Texas Hires McWilliams as Coach

David McWilliams, who coached Texas Tech to this year’s Independence Bowl in his first season, was named football coach at the University of Texas Friday.

McWilliams previously served as a Texas assistant under Darrell Royal, who built the Longhorns into a national power, and under Fred Akers, who was dismissed last Saturday when Texas finished a 5-6 season, its worst in 30 years.

Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said that McWilliams, a captain on Royal’s 1963 national championship team, was his first choice for the $91,600-a-year job.

Asked about his game-plan philosophy, McWilliams, 44, whom Dodds called “one of the top young defensive coaches in the country,” said: “I personally like to throw the ball a good bit.”