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Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming: Texas vs. Arkansas in Dixie's Last Stand
On December 6, 1969, the Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks met in what many consider the game of the century. Both teams were undefeated; both featured devastating and innovative offenses; both boasted stingy defenses; and both were coached by superior tacticians and stirring motivators, Texas's Darrell Royal and Arkansas's Frank Broyles. Moreover, President Richard Nixon was on hand to present his own national championship plaque to the winners. Even if it had been just a game, it would have been memorable today. But it was much more, because nothing was so simple in December 1969. In Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming, Terry Frei deftly weaves the social, political, and athletic trends together for an unforgettable look at one of the landmark college sporting events of all time.
360 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2002
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About the author
Terry Frei
17 books3 followers Award-winning journalist, author, and screenwriter Terry Frei is in his second stint at the Denver Post. He has been sports columnist for the Portland Oregonian, a football writer for the Sporting News, and an ESPN.com hockey columnist. Among his six previous books are Third Down and a War to Go, ’77: Denver, the Broncos, and a Coming of Age, and Olympic Affair. His web site is www.terryfrei.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 11, 2021
Well researched and written. The book lacks bias - a good characteristic - and covers players, coaches, teams equally. As a graduate and fan of one of these schools and born a year after this historic matchup, I was familiar with only a few of the principles and the lore. I enjoyed the background on the players and teams as well as the attention given to the cultural and political issues. In spite of this being a football book, it's about so much more. Wonderful read!
February 14, 2019
I was recently watching a “30 for 30” episode about Bo Jackson and saw an ad for another one about “Nixon’s National Champs.” Watched that on YouTube and remembered I had this book on my shelves, given to me by my brother, a UT grad, years ago.
Anyway, there was a lot going on at both campuses fifty years ago this coming December besides this football game between number one and two. Author covers numerous racial and Vietnam war activists and incidents. So many superb human interest stories in here and not just football.
While reading about the game itself I would take time to compliment the corresponding chapters by watching the original ABC broadcast of the game with the great Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson. Can’t recommend that enough. Included halftime and postgame Nixon interviews etc.
Great piece of historical and nostalgic journalism here. Very well done.
Anyway, there was a lot going on at both campuses fifty years ago this coming December besides this football game between number one and two. Author covers numerous racial and Vietnam war activists and incidents. So many superb human interest stories in here and not just football.
While reading about the game itself I would take time to compliment the corresponding chapters by watching the original ABC broadcast of the game with the great Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson. Can’t recommend that enough. Included halftime and postgame Nixon interviews etc.
Great piece of historical and nostalgic journalism here. Very well done.
September 7, 2021
This weekend will see the renewal of a bitter college football rivalry dating back to 1894. The Texas Longhorns travels to Fayetteville to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. I also have the good fortune to be able to travel and see the game in person this year. During my childhood I was witness to many epic games between the two at Memorial Stadium here in Austin, including the last game coached by two legendary coaches Darrell Royal and Frank Broyles in 1976.
Royal and Broyles were on the sidelines during the epic game in December 1969, known also as the ‘Game of the Century,’ which matched no. 1 ranked Texas against no. 2 ranked Arkansas. The intriguing back stories of this monumental match-up are the subject of the fine book Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming by veteran sportswriter Terry Frei (see my review of Frei’s Third Down and a War to Go).
Frei's book explores the game in the context of the political undercurrents of the day, i.e., Vietnam and race relations. Draft protests during the fall of 1969 were a daily occurrence and when President Nixon decided to attend the game, a large protest was planned for the day of the game. In addition, both teams were still lily white in the segregated South. The courageous battle of Texas player Freddie Steinmark against an ultimately fatal case of cancer adds to the emotional background of the book. Frei explores all of these issues, and even managed to include snippets of Arkansas native Bill Clinton’s attempts to evade the draft that year (he evidently listened to the game on a radio while studying at Oxford University).
The game itself was massive. It took place during the 100th Anniversary of college football. The president of the United States attended, along with Congressmen, Senators, and governors (and the evangelist Billy Graham). At a time when the U.S. population was two hundred million, fifty million Americans tuned into the game. After the game, Nixon declared he would visit the winners’ locker room and crown them national champions. Every decade or so during the 20th Century a game would be declared the ‘game of the century,’ but as far as athletics, politics, and society, this game checked all the boxes.
Texas won the game in dramatic fashion, coming from behind in the closing minutes. They were declared national champs, and they would be the last all-white national champion in college football. The next year both teams integrated, and college football has never looked back.
Royal and Broyles were on the sidelines during the epic game in December 1969, known also as the ‘Game of the Century,’ which matched no. 1 ranked Texas against no. 2 ranked Arkansas. The intriguing back stories of this monumental match-up are the subject of the fine book Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming by veteran sportswriter Terry Frei (see my review of Frei’s Third Down and a War to Go).
Frei's book explores the game in the context of the political undercurrents of the day, i.e., Vietnam and race relations. Draft protests during the fall of 1969 were a daily occurrence and when President Nixon decided to attend the game, a large protest was planned for the day of the game. In addition, both teams were still lily white in the segregated South. The courageous battle of Texas player Freddie Steinmark against an ultimately fatal case of cancer adds to the emotional background of the book. Frei explores all of these issues, and even managed to include snippets of Arkansas native Bill Clinton’s attempts to evade the draft that year (he evidently listened to the game on a radio while studying at Oxford University).
The game itself was massive. It took place during the 100th Anniversary of college football. The president of the United States attended, along with Congressmen, Senators, and governors (and the evangelist Billy Graham). At a time when the U.S. population was two hundred million, fifty million Americans tuned into the game. After the game, Nixon declared he would visit the winners’ locker room and crown them national champions. Every decade or so during the 20th Century a game would be declared the ‘game of the century,’ but as far as athletics, politics, and society, this game checked all the boxes.
Texas won the game in dramatic fashion, coming from behind in the closing minutes. They were declared national champs, and they would be the last all-white national champion in college football. The next year both teams integrated, and college football has never looked back.
May 17, 2021
This is a fascinating book in many respects. As a lifelong Razorback fan, I’ve still never researched the 1969 Texas game. I grew up understanding it was an important game in college football’s storied history, but I knew from surface knowledge that the Razorbacks weren’t on the winning end. Therefore, I had no real interest in it.
What I learned from this book wasn’t just the football gamesmanship I expected; instead, I gained insight into the social movements also manifesting themselves at the time, including anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and civil rights. The controversy surrounding the band playing “Dixie” is something I didn’t know about. Those history lessons made this book a 5-star work for me more than the run through of the game (which the Hogs should’ve won)!
What I learned from this book wasn’t just the football gamesmanship I expected; instead, I gained insight into the social movements also manifesting themselves at the time, including anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and civil rights. The controversy surrounding the band playing “Dixie” is something I didn’t know about. Those history lessons made this book a 5-star work for me more than the run through of the game (which the Hogs should’ve won)!
August 20, 2025
Well researched but lacks the narrative drive I felt it needed to keep the story flowing. It takes almost 200 pages to get to game day where it then gets very entertaining. Would have also liked to see the political and racial issues get a better ending, I felt they were wrapped up too quickly. Overall a pretty enjoyable read if you’re a fan of either team and helped me understand a time way before I was ever born.
Go hogs!
Go hogs!
November 21, 2023
I was intrigued by the title. I'm not much interested in football, but this was a very entertaining book. A lot of political history, including Vietnam war protests and the civil rights movement, made this so much more than just a football story, and the characters were fascinating.
October 3, 2025
I’d say this is really more a 4.5 star than a 4. Excellent detail and lots of great stories about the game itself as well as its participants
March 28, 2015
This book was personal for me. I was a 12-year-old kid in Hot Springs, Ark then. I remember Channel 7 KATV showing a clock and saying how long until the game. On that Saturday of the game, we were flying from Hot Springs to Kansas City for my grandma's surgery. We were kept circling in the air because of Air Force One when we tried to land at Fort Smith. I was so mad at Nixon for that.
It was fascinating to have a moment you experienced so remarkably fleshed out. I liked it much!
It was fascinating to have a moment you experienced so remarkably fleshed out. I liked it much!
March 24, 2011
Loved the sense of time and place during this legendary football game that had even then-President Nixon and Rev. Billy Graham attending.
May 30, 2017
I was there!!!
Contrary to the original review, I am fairly certain that Slick Willie Clinton was not at the game. He was, instead, at Oxford failing to earn a degree.
Contrary to the original review, I am fairly certain that Slick Willie Clinton was not at the game. He was, instead, at Oxford failing to earn a degree.
January 10, 2015
Slow read. Hard to stay with. I'm a football fan but took me a while to get this read. Hog heartbreaker, WPS!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews