HOT CORNER

What: “The Story of Darrell Royal.”

Where: CSTV, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

People from Texas often say there are three things that are sacred in their state -- God, Mom and Darrell Royal, and not necessarily in that order. So it is understandable that this 1999 video, looking at the life of the legendary University of Texas football coach, has been a big hit in Texas.

But you don’t have to be a Longhorn fan to enjoy it, simply a college football fan. With narration by actor Matthew McConaughey, this one-hour show takes viewers through Royal’s life, beginning with his impoverished childhood in the Oklahoma dustbowl during the Depression.

Royal was 32 when he took over as Texas’ coach at the end of the 1956 season, and he brought to Austin a winning style wrapped in a folksy sense of humor. In 23 years as the Longhorns’ coach, he never had a losing season and won three national championships.

A highlight of the film is the 1969 game between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Arkansas at the end of the regular season. Texas rallied to win, 15-14, and received a congratulatory call after the game from President Nixon, the first president to do such a thing.

President Bush, who was the governor of Texas when this film was made, is among those who pay tribute to Royal.

-- Larry Stewart