Colin Kaepernick’s Former Teammate Pushed to Keep UT-Austin’s Controversial Alma Mater Song

The University of Texas at Austin became the home of a debate over the summer after a group of students and athletes called to get rid of the alma mater song “The Eyes of Texas.” A group of “connected donors” responded and pushed for the song to stay, including a one-time backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Colt McCoy reportedly helped organize an effort to keep “The Eyes of Texas.”

According to the Texas Tribune, the students demanded that the university no longer use the song due to it originally debuting at a campus minstrel show in 1903. The students said that attendees “likely wore blackface and performed skits making fun of Black people.” UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell commissioned a report that detailed the history of the song, which determined that it was not “overtly racist” despite being written in a racist setting.

Hartzell originally said that he had received “a small number” of hateful emails about the protests. He noted that these emails would not play a role in the decision to keep or get rid of the song. However, the Tribune inquired about missing records and received 550 additional emails, which included a large group of Longhorn donors, fans, and athletes.

According to the Tribune, the list of donors included “Bud Brigham, an oil tycoon who recently donated an undisclosed five-year gift to the school; Bill Stanley, a chemical engineer and entrepreneur who has donated at least $2 million; and Mickey Klein, an independent oil and gas producer and philanthropist, who has donated nearly $28 million to the university, according to documents included with the emails.”

The emails reportedly showed that Brigham updated McCoy and other donors about the situation in multiple emails. He said in one message that athletic director Chris Del Conte was “trying to manage the situation” but said that there wasn’t enough support to “stop the movement” without the donors’ help. “We need some reasoned and courageous former black athletes to step up, that share our/your perspective, or it may be game over for the song,” Brigham reportedly added.

In addition to sending the emails, the oil tycoon reportedly set up a conference call with McCoy and other alumni to solicit ideas. The group pitched a task force of “ideally 50% African American and 50% non-Black” Longhorn athletes from varying backgrounds who would examine “The Eyes of Texas.” The task force would also include a lawyer and take a year. Months after receiving the email, Hartzell announced that a committee would examine the history of the song.

A third-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Colt McCoy started his career with the Cleveland Browns. He stayed in Ohio, starting 21 games and accumulating a 6-15 record. The Browns traded McCoy to the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, and he remained with the team for four games. McCoy signed with the then-Washington Redskins prior to the 2014 season and remained with the team for five seasons, starting seven games. He spent the 2020 season with the New York Giants but signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in late March.