The 1965 Texas Coed Murders: We Saw What You Did
A Baffling and Brutal Case
Sunday, July 18, 1965, started out like any other hot summer day in Texas.
Shirley Ann Stark and Susan Rigsby are Chi Omega sorority sisters at the University of Texas at Austin. They left their Dallas homes early and drove together in Shirley’s Corvair to Austin. Little did they know the fate that awaited them later that afternoon as they visited the apartment of a friend and fellow UT student.
The following day, the women were reported missing. A twelve-day nationwide search ensued, ending with the discovery of their bodies in a north Austin field.
Fatal Exam: Solving Lubbock's Greatest Murder Mystery
Amazon Rating 4.3
On Monday, December 4, 1967, a body was discovered in the Science Building of the largest university in West Texas. The next day, citizens of Lubbock gathered for the Carol of Lights, an event typically the centerpiece of the holidays for the quiet college town. However, in 1967, the normal festive excitement and anticipation were swiftly shattered by the harrowing events that had occurred just twenty-four hours earlier.
For the first time, the account of this shocking murder has been painstakingly reconstructed by Alan Burton and Chuck Lanehart. Piecing together timelines based on interviews, journalists’ archives, courtroom transcripts, and the personal experiences of Lubbockites, “Fatal Exam’’ situates the murder, relates the capture, and details the trial of the crime’s perpetrator. Not your standard psychopathic master, the criminal at this tale’s center cuts a challenging profile, and his history shines an unusual light on the criminal justice system.
“Fatal Exam’’ is a crime story. It’s also the story of a venerated institution in West Texas and the peculiar town-and-gown relationship that comes in such a far-flung setting.
Squib-Kick It to a Fat Guy, Volume II
Amazon Rating 4.5
Mike Leach is back by popular demand.
The words and random thoughts of college football’s most interesting coach are chronicled in “Squib-Kick It to a Fat Guy, Volume II … and 701 more memorable quotes from the playbook of Coach Mike Leach.’’
This collection is the sequel to the original “Squib-Kick It to a Fat Guy… and 699 more memorable quotes from the playbook of Coach Mike Leach,’’ which hit the (book)stores/online in the summer of 2016.
Since that time, after successfully rebuilding the Washington State football program, Leach has moved on from Pullman, Washington, to Starkville, Mississippi, as the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
Along the way, he has left us with a pirate’s treasure of fresh quotes and observations, that, quite frankly, coupled with his Air Raid offense, make the game of college football more entertaining and enjoyable for everyone.
Volume II covers the “Best of Leach’’ for the past five years, as well as dipping back into his earlier days of coaching for some classic and unique perspectives on football and life.
Go to the Games with Humble:
Kern Tips
and the Golden Age of SWC radio
Amazon Rating 4.1
Quite simply, “Go to the Games with Humble: Kern Tips and the Golden Age of SWC radio’’ is a one-of-a-kind book.
For the first time, the history of the Humble Oil and Refining Company’s radio broadcasts of Southwest Conference football games are chronicled with behind-the-scenes stories, rare photos, comprehensive lists of the announcers and the games they called, an actual script of a broadcast, and a timeline of memorable moments.
Long before the advent of ESPN and the explosion of cable TV sports and, eventually, the Longhorn Network, college football fans tuned in to their radios to follow the SWC teams. Humble, with its broadcast origins dating back to 1934, offered unbiased play-by-play action of all conference teams through the growing number of radio stations on its network.
/Enco/Exxon sponsored SWC football radio broadcasts for 44 consecutive years, from 1934 to 1977.
Over the years, many famous names occupied the Humble broadcast booth, including top play-by-play man Kern Tips, the Voice of the Southwest Conference, and his sidekick, Alec Chesser. Following Tips’s death, Connie Alexander ably assumed the role of top announcer, accompanied on a frequent basis by color announcers Stan McKenzie and Dave Smith. Other broadcasters familiar to longtime SWC football fans included the likes of Frank Fallon, Jack Dale, Glenn Brown, and Gene Elston.
Through extensive research and interviews by longtime Texas writer Alan Burton, Go to the Games with Humble offers readers the chance to relive the golden days of radio. This is a must-read for all football fans in the Southwest. Happy Reading!
Squib-Kick It to a Fat Guy
Amazon Rating 4.8
College football coach Mike Leach is known for three things in particular: 1. His teams winning lots of games; 2. Producing offenses that gain bunches of yards and score tons of points; and 3. Speaking his mind and saying things that go far beyond the usual cliche-ridden coachspeak we are accustomed to hearing from his coaching peers.
In “Squib-Kick It to a Fat Guy,’’ we get Mike Leach unplugged in the form of hundreds of his most memorable quotes along with a few dozen others thrown in from other sources speaking their minds about Leach, most of it good and some of it not so good. This is Leachspeak at its best.
Prepared to be informed, entertained, humored and at times even mystified by Leach and his thought processes as revealed in this delightful collection of unforgettable quotes.
Pirates, Soldiers & Fat Little Girlfriends:
More Classic Texas Sports Quotes
Amazon Rating 4.4
“Pirates, Soldiers & Fat Little Girlfriends’’ is a new collection of quotes — some humorous, some brutally honest and all of them memorable — made by some of the most well-known (and not-so-well-known) Texas athletes, coaches and officials. It is the sequel to “ ‘til the fat lady sings – Classic Texas Sports Quotes’’– published in 1994.
Some examples:
“Someone asked me if I was a Phi Beta Kappa once, and I said, ‘Naw, I’m a Pisces.’’ – Texas Tech football coach Spike Dykes
“In high school, I was only 140 pounds. And in Texas, when you’re too small for football, they send you to drama school.’’ Actor Dennis Quaid
“Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn’t hire him to run a Dairy Queen.’’ – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the NBA supervisor of officials
Dallas Cowboys: Quips & Quotes
Alan Burton, a lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys, chronicles the team’s forty-five year history in a collection of more than five hundred quips and quotes from players, coaches, owners, broadcasters, and writers.
Organized chronologically, the quotations provide a colorful record of the ups and downs of one of the best-known franchises in professional sports–and “must” reading for the die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.
A few examples: Tom Landry on his Flex defense: “It is designed to stop every play on the line of scrimmage. This is the theory, you have to remember, not necessarily the result.” Lineman Jim Boeke on quarterback Don Meredith: “If Meredith had led us over a cliff, I would have been the first one to follow. He was that great a leader Linebacker D. D. Lewis on Texas Stadium: “Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch his favorite team play Caustic commentator Howard Cosell: “The Cowboys are the most overrated, overhyped team in professional football.” Sportswriter Bob St. John on Roger Staubach’s clean-cut image: “His idea of breaking training is putting whipped cream on his pie.”
A convicted murderer shortly before his execution: “I am thankful to the Dallas Cowboys for giving me a lot of enjoyment the past years.” Lineman Nate Newton: “Remember this–there’s the Cowboys, and then there’s the rest.”
Texas High School Hotshots: The Stars Before They Were Stars
Amazon Rating 4.0
“Texas High School Hotshots: The Stars Before They Were Stars’’ is a one-of-a-kind book that offers an entertaining look back at the younger years of more than 200 celebrities who attended high school in Texas.
Stars from the fields of sports, music, politics, television, and movies are profiled through words and photographs. Among the celebrities featured are Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey, George W. Bush, Ross Perot, Don Meredith, Tom Landry, Don Henley, George Strait, and Erykah Badu.
Especially interesting are the high school yearbook photos of the “stars before they were stars.’’ In addition, quotes and trivia add to the enjoyment of this unique collection.
Rave On: Classic Texas Music Quotes
Texans—never shy when singing the praises of the Lone Star State—sound an especially loud, approving chorus for their rich musical heritage. Small wonder! Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Van Cliburn, Roy Orbison, Janis Joplin, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson . . . the list goes on. More than four hundred quotes in “Rave On’’ bring you a fresh view of the lively, diverse, boisterous world of the Texas musical scene.
A few examples:
“At least the first forty songs we wrote were Buddy Holly-influenced.’’ – Paul McCartney
“Hell, I don’t live in Texas. I live in Austin.’’ Jerry Jeff Walker
“I’m the most famous obscure musician in the country.’’ – Steve Fromholz
'Til the Fat Lady Sings: Classic Texas Sports Quotes
Everybody knows that Texans take their sports seriously. Whether it’s a high school football clash on Friday night, a college football game on Saturday afternoon, or a pro basketball matchup on Sunday, sports is serious business in the Lone Star State.
How serious? Ask Don Meredith to comment on former Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry: “He’s a perfectionist. If he was married to Raquel Welch, he’d expect her to cook.’’ Or talk to golf pro Lee Trevino about the tour: “You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work.’’
And if you’re still not convinced, read what former Texas Rangers manager Whitey Herzog had to say in 1973: “We need just two players to be a contender. Just Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.’’
These quotes and hundreds more are included in this collection of classic Texas sports quotes. More than ten years in the making, “. . . ‘Til the Fat Lady Sings’’ features approximately four hundred quotes from more than a hundred different sources. Coaches, sports writers, athletes, broadcasters, fans, politicians, actors, and team owners all speak out with wit and wisdom about the games and the names of Texas sports.