Every UT Longhorn fan will want to grab hold of this backpocket-sized book about the beginnings and the not-so-distant past of his or her revered team. To those straining to grasp what all the fuss is about, Longhorn Football Legends is for them too.

Author Dave Sessions is a UT Ex but also a professional sports writer unafraid to lay bare some of the squad s most embarrassing episodes, like when a 30-year-old imposter from California talked his way into a football scholarship and onto the field. And Sessions deftly retells the team's proudest moments. Revisit the greatest games and championships, then see how a UT student dognapped Reveille, Texas A&M's beloved mascot, after learning it was the only such symbol in the Southwest Conference never to have been stolen. Legends covers the rivalries, the historic seasons, the standout players and the larger-than-life coaches (with numerous citations of Darrell Royal s best ''Royalisms''). It tells the stories behind Bevo, ''Hook em Horns,'' and the Longhorn logo that seems to adorn every other car in Texas.

About the Author:

Dave Sessions was a freshman at the University of Texas when James Brown rolled left to lead the Longhorns to the 1996 Big 12 championship, and he distinctly remembers being part of a small crowd of students who attempted to tear down the goalposts at Memorial Stadium following the game (which was in St. Louis!). Sessions went on to cover Longhorns sports for The Daily Texan, later holding the managing editor position there, before graduating with a journalism degree in 2001. He worked as a sports journalist for the Austin American-Statesman and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers beats. After leaving newspapers, Sessions worked on staff on national political campaigns and as a Capitol Hill press secretary. He is now a Fort Worth-based marketing director and freelance writer.