One of the tenets of the Blum Family’s mission is to go through life collecting memorable moments. As we look back, our life is a series of moments. Certain ones stand out. Be intentional and create some meaningful moments that will be part of your family’s story. For the Blum Family, some of those moments happen at University of Texas football games.
Sporting events have great potential for building family memories and rituals. I particularly noticed this on Thanksgiving, when we hopped around at three different houses and found everyone huddled together, glued to the Dallas Cowboys football game. It turns out that more than 57 million tuned into that game, the most watched regular season game ever. This family bonding around sports continued the next day, as I watched old and young cling together at the sold-out UT/ A&M rivalry game in Austin.
Reflecting on Blum family memories now that we’re in the season of football bowl games, a stand-out moment occurred 20 years ago at the Rose Bowl. My son Adam and I have a long-standing father-son tradition of traveling to UT football games. Without question, the premier experience was winning the National Championship at the 2006 Rose Bowl. It was a legendary game with a miraculous ending thanks to our super-hero quarterback, Vince Young. It’s often described as the best college football game of all time.
It was Adam’s last year at UT. He was in a panic trying to land two tickets to the Rose Bowl. Fortunately, Adam had a close friendship with Frank Denius, one of UT’s biggest boosters. Adam (in his 20’s) and Frank (in his 80’s) were best pals, sharing their passion for UT football. Adam’s call went something like this, “Frank, I’m having a hard time studying for finals, worrying so much about getting two Rose Bowl tickets.” Frank Denius to the rescue—two 50-yard line Rose Bowl seats instantly appeared.
The whole event was epic. It was UT vs. the University of Southern California. USC was heavily favored. With a couple of minutes left, USC was winning, had the ball, and was driving. It looked hopeless to me and almost everyone else but Adam. My efforts to console Adam were met with total rejection: “We’re going to win!!” he yelled at me. All we had to do was stop USC (who had been scoring on every drive), get the ball back before they scored, and go score a touchdown. My faith wasn’t deep enough for that scenario.
Days before, Vince Young had been passed over by USC’s Reggie Bush for the Heisman Trophy. Vince felt disrespected. It was time for revenge. Lo and behold, with the clock ticking away, UT and Vince Young pulled off a miracle practically everyone (but Adam) thought was impossible. The stadium was in shock. Adam was euphoric!
We stayed in our seats after the win and got friendly with the ladies seated on the row in front of us—Vince Young’s mother Felicia, his grandmothers, and his sisters.
An hour later, officials came to retrieve the Young family to take them to Vince. They invited Adam and me to join them! Vince, who not long before was taking victory laps around the stadium, was now wheeled up in a golf cart. Muscle atrophy had set in; he was barely able to move. We all got hugs with Vince. What an unforgettable moment!
I got the idea for this post reading Professor Catherine Sanderson’s How to Feel Better blog post of November 6, 2025, “My Husband Bleeds Dodgers Blue.” Sanderson described the magic of being a sports fan: “Sports fandom is good for well-being. People who root for a particular team show increases in self-esteem after the team wins.”
Sanderson continues: “rooting for a particular team also leads to broader benefits…. They also felt their life had more meaning and purpose…. Perhaps most importantly, sports fandom provides a sense of connection with others who share your allegiance.” Sports is a great equalizer. It brings together deeply passionate people who never would have connected with one another and allows them to build genuine relationships that last forever.
We lost Frank a few years ago, but Adam still travels to all the games with Longhorn football legend Ted Koy. The connection between Ted and Adam is another example of sports bringing people together and creating close friendships. And when I say close, I mean Ted was even an usher in Adam’s wedding.
Reflecting on our Rose Bowl memories and Sanderson’s post, I have a profound appreciation for Adam’s sports passion. It has provided us with so many father-son bonding experiences, relationships with friends like Frank Denius and Longhorn great Ted Koy and other fellow Longhorn enthusiasts, and rich memorable moments we will remember forever as we look back at the highlights of our lives.
Marvin E. Blum
Marvin with son Adam displaying Longhorn spirit at a UT football game, making lifetime memories.
