Over the last seven years, chronicling the history of Longhorn sports has been a passionate part of the TLSN mission. That passion has not waned. On the contrary, it is stronger now than in 2014.
That said, Longhorn sports history is not the primary mission of TLSN. Instead, TLSN Board members' - Jim Kay, Benny Pace, Beth Coblentz, Spanky Stephens, and Billy Dale - goal is to raise and distribute funds through a 501(c)(3) to assist qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, trainers, managers, coaches, and their immediate families.
The TLSN Board has fulfilled this role, formally writing checks for $57,000 to five former student-athletes and informally a six-figure amount (before tax-exempt status) to 8 others. All qualified for assistance.
With deep sadness and reflection, I read about the circumstances surrounding the death of Chris Samuels. I don't know if Chris was seeking help but could not find it, or maybe he knew there was help (TLSN) but refused it.
However, what I do know is that TLSN had resources available to help Chris. Contributions from the heart of donors to assist those who built the Longhorn Brand.
My guess is that Chris was not aware of TlSN’s mission. If that is true, the Longhorn Nation needs to remedy that travesty. More must be done to inform all that there is an organization whose mission is to help qualifying former Longhorns.
Butch Hadnot says:
December 9, 2021
Chris and I battled together on the football field. He was an awesome teammate and friend. Chris was like a big brother to me. Always calling and checking up on me. It is still hard to take in that my brother is no longer here with us. I miss him dearly. Praying for his family and friends.
Chris Samuels Service
Visitation will be held on December 12, 2021 at 12:00 pm at Sunset Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX. Funeral Service will be held on December 12, 2021 at 2:00 pm at Sunset Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX.
Billy
Chris even though taken in the 12th round became a starter for the Chargers but in the 3rd game of the year as a rookie he received a career ending injury. He had a compound fracture of his lower leg much like Alex Smith. I remember it like yesterday as I was watching the game on tv.
Spanky
Anish Chavda
December 9, 2021
Chris, or Mr Samuels as we called him growing up, moved in next door to us in Houston when I was in middle school. I vividly remember playing basketball and street football with him and my friends all the time…it was awesome.
More than that, his dedication to education, his drive to accomplish his goals were inspiring.
🤘🏽My thoughts to his family. Stay strong Jordan and Sam, you’re dad was a great man.
Todd Smith
December 9, 2021
Great teammate and even a better person. He will be sorely missed by everyone that he touched. Godspeed Chris and Hook'em #23 🤘🏽
Sandy Bauer
December 9, 2021
No words can describe the twenty year legacy Chris has left on our family.
His loving smile and laughter, warm comforting words and jestures will live in our hearts forever.
Our deepest sympathy to his family, and know we are only a phone call away.
Lovingly, Sandy Bauer/Gretchen &Os/
Kate & Chris
Victoria Tillery-Davis
December 9, 2021
I was saddened to hear of Chris' passing. He was one of the the first students at Judson to welcome me when I arrived from a small southern town in Florida to the big city of San Antonio. He always had a joke and a smile for me. I will forever remember him smiling and laughing.
Lisa Brostrom
December 8, 2021
I was blessed to have called Chris a colleague and friend over the last 4 years. It was an honor to work with him daily during my last 3.5 years at BAMC. He was one of the kindest, warmest, most sensitive souls I have ever met, and he had the most contagious smile of anyone I have known.
It was this bright, calming energy which allowed him to positively impact everyone around him. Colleagues and patients alike quickly became lifelong friends. He treated everyone with respect, and frequently reflected that this along with the importance of hard work were the most important values he learned from his mother.
Chris was an inspiration to everyone who knew him - his talent, humility, intelligence, and ability to connect with people of all walks of life were unsurpassed. He graciously gave countless hours of his time to guide and coach young children and ensure they had a mentor and role model.
It is with enormous sadness that I imagine a world without his contagious smile and warm laughter. He has touched countless lives during his short and abbreviated time with us, and we will miss his enormous heart.
My sincere condolences to all of his family and friends for he loved you dearly. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Chris - you will forever have a special place in our hearts. Thank you for making us all better people. We will miss you dearly, and you will never be far from our thoughts.
Rest In Peace My Brother - until we meet again.
Lance Wilson
December 8, 2021
This news broke my heart!! Chris was one of the best people I had the pleasure of knowing. My heart goes out to his family.
Mical Padgett
December 8, 2021
I was a friend and teammate of Chris at UT. I have many fond memories of Chris on and off the field. He was an upstanding individual and a great teammate and I am saddened by his passing. I have been praying for his family since I heard the terrible news.
Brenda LaMont
December 8, 2021
My life was blessed the day I met these special people 5 months ago in Charleston and he made certain we got together again very recently in San Francisco.
Chris was larger than life and I felt like I knew him for a lifetime and would have a friend for life.
As a person that lives with the repercussions of multiple concussions, I know the challenges he faced.
My heart beaks for all his cherished friends and family!!! What an impressive man in every way, your loss must me unbearable!
His love will never die and I’m certain he will NEVER be forgotten and will always be an inspiration to live up to.
I’ll miss you my forever friend! RIP!
I remember the blow he took on the opening kickoff against Miami in the Cotton Bowl… It was a delayed knockout.
He was on the Shock the nation tour that won many games.
Great kid and a better man.
I was the ball boy on our sideline for that game. It was scary to see him stagger off the field. He was our team's “straw that stirred the drink” that year.
Butch Hadnot was the primary running back, but Chris Samuels could run inside, outside, and over the top.. He could also catch the ball out of the backfield. A gracious, happy team player and leader out of Converse Judson. Part of the “San Antonio Crew” that was in Coach McWilliams's first recruiting class. He will be truly missed. Comfort, Peace, and Strength be upon his family, loved ones, and teammates, in Jesus’ Name..
Texas football’s Chris Samuels dies: Ex-Longhorns RB found with ‘apparent gunshot wound’
ByDEAN STRAKA Nov 27, 5:24 PM
Former Texas Longhorns running back Chris Samuels died Friday after being found at his home with an apparent gunshot wound, according to a report from The San Antonio Express-News. Samuel was 52 years old.
Officers investigated it as a sudden death after they were called to Samuels' residence shortly after 6 a.m. CT., according to a San Antonio Police report obtained by the Express-News. Police said that found Samuels on the floor in a bathroom with an apparent gunshot wound to his chest, according to the Express-News.
EMS pronounced Samuels dead at 6:37 a.m. CT, according to the report. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s office had not yet issued a formal ruling on the former Longhorns' running back's death. The Express-News reportedly reached out to medical examiner’s office, but an employee told the publication it could not release any information regarding the death.
Samuels played at Texas from 1987-1990, rushing for 1,086 yards and 12 touchdowns during his Longhorn career. Samuels additionally caught for career 448 yards in a Texas uniform. Samuels rushed for a career-high 410 yards during the Longhorns' 1989 campaign. He was part of the 1990 Texas team that went an overall 10-2 and finished undefeated in Southwest Conference play en route to winning the league and posting an AP Top 15 finish.
Prior to his time with the Longhorns, Samuels played at Judson High School (Converse, Texas). Following his Texas career, in which he played 43 total games with the Longhorns, Samuels was selected in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the then-San Diego Chargers. His time in the league was short-lived, however. He only appeared in three games during the 1991 season, which was only season in the league. He later entered a career in the medical field.
According to the Express-News, Samuels later attended the Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Midland and graduated with a physician assistant license in 2009. Samuels was most recently working at a local hospital in the San Antonio Area, according to the Express-News.
Former Texas receiver Johnny Walker, a teammate of Samuels, was among those who publicly reacted to the news of Samuels' death.
“If there was a problem in his life, you never would have known it,” Walker told the Express-News when reflecting on Samuels' life. “That’s the kind of personality he had. He loved life.”
Former Texas teammates stunned by Chris Samuels’ death at 52
Tom Orsborn, Staff writer
Nov. 27, 2021Updated: Nov. 28, 2021 9:41 a.m.
Chris Samuels (23), a former Judson High School star, played running back for Texas from 1987-90.
Staff file photo
Former Judson and Texas running back Chris Samuels was found dead Friday at his home in a neighborhood near Alamo Heights.
Samuels was 52.
Officers investigated it as a sudden death after they were called to 421 Rittiman Rd. just after 6 a.m., according to a San Antonio Police report. When they arrived, police found Samuels on the floor in a bathroom with an apparent gunshot wound to his chest.
A woman inside the home told police she heard one shot before entering the bathroom and finding Samuels on the floor.
EMS declared Samuels dead at 6:37 a.m., according to the police report. As of late Saturday afternoon, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s office had not issued a ruling on Samuel’s death.
An employee at the medical examiner’s office said it could not release any information regarding the death.
After graduating from Judson in the mid-1980s, Samuels accepted a scholarship to play football at UT, where he was joined by fellow San Antonio high school stars Johnny Walker and twin brothers Keith Cash and Kerry Cash from 1987-90. Samuels played in 43 games for the Longhorns, rushing for more than 1,000 yards.
The San Diego Chargers selected Samuels in the 12th round of the NFL draft 1991. He appeared in three games that season before his football career came to an end.
After his brief stint in the NFL, he attended the Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Midland, where he graduated from with a physician assistant license in 2009. Most recently, Samuels was working at a local hospital, Walker said.
Walker said news of Samuels’ death spread quickly Friday morning among stunned former teammates who considered him “like a brother.”
“If there was a problem in his life, you never would have known it,” Walker said. “That’s the kind of personality he had. He loved life.”
When Walker’s mother, Dorsena Hayden, was hospitalized, Samuels made a point to check in.
“He went out of his way to see her, to talk with her, to look at her chart,” Walker said. “He enjoyed helping people.”
Staff writers Mike Finger
and Emilie Eaton contributed to this report.
torsborn@express-news.net
Twitter: Tom_Orsborn
Chris is in this video at the 2:18:52 mark, 2:19:26 through 2:20:26, and 2:21:18 through 2:22:23
Larene Graham
This Just So Sad We never Knows personally someone else's going Through in there life my Condolencesto the Samuels Family 🙏 SI.P.Chris Samuels
Rolando Cantu
Jehovah is a compassionate God. He hates to hear us cry out because of the suffering that we are enduring—be it persecution, illness, or our imperfections. (Read Psalm 22:23, 24.) Jehovah feels our pain; he wants to stop it, and he will stop it. (Compare Exodus 3:7, 8; Isaiah 63:9.) The day will come when “he will wipe out every tear from [our] eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”—Rev. 21:4. Visit J.W.Org.
Caligirl21
Omg. RIP. We never know what some people could be going through. Don’t be too quick to judge, especially someone u don’t even know. Spread love and kindness and give time to listen to your loved ones.
Deidra Greer
My condolences goes out to his family and friends and may he Rest In Peace
Netta Mcquilla
sad ,real sad ,Prayers going out
Nana Nic
🙏🙏🙏prayers to carry his family and friends through these difficult days ahead 🙏🙏🙏
Deborah Pruett
Praying for All of His Family and Friends!! 💜🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💜
KEISHA NEALY
😱 That's Saddened YA'LL, N Rip Legendary Longhorn
Texastornado
Mental illness has no color ….RIP..Mr. Samuel.🙏🏻
Candy Maldonado
This was an appropriate comment to read right after I read the comment above by "a real man"...🤔
Shannon SImmons
CTE
Guest
Suffering that bad inside probably figured no way out rip now
Chris is a Longhorn brand builder
.