“The Board of Directors of TLSN hopes for good health, good luck, good families, good jobs, and goodwill to all Longhorns. However, TLSN remains as a sentinel prepared to assist qualifying Longhorns when help is needed.
— Horns and Eyes Up! The TLSN Board
TLSN has two primary missions
The six on the TLSN Board of Directors are volunteers who offer their services as gifts from the heart and do not receive a salary.** Each has given back the blessings received by focusing on two TLSN 501 (c) (3) missions.
Mission #1 is to raise funds to provide grants to those who qualify for help. TLSN conducts due diligence protocols before issuing a grant. In the past, the grants ranged from $2,000 to $25,000.
When an individual qualifies for assistance, a letter is sent to the TLSN mailing list. The letter will inform the base that the TLSN Board will immediately distribute, for example, $5000 to the grantee. The TLSN Board urges everyone to spread the word to their network to make more people aware of these TLSN missions.
Mission #2 is to fund professional sports media experts to conduct interviews, write articles, and produce podcasts that share the rich history of individuals and teams who have created Longhorn Sports History.
**If you are interested in being part of the TLSN Board and are a former Longhorn student-athlete who does not duplicate a sport with board representation, please email Billydale1@gmail.com. The sports with representation are volleyball, football, women’s basketball, managers, and Coaches. TLSN is also seeking advisory board members to focus on specific sports.
Qualifiers For Temporary Financial Assistance.
The applicant must be a former Longhorn student-athlete, manager, trainer, support service personnel, or direct family member of someone who qualifies for help.
Fortunately, most, but not all, former Longhorn student-athletes and support staff personnel have successfully transitioned to the job market with health insurance and loss of income safety nets. So, requests for help are rare, but the TLSN service is still needed.
While TLSN wishes all a good life and much success, we realize that life is sometimes unfair. TLSN has limited resources, and many personal issues will probably not qualify for temporary financial assistance from TLSN. TLSN's goal is to help those who, through no fault of their own, have fallen through society’s safety net.
TLSN (Texas Legacy Support Network) and LSG (Legacy Support Group) are the two organizations that offer temporary assistance to those who qualify. TLSN is a 501 (c) (3) and both UT and NCAA-compliant with a board of directors, a published mission statement, and bylaws. LSG (Longhorn Support Group) is an informal organization that offers financial assistance to former DKR players and support staff.
LSG has assisted:
1) One teammate rebuilt his home destroyed by fire.
2) One Horn recover from hurricane damage.
3) Another Longhorn recover his repossessed truck loss due to a lack of income during a prolonged illness.
4) Three teammates defray significant medical expenses not covered by insurance: and
5) Two families defray the cost of caring for a loved one with CTE.
The LSG gifts varied between $8,500 and $25,000.
TLSN grants have helped:
A former Longhorn volleyball player whose son had Leukemia.
A football player who lost his teeth during throat/mouth radiation treatment for cancer. This individual received financial assistance to pay his living expenses and purchase teeth implants.
Tyres Dickson is a Mack Brown football player confined to a wheelchair for life due to a horrific 1998 car accident. Tyres has spent many of the last 20-plus years in and out of hospitals. In 2022, Tyres and TLSN were honored with a standing ovation at the Houston Touchdown Club.
A football player who had surgery for a heart aneurysm.
The wife of one Longhorn football player who qualified for reasons that will remain private.
Longhorn baseball player Pat Brown who has suffered severe health issues over the last decade.
All six passed the due diligence test. TLSN continues to help Tyres Dickson and Pat Brown.
Grants for these 6 varied between $2000 and $25,000.
Tyres Dickson is one of the athletes TLSN continues to help. A link to Tyres’ site is https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/tyresdickson-thankyouletter.
If you have questions about TLSN, please contact Billydale1@gmail.com, and he will respond.