Origin of Teapots and The football Teapot Tradition

Below is 1967 Teapot Charlie Copeland

The Longhorn Teapot Saga

The Origin of Tea-sips as told by Ray Gonzales

The term “tea sip” came from our university cafeteria, a wooden structure, unfortunately, named the “tea house” that was located near the Simkins dorm. I even ate there. The aggies saw it and made fun of the name. That’s where the name Tea sip came from. End of Ray’s comments

Or ;

Jim Nicar –1915: The Cactus Tea Room. Before UT Austin’s Texas Union opened in 1933, the Cactus Tea Room was an unofficial center for campus social life. Designed by two UT architecture professors, and with cactus leaves and gargoyle faces carved by Austin’s own Peter Mansbendel, the Tea Room stood on Guadalupe Street just across from the West Mall, next door to the University Co-op. Though a private business, student banquets, and dances, and faculty meetings and luncheons were common here. The Cactus Tea Room closed in 1929.

Regardless of which story is correct, Texas A&M University used the term tea-sip (also spelled teasip, t-sip, or t sip) (aka. Aggies) to belittle the well-to-do students of t.u. The University of Texas was traditionally the “rich” school that pumped out doctors, lawyers, and the like. A&M was a blue-collar school that traditionally taught Agriculture and Mechanics (engineering).

In A&M’s mind, a tea sipper was a condescending term that perfectly defined the culture at Texas. But the Longhorns took the term “teassip” as an Aggie compliment, not an insult- referring to Texas as a place of culture and good taste.

Aggies believed their university taught practical and useful skills, and many students fought wars to defend the country. While on the other hand, Longhorns drank cocktails in swanky clubs, discussing philosophy and high-brow topics.

It does not matter if any of it is true or not, these things are instilled like religion. Knowing that Horns were not tea sippers would ruin the premise for hating Texas.

Just guessing- but since the Longhorns were known as “tea-sips,” maybe the Longhorn football team crowning a freshman as Teapot of the year was a logical transition.

This tradition started in 1957 with Hall of Honor Inductee David Kristynik receiving the year’s dubious honor of teapot. “Short and stout” were two of the qualifiers necessary to wear the lid of honor, and David qualified.

It was a harmless varsity hazing ceremony that required the freshman teapot to sing the teapot song before dinner each night at the dining hall at Moore Hill. It was a tradition that brought smiles to many faces except for maybe the designated teapot.

Wikipedia says “I’m a Little Teapot” is an American song describing the heating and pouring of a teapot or a whistling tea kettle. The song was originally written by George Harold Sanders and Clarence Z. Kelley and published in 1939.[1] By 1941, a Newsweek article referred to the song as “the next inane novelty song to sweep the country”.[2]

Still looking for names of all the Teapots and their images

wearing the “lid” with honor

So here are the names of the teapots so far. If any of you teapots would like to make comments and send pictures please email me at Williamdale@msn.com

1957- David Kristynik

This tradition started in 1957 with Hall of Honor Inductee David Kristynik receiving the dubious honor of teapot of the year. “Short and stout” were two of the qualifiers necessary to wear the lid of honor and David qualified.

David says, “Larry Stephens started it with me. Made me sing every day…either that or Bay City fight song or the teapot song at every supper. Angleton was in our district. When David came he took my place. Coach Royal even called him teapot along with others….I became squatty body.

1958 – David Russell

David Russell from Amarillo,Tx. Class of ’58 says “I know my Freshman year (1958) I sang this almost every night. To this day most of the guys call me T-Pot and in fact, Coach Royal and other coaches called me this most of the time. It has been a fun name to have, and I do not know why they decided to make me the T-Pot. I was short but not sure that I was that stout. I could stand on the table occasionally and perform and they liked that.

To me, this was one of the ways that upper-class men and freshmen could really have fun and bond in a non-threatening way.”

David Russell 1958-1962

1959 ?

1960 ?

The mention of the dining room at Moore-Hill Hall brought back memories
of the “entertainment” that upperclassmen required of freshmen. Most of
the time they were required to stand on “the stage” ( the two steps
leading from the entry door down into the dining room) and sing their
high school song. But sometimes, it got more animated. In the early
1960’s a walk-on known as “Booger Red” was required to “dig out” (run
backwards) from the kitchen door to the “stage.”
He would say, “I’m Booger Red from Graham Texas and I’m gonna’ dig
out for you.” Yelling as he back-pedaled he would usually trip on
the steps and fly backwards into the double doors with such force that
the doors slammed into the hall’s walls in a loud bang. Luckily, no one
was ever coming in when “Booger Red” was flying out or they might have
been seriously injured by the heavy metal-clad doors.

ROY A. JONES II
Abilene
Senior Manager 1963

1961 ?

1962 ?

1963 ?

I am trying to find better pictures.

1964 – Bill McGuire from Colorado City, Tx. His son, Clay, coached with Leach at Washington State.

Bill McGuire

1965 – Craig Jolly (Jolley?) from Sweetwater

1966- Charlie Copeland

I watched Charlie play at Abilene High. I never knew his weight was the reason he didn’t play at UT but I recall how brutal Frank Medina and “Iron Mike” could be. Kudos to the captains for standing up for Charlie before the Cotton Bowl vs. Tennessee. That’s great leadership. After not returning for his senior year Charlie graduated from Abilene Christian University and spent 41 years coaching all over Texas, where his motto was “making boys into men.”

His time in football included stints in Baird, Rosebud-Lott, Denver City, Crandall, Sweetwater, Abilene Cooper, Anson, Crowley, Brownwood, Denton Calvary and Summit Christian Academy. His coaching journey was full of great successes with many district championships and beyond. He was recognized by the Texas High School Coaches Association for his coaching talent and character on and off the field by receiving the Tom Landry Award in 2006. Even with all his coaching accomplishments, he always said his greatest moment in life happened July 7, 1992, when he became a Christian. After committing his life to Christ, he began preaching the gospel. He served as minister in several churches around Texas. In his retirement years he was actively involved in the Abilene. Roy Jones

1966- Charlie Copeland from Abilene

Tom Campbell

Charlie Copeland from Abilene was brutalized by DKR and my Dad. However, he was only about 6′ tall and weighed 230 and did have significant fat around him. He had legs like Earl and was unblockable but they would not play him. He told me that on his first day as a freshman DKR walked by him and grabbed his “love handles” and said “fat boys don’t play here”. He was a Teapot. Before the Cotton Bowl game v Tennessee, DKR, when we went home for Christmas, told him that if he did not weigh (?) when he returned from the break, he would not make the trip to Dallas. He actually gained weight, Frank through him in the Sweat Room and did other stuff to him that was brutal. The Captains intervened with Coach on Charlie’s behalf and he made the trip. Charlie did not return to UT for his senior season.

1967- terry Collins the definitive teapot

Photo was taken in 2004 at a reunion of the 1967 football recruiting class as Terry Collins sang “his” song. Please notice that surrounding Terry’s pot belly his right arm is positioned perfectly as the spout and his left arm is a Picassoesque artistic interpretation of the handle. With love in my heart and a smile on my face, thanks for the memories Terry “teapot” Collins.

Team Picture

Teapot and Scott Palmer

kneeling- Terry Collins, Greg Ploetz, Billy Dale standing Paul Robichau, Buddy Hudgins, Steve Worster, Bill Zapalac, Randy Stout, Rick Nabors, Eddie Phillips

Teapot is singing his song

1968- Jim Bertelsen

Jim Bertelsen

1969- Pending

1970- Charlie Banno

Charlie Banno

1971- Pending

1972- Pending

1973- Johnny Mack Chappell (no picture)

1974- Jim Yarbrough (not confirmed)

Elected to City Council in 2014
Term Expires in May 2018

Degrees

:
BBA, University of Texas, 1977, with majors in Finance, Accounting and Real Estate.

James D. Yarbrough served as the Galveston County Judge from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2010. He was elected Mayor of the City of Galveston in May 2014 and will serve a two year term. He is a native of Galveston and graduate of Ball High School.

Jim attended the University of Texas at Austin on an athletic scholarship and captained the Longhorn Southwest Conference football championship team. He was also named to the All-Southwest Conference football team and the first player in the NCAA to play as a graduate student.

Jim is married to the former Carol Urbani and they have two children: daughter Ashley, her husband Dustin Dusek, and a son Beau, a graduate of the University of Texas, and his wife Erin, and they are the proud grandparents of Luke and Blake Dusek.

Galveston County Daily New Citizen of the Year
Boy Scouts of America- Bay Area council distinguished Citizen
College of the Mainland Outstanding Services to Education Award
Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s QUASAR Award
Communities In Schools Starlight Award
State Friend of Extension Services
Prevent Blindness – Person of Vision
Charles A. Jacobson Award – Bay Area Transportation Partnership