It was said by Darrell Royal that his star running back ran like a lizard. He was quick, he was fast, he was steady, he was elusive and he was durable. He once lugged the pigskin 38 times in one afternoon for Texas, something not even the great Earl Campbell ever did.

He established the standard for standout runners to come who would don the burnt orange. He even became the answer to a query in the game of Trivial Pursuit.

Texas Longhorn legend Chris Gilbert was indeed college football's first player to rush for 1,000 yards in each of three seasons. The Houstonian, listed at 5-11, 180, did the deed in his three varsity years – 1966 through '68 -- back in the era of the ten-game regular season.

The list of collegians with three such thousand-yard seasons is a short one, almost 56 years since Gilbert last ravaged Southwest Conference defenses. For perspective, Ricky Williams had three of those super seasons of one grand, in more games. Earl Campbell had two, as did Bijan Robinson. Only Cedric Benson chalked up another perfect stat line, going four-for-four from 2001-2004.

But back to Gilbert. He came to the Forty Acres as a freshman in autumn '65, fresh from a superb high school career with the Spring Branch Bears, piling up 272 points and more than 3300 yards. Chris was heavily recruited and highly touted but upon arrival in Austin, he still slid a little under the radar. An East Texas QB dubbed "Super Bill" Bradley was getting the biggest share of rave reviews. By the time the two were eligible for varsity play a year later, Texas Football Magazine did a short spotlight feature on Gilbert.

It was headlined this way: Texas' "Other" Soph: He's A Winner, Too.

It took almost no time for Longhorn fans to learn that Gilbert was the real deal. In the opener at home, unranked Texas was going toe-to-toe with ninth-ranked Southern Cal but trailed 10-0 at halftime.

Coach Darrell Royal started Gilbert in the second half, seeking to jump-start UT's new "I" formation led by Bradley. The slashing young tailback gave Texas some instant juice. He burned USC for 103 yards on 14 carries. But Texas, with legendary former Trojans player Marion Michael Morrison, better known as John Wayne, on the sidelines alongside buddy Darrell Royal, could not make a heroic Duke-like rally. The visitors held on in the defensive struggle, 10-6.

Beset by a then record number of injuries, Royal's young team stumbled to a 2-3 start, and Bradley – slowed by a hurt knee against Indiana – was perhaps never the same as a quarterback. He sat out the OU game and the Sooners broke the Horns' eight-game win streak in the big rivalry.

One positve became clear as the weeks marched on. UT's "other soph" was getting better with each game. Texas lost four contests by a total of 19 but displayed resiliency in winning four of their final five in Southwest Conference warfare. Against Baylor, young Gilbert piled up 245 yards on 24 carries. For the regular season, he topped 100 six times and set the Longhorns' single season record with 1,080 yards.

Texas finished during the Christmas season by wrapping up Ole Miss, 19-0. Gilbert and Bradley put a bow on it, as each went over the century mark in rushing and Chris, with 156 yards, was named MVP.

That outing led to perhaps a level of optimism that was unwarranted. Burnt Orange bumper stickers decorated cars across the Lone Star State, reading "1967: Year Of The Horns."

It didn't turn out that way. Gilbert zipped for 250 yards in the first two games but the Horns scored just 13 points per contest and lost those close road matches to USC and Texas Tech. Embarrassed UT fans ripped away the bumper brags.

Properly humbled, Texas rather quietly reeled off six straight wins, Gilbert leading the way. With just the loss in Lubbock scarring the Horns' record, they were in position to win their first conference title since '63, when UT had won all the national marbles. But for the third time in TCU's last four trips to Austin, the lowly Horned Frogs found a way to upset the Steers. Gilbert had done more than his part, sprinting 96 yards for a score – a record run that still stands in the UT record book – and adding a 61-yard burst. But one guy faster than Gilbert helped TCU overcome a late eleven-point deficit, blazing 78 yards on a punt return touchdown. It was Bubba Thornton, who later coached almost 200 track and cross country All-Americans, first at his alma mater, then for 18 years at Texas. The Frogs got the game's last 17 points and Texas was toast. Five days later, it got worse. Chris Gilbert suffered a hip pointer at College Station, missed the second half and had to watch Texas lose to the Aggies for the first time in more than a decade. Frustration in Texas booster circles was rampant.

Some perspective now. After a four-year, off-the-charts W-L chart of 40-3-1, Darrell Royal's teams had just gone 6-4, 7-4 and 6-4. And the two most productive rushing seasons in Longhorn history had gone for naught. The coaching staff pressed a new intensity in the '68 spring drills and again in summer. More than a few hot Horn prospects gave up football. But the stronger ones endured and weathered a rocky 0-1-1 start for a revolutionary new offensive formation created by assistant coach Emory Bellard. It came to be known as the wishbone. And it gushed gold for Texas.

For Gilbert's part, the triple option meant just a few fewer touches but more running room, more flying starts to his dashes and slashes. He wasn't the only Texas threat. Sophomore bruiser Steve Worster was sledgehammering the middle when Gilbert wasn't taking last-second pitches around the edge from QB James Street. By game six, an easy win over Rice, number 25, the senior from Spring Branch, had become the Southwest Conference's all-time ground gainer. A week later, "the lizard" had a 76-yard dash en route to 145 steps in a 38-7 beatdown of a good SMU team.

It only got sweeter for Texas. The Horns ended the season on a nine-game roll, blasting Tennessee 36-13 for the Cotton Bowl crown. Ranked number three, UT was considered by many to be the nation's best team. Chris Gilbert, now a consensus All-America pick (he was second team as a junior and was a three-time All-SWC selection), piled up a career best 1132 yards and 13 TDs, a Texas record. He averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry and was honored as team MVP for the third consecutive career.

Drafted in the fifth round by the New York Jets, who had won the Super Bowl in January, Gilbert did not have a future in the NFL. He was not big and did not flash what would now be termed "elite" speed. Gilbert was also one semester away from his degree and worked out a deal to attend classes at UT and drive three hours north on Fridays for a practice session and get paid to play a few games for the Fort Worth Braves of the Continental League. He made good money for the era, on a team that also brought in former Longhorns Greg Lott and Danny Abbott.

But business, not football, was the future for Chris Gilbert. Alongside friend and Texas teammate Corby Robertson, a '67 All-America linebacker, he founded what would become one of the best-known kids' camps in the South, Camp Olympia in Trinity, TX. He achieved great and continued success through the establishment of Gilbert Investment Company in Houston.

Gilbert was duly elected to the UT Hall of Honor, the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Texas football fans of a younger generation might not know or yet appreciate the scope of Chris Gilbert's contributions to football at UT. The History of Longhorn Sports is here to remedy that.

For those of us fortunate to have witnessed his steady greatness and his explosive potential to pop the long gain on any carry, the memories are strong.

And for the opponents who tried vainly to corral a lizard-like runner, there are memories, too, flashbacks of a frustrating sort.

(TLSN's Larry Carlson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. He teaches sports media and electronic media writing at Texas State University and lives in San Antonio.)