Former Texas head coach Fred Akers passes away

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty ImagesFormer Texas Longhorns head coach Fred Akers passed away on Monday at the age of 82.

Akers faced one of the most difficult challenges of any Longhorns head coach — he was the replacement for Darrell K Royal, who remains the winningest coach in school history. Despite facing that significant pressure, Akers was successful, going 86-31-2 over 10 seasons and winning the Southwest Conference title in 1977 and 1983. The Longhorns also posted three 10-win seasons and four top-10 finishes under Akers, who coached Earl Campbell to the Heisman Trophy in 1997.

“There is so much to say about the relationship I had with Fred,” Campbell said. “As a coach, he believed in…