Texas football lost a pioneer Thursday with the passing of Emory Bellard, 83, after his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Regarded as the father of the famed wishbone offense, Bellard found success in every capacity. He played football for the Longhorns in the 1950s, then became an assistant coach for his alma mater. At Texas, Bellard invented the widely-successful wishbone rushing attack, which the Longhorns rode to two national championships with Bellard on staff. Bellard then went on to become the head coach at Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
He also won three Texas high school state championships as a head coach, and was inducted to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
“Coach Bellard was a true gentleman, and was everything a coach should stand for,” Texas head coach Mack Brown said. “He will always have a special place when it comes to Longhorn football.”
