receiver James Ingram.
Trull, who would move on to a seven-year career in the NFL, including six with the Oilers, completed 26-of-37 for 255 yards. The Bears generated 394 yards and limited the Tigers to 108, including 13 passing. Trull's impressive performance helped restore my faith in the Bears.
I couldn't wait to read stories about Baylor's victory written by Dave Campbell, sports editor at the Waco Tribune-Herald. I still pinch myself when I think about Campbell hiring me as a sportswriter 10 years after that Bluebonnet Bowl, jump starting what's been a 52-year career in this business.
To close out this year, my 49th as a sportswriter in Houston, I'd be happy with another seven-point victory over LSU in the Kinder's Texas Bowl. Shoot, I'd be excited for a one-point victory. I'd love a repeat of the last time Baylor played in a Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium – a 45-38 victory over Vanderbilt in 2018.
But if the Bears do lose to LSU to snap their winning streak, I won't be bawling like I did after losses in 1963. Today, I don't cry, I just cuss when Baylor loses.
