Phil C
12-05-2008, 05:40 PM
Well maybe not forgotten but maybe some reminding needed. I will let the Aggie fans fill in more details and corrections that I don't know. He was the head football coach at A&M from 1962 to 1964. He had played on the Army great teams of 1944 to 1946 and these teams were 27 - 0 - 1. They won two national championships and probably deserved a tie for the third one. He was the Tight End for these Army teams.
He was the Wichita State Football Coach from 1960-61 and these teams had only won 9 games in the three years before he came and he had success there going 8-2 and 8-3 before going to A&M. He didn't have success there but I think his timing to going there was not good. A&M was part of the Southwest Conference then and he was competiting with schools that had established coaches in recruiting as well as coaching experience. These were Coach Royal at Texas and Coach Broyles at Arkansas as well as Coach Abe Martin at TCU and Coach Jess Nelly at Rice as well as Coach Bridges at Baylor. Even though he had a 6 - 23 - 1 at A&M he gave Texas two big tough games in 1962 and 1963. In 1962 the Horns won a tough one to have an unbeaten but once tied team. It was a tough game that UT didn't take over till in the fourth quarter to finally win 13 to 3. And of course we know the next year that UT won them all and the national championship but had to win an extremely close one at A&M 15 to 13. That coaching job for that game by Coach Folberg has got to be one of the most brilliant ones ever.
After 1963 he was fired and went into the insurance business where he stayed till he retired to Arkansas. He passed away in 2001.
I have nothing against A&M but I think he just took the job there at the wrong time for the reasons discussed above. Had he waited he might have been successful somewhere else.
In 1967 the Aggies won the SWC and beat Alabama in the Cotton Bowl using some of Coach Folberg's recruits. It is a shame he didn't have time there to see what he could have done with his recruits.
That is the best I have in memories of him. Perhaps some Aggie fans can make corrections or additions. Since none of them took the lead in starting this thread then a Horn fan that respected him as as an opponent is the next best thing. He should be remembered. He almost led A&M to one of the biggest upsets in 1963 and had he done so it would have rocked the college football world at that time. Even more than TT did this year.
He was the Wichita State Football Coach from 1960-61 and these teams had only won 9 games in the three years before he came and he had success there going 8-2 and 8-3 before going to A&M. He didn't have success there but I think his timing to going there was not good. A&M was part of the Southwest Conference then and he was competiting with schools that had established coaches in recruiting as well as coaching experience. These were Coach Royal at Texas and Coach Broyles at Arkansas as well as Coach Abe Martin at TCU and Coach Jess Nelly at Rice as well as Coach Bridges at Baylor. Even though he had a 6 - 23 - 1 at A&M he gave Texas two big tough games in 1962 and 1963. In 1962 the Horns won a tough one to have an unbeaten but once tied team. It was a tough game that UT didn't take over till in the fourth quarter to finally win 13 to 3. And of course we know the next year that UT won them all and the national championship but had to win an extremely close one at A&M 15 to 13. That coaching job for that game by Coach Folberg has got to be one of the most brilliant ones ever.
After 1963 he was fired and went into the insurance business where he stayed till he retired to Arkansas. He passed away in 2001.
I have nothing against A&M but I think he just took the job there at the wrong time for the reasons discussed above. Had he waited he might have been successful somewhere else.
In 1967 the Aggies won the SWC and beat Alabama in the Cotton Bowl using some of Coach Folberg's recruits. It is a shame he didn't have time there to see what he could have done with his recruits.
That is the best I have in memories of him. Perhaps some Aggie fans can make corrections or additions. Since none of them took the lead in starting this thread then a Horn fan that respected him as as an opponent is the next best thing. He should be remembered. He almost led A&M to one of the biggest upsets in 1963 and had he done so it would have rocked the college football world at that time. Even more than TT did this year.