Memorial Day weekends are annually marked by solemn remembrances of the sacrifices made by U.S. military personnel in wars past. Among the many whose sacrifices will be honored this weekend are several Texas Longhorns. At least 664 former University of Texas students and staff died in World War II alone, no less than 21 of whom had earned varsity letters in athletics during their time in Austin.
I’ll have a pair of posts next week that will profile the Longhorn football lettermen who died during World Wars I and II, a group that includes two All-Americans. But as a lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend, I present today the story of James “Red” Goodwin, a Longhorn football team captain and one of UT’s many WWII casualties.