Longhorns heart Freddie Steinmark
Former University of Texas safety Freddie Steinmark was an integral part of the 1969 Longhorns’ undefeated run to the national title. That run included the “Game of the Century” — a come-from-behind win in which Texas scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas 15-14.
Within a week of playing through leg pain in that game, though, doctors found a bone tumor in Steinmark’s leg. The leg had to be amputated from the hip. Steinmark would attend the Longhorns’ game against Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl a little more than two weeks later with one leg and crutches, an image that appears on the cover of a new authorized biography of Steinmark.
“Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football” is written by Steinmark’s close friend and teammate Bower Yousse and family associate Thomas J. Cryan. This story has been told before, most notably in Jim Dent’s “Courage Beyond the Game.” What makes the new book unique is the access Yousse and Cryan had to the story.
The book follows Steinmark’s grandparents and then his parents before chronicling Steinmark’s childhood in Colorado. The authors offer a fleshed-out picture of Steinmark’s early life — his natural athletic ability, his dedication to Catholicism, the way he inspired his friends and teammates with a positive attitude at a very young age, the way he looked after his little brother Sammy, his focus on schoolwork and love of football.
These details give a better sense of the person Steinmark was before he became a poster boy for cancer in the early 1970s.
Close to 30 pages of photos in the middle of the biography also help break up the narrative and provide an extra look into Steinmark’s life.
Yousse spent a lot of his teenage years with Steinmark. The two played baseball and football together while Steinmark’s father coached them. The reader can feel the personal connection between author and subject, which makes reading this book comfortable and easy.
In high school, Steinmark was an undersize football player, but he was quick and knowledgeable about the game. He yearned to play for Notre Dame, but his size made it tough for him to get noticed. Texas coach Darrell Royal, who was undersize when he played football for the Oklahoma Sooners, appreciated Steinmark’s skill and offered him a scholarship to Texas. The rest, as they say, is history.
Steinmark died in 1971 in Houston after losing his battle with bone cancer. His story continues to be told in books and in the movie “My All American,” released earlier this month. Steinmark also comes up every time a Longhorn explains why the former safety’s photo and the word “Heart” appear on the scoreboard before every UT football game.
There are bound to be more books and retellings of this inspirational tale. Even so, “Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football” is definitely worth a read.