Texas coach Mack Brown sent a text message congratulating defensive end Brian Robison after he won the discus and shot put at the Big 12 Conference track championships. Freshman tailback Jamaal Charles also won the 100 meters.
That means the Longhorn football team scored 30 points at the meet and demonstrated multi-sport athletes can thrive and football teams can still win national titles. Thats been almost non-existent the past five years at USC, unless the player is not even on the depth chart (former quarterback Billy Hart and baseball) or playing a sport that does not interfere with spring practice (Gregg Guenther, basketball).
Other players, like linebacker Oscar Lua, were supposed to play baseball but never did. And the last time a meaningful player ran track was around the time Paul Hackett was the coach. Reggie Bush was supposed to run track but never did.
Perhaps sprinter/wide receiver Jamere Holland, who is too fast to deny a track career, will start a new trend of multi-sport athletes when he arrives next year.