Edith Royal, widow of Texas icon Darrell Royal, passes away at age 88

Edith Royal, the widow of Texas’ iconic coach Darrell Royal and was as instrumental in the Longhorns’ rise to prominence in the 1960s and ‘70s as her husband, passed away Monday, her grandson said. Royal was 88.

Royal was set to turn 89 on Oct. 27. The cause of death was not immediately known, but she had a “peaceful passing.”

“Loved and admired by many, she possessed a beautiful smile, a brilliant sense of humor, and will be missed by all who knew her,” said David Kazen, an Austin attorney and her grandson.

Darrell Royal died on Nov. 7, 2012, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. He coached the Longhorns from 1957-76 and was 167-47-5. For decades, UT’s 1969 national championship team was considered the program’s best.

Edith and Darrell did everything together, hanging out with President Lyndon B. Johnson, Willie Nelson and later Matthew McConaughey. The met and started dating in 1944 when Darrell received a 10-day furlough in the Army. Edith wasn’t sure about going around town in Hollis, Okla., with a younger man. So Darrell went and got a marriage license.

“We were just so poor we could barely make it,” Edith Royal told Sports Illustrated for a profile in 2015. “From one crop to the next is how we lived. So did all of our neighbors.”

Darrell Royal would eventually become the coach at Texas, and later, the stadium would be named in his honor. Edith Royal lived in suburban Austin and would gladly talk about her husband whenever visitors called.

“I did not get to meet Coach Royal, but I got a wonderful video message from Edith when I first got the job here that I still have,” current Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. He credited the impact the Royals have had on UT, the city of Austin and the game of college football itself.

“The fact that I get to sit in the same chair he did is pretty humbling,” Sarkisian said. “It's definitely an honor. So hopefully, we can go out and play a brand of football, that a style of football that he'd be proud of as well.”