Emory Bellard Dead at 83

[MrMustang1965]

Former aTm and Mississippi State head football coach credited with developing the wishbone offense while an assistant at that school in Austin.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6108520

[CalallenStang]

One of the most influential figures in football. One wonders if he would have ever achieved that level of influence if he wasn't first given the chance to be a head coach at a small South Texas Class B school - Ingleside - known as the Mustangs

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Great man, funny...my uncle was on his staff at a$m.

[No Quarter]

Wouldn't it have been more correct to say one of the first coaches at Texas to recruit black players rather than one of the first in Texas?

Didn't Houston, Baylor and SMU all have black players before Texas?

[rich59]

The first black player to play a varsity game in the SWC was a player at Baylor. I believe his name was Westbrook. THe first black player to receive a scholarship to play in the SWC was Jerry Levias. When Bellard was coaching at Ingleside, he used to come over and watch the practises at Texas A&I. I was told that watching those practises, (we were running the belly series at that time) is where Bellard got some of his ideas for the Wishbone.

[Mexmustang]

This is petty, but how did UT highjack what should have been an A&M press release. He was their Head Coach.

[MrMustang1965]

This is petty, but how did UT highjack what should have been an A&M press release. He was their Head Coach.

The link that I posted above is from ESPN.

[Stallion]

nobody hijacked the thread-without question his greatest contribution to college football was his invention of the Wishbone in about the third game of the 1968 season at UT after a tie to Houston and loss to Texas Tech. UT proceeded to win 30 games in a row

[Rayburn]

The first black player to play a varsity game in the SWC was a player at Baylor. I believe his name was Westbrook. THe first black player to receive a scholarship to play in the SWC was Jerry Levias. When Bellard was coaching at Ingleside, he used to come over and watch the practises at Texas A&I. I was told that watching those practises, (we were running the belly series at that time) is where Bellard got some of his ideas for the Wishbone.

John Westbrook made his debut for Baylor in the 1966 season opener against Syracuse on national TV. When he entered the game, the stadium announcer exclaimed over the PA system, "colored football for color TV!"

Didn't Houston, Baylor and SMU all have black players before Texas?

Yes. And North Texas, West Texas State and A&I had black players before the SWC.

Bellard and Royal took the Wishbone from a variety of sources: the option belly series, Bill Yeoman's Veer and an offense being run at Alice HS. Initially, UT's fullback was lined up too close to the QB which made accurate reads difficult. Bill Bradley compounded the problem by freelancing too much (EGO). Bellard repositioned the FB (Steve Worster) two yards further back and replaced Bradley with Street. History ensued.

Emory Bellard was a good man and a fine football coach. God bless him.

[rich59]

Rayburn, many thanks for your post. I had always heard that some high school was running something like the Wishbone before Bellard but had forgotten which one it was. Someone mentioned a lead blocker was a priority for Royal. I believe the early "base" play of the Wishbone did not have a lead blocker. The qb put it in the belly of the fb and depending on what the dt was doing either left it with him or pulled it out and then read the de and either kept it inside or pitched outside. There were three options and it was all finesse. Later there was what was called "run loaded" where the strongside halfback was a lead blocker inside.