Bob McKay, the towering offensive tackle who helped power the Texas Longhorns’ wishbone attack to a national championship and later spent nine seasons in the NFL, has died, per the University. He was 78.
Robert Charles McKay was born Dec. 27, 1947, in Seminole, Texas, and grew up in nearby Crane, a West Texas oil-field town. He starred at Crane High School before Darrell Royal recruited him to Austin.
By the time he reached the varsity, the 6-foot-5 lineman had developed into one of the key blockers in Royal’s revolutionary wishbone offense.
McKay played his final two college seasons in 1968 and 1969. Texas went 20-1-1 with him in the starting lineup, won two Southwest Conference titles, and captured Cotton Bowl victories over Tennessee and Notre Dame.
In 1969, the Longhorns finished 11-0, outscored opponents 435-119, led the nation in rushing, and claimed the national championship with a 21-17 Cotton Bowl win over Notre Dame.
McKay earned consensus first-team All-America and first-team All-SWC honors that season. He later played in the Hula Bowl and the Coaches All-America Game.
The Cleveland Browns selected him 21st overall in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft. McKay played six seasons in Cleveland and three with the New England Patriots, appearing in 105 games with 71 starts.
He helped both franchises reach the playoffs twice. After football, he worked in commercial sales and remained involved in charitable work, including NFL children’s programs and CASH of Austin.
McKay’s honors stacked up over time. He was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 1990, the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2012, and the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 — the first player from the 1969 championship team so recognized.
Texas Athletics and the College Football Hall of Fame remembered him as one of the program’s great offensive linemen, a small-town product who became a cornerstone of one of the most famous offenses in college football history. Details of a celebration of life were expected to be announced later.
McKay is remembered as more than a blocker. Teammates and coaches described a player who grew into the physical demands of the wishbone and took pride in finishing blocks downfield.
For Longhorn fans, his career remains tied to that undefeated 1969 team and the era when Texas football defined the wishbone.
