Bill Little, former Texas sports information director, dies at 81

Bill Little, a longtime sports information director at Texas, has died, the university announced Friday night. He was 81 years old.

“It was heartbreaking to hear of Bill’s passing,” longtime Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds said in a statement. “No one loved or poured more of themselves into The University of Texas than Bill Little. He absolutely loved his job, did it with such pride and passion, and was a prominent part of Texas Athletics for decades.

“Personally, Bill was a trusted advisor, excellent resource, and loyal friend. He and Kim were great partners, and they adored their three children and grandkids. As much as he loved the Longhorns, that all came first in his life. I want to send my love and condolences to all of them. He will be dearly missed, but he will never be forgotten.”

Little worked at Texas for 46 years, working as the SID from 1983-94. He joined the Texas athletics staff in 1968 as an assistant SID under Jones Ramsey and served as a special assistant to Mack Brown.

With the football team, he worked 521 straight football games before a 1995 heart attack. However, he returned shortly thereafter to work the Cotton Bowl — one of 37 bowl games he worked in addition to 25 College World Series with the baseball team.

A 1964 Texas graduate and 1993 Texas Hall of Honor inductee, Little retired in 2014. All told, he worked for five football coaches, five basketball coaches and four different athletics directors. He also broadcast more than 1,700 Texas baseball games in addition to his work on women’s basketball.

As a student at Texas, Little also served as the sports editor of The Daily Texan student newspaper before working for the Associated Press for two years after graduation. However, he decided to call Darrell K. Royal and join the athletics staff at Texas. His interview lasted two sentences, the university said, as Royal hired him on the spot.

“We lost a great man with a huge heart,” Brown said in a statement. “Bill loved Texas, he poured his heart into the coaches and staff, and took such joy in working with the players. He was an icon in his business, a Longhorn Legend, and a wonderful man who is beloved by so many. He knew the history of the Longhorns better than anyone, was always right there by my side to celebrate the best of times or help me through any difficult situation. And he did it with charm, grace, and a heartwarming grin.

“There’s no one like him. Sally and I were so blessed to have him in our lives and will miss him dearly. But the legacy of Bill Little, the many wonderful stories and the impact he had on so many will live on. We send our love, sympathy and deepest condolences to (his wife) Kim, his family, and many friends.”