FAYETTEVILLE — James Street, the former Texas quarterback whose 44-yard pass helped beat Arkansas in the 1969 "Game of the Century," died Monday. He was 65.
Street's "Right 53 Veer pass" came on fourth down late in the fourth quarter of the game between the nation's top two teams, and was considered one of college football's plays of the 1960s. It helped the No. 1 Longhorns beat the No. 2 Razorbacks 15-14 with President Richard Nixon in attendance in Fayetteville.
Nixon later proclaimed Texas the national champion in the visiting locker room of Razorback Stadium. Street earlier had a 52-yard touchdown run out of the Longhorns' vaunted wishbone offense.
Street was 20-0 as starting quarterback at Texas He was also a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team and threw a pair of no-hitters.
Street is survived by his wife, Janie, and five sons. One of his sons, Huston, was the 2002 MVP of the College World Series for the Longhorns and is a pitcher for the San Diego Padres.
Street's cause of death wasn't immediately known. He is the second key figure from the '69 game — also known as "The Big Shootout" — to die in the past year. Longtime Texas coach Darrell Royal died last November.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article