Longhorn Couple Celebrates 67 Years of Texas vs. OU (and Marriage)
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Many diehard Longhorn fans make a point of attending the Oklahoma game each fall, but Warren Chancellor, BS ’50, and Bettye Sue Chancellor just might hold the record. When the couple headed to their seats in the Cotton Bowl earlier this month, they hit a milestone: their 67th Texas vs. OU game in 67 years of marriage.
“We just made sure to go every year,” says Warren. “As long as we’re able, we’ll keep going.”
The couple met in the 1940s, when they were both students at East Texas State University in Commerce. Warren had just finished his military service and enrolled on the G.I. Bill. He dropped by Bettye Sue’s dorm and caught her eye. She asked him to a dance, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. They later moved to Austin so Warren could earn his pharmacy degree at UT while Bettye worked as an elementary school teacher.
Throughout long and fruitful careers, raising two children, and a move from Sulphur Springs to Georgetown, the couple has never missed a game. Because Warren was a self-employed pharmacist, he often had to ask a friend to cover for him at the pharmacy the day of the game. Bettye Sue says they never considered skipping a year. “We just enjoy it so much, plain and simple,” she laughs.
For years, the Chancellors attended the game with close friends who were—gasp!—OU fans. “That added another element of fun,” says the couple’s daughter, Gina Reese, BBA ’76, Life Member. They also befriended a policeman working security at the stadium, who would direct them to a prime parking spot every year.
Ask what has been their favorite game out of 67 years, and they laugh. “This one!” Bettye Sue says. “I thought there was no way we would win that game.”
Warren chimes in: “But really, we’ve enjoyed every one of them, every year, and we’ll enjoy it next year, too.”
Photos courtesy Gina Reese.
