Buechele cherishes watching QB son’s winning Texas debut

Steve Buechele arrived at Safeco Field on Monday morning on only a few hours’ sleep, but he said he was “flying” after watching son Shane lead the Texas Longhorns past Notre Dame.

“It was such an incredible experience I can’t even explain it, how cool that was,” said Buechele, the Texas Rangers’ bench coach. “To get there and watch him run out that tunnel, I can’t tell you what that was like. It was a super proud moment.”

Shane Buechele became the first true freshman to start a season opener for Texas since NFL Hall of Famer Bobby Layne in 1944. Buechele went 16 for 26 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an intercept. He also rushed for 33 yards and scored a TD in the Longhorns’ 50-47 upset in double overtime.

Steve Buechele said that his youngest son’s first drive, which ended with 19-yard TD pass, helped ease some nerves he had been feeling since learning Shane would start last week. Even 12 hours after the game ended, Steve still hadn’t looked at Shane’s stats and wants to see a replay of the game.

“I need to watch the game again to really take in what happened,” said Steve, who flew to Austin and then to Seattle on the private jet of part-owner Neil Liebman. “I want the replays, I want the commentary. We didn’t get that. We just had the roars and the cheering.”

He said that Texas coach Charlie Strong surprised Shane with jersey No. 7, which he wore as a tribute to NFL Hall of Famer John Elway. Steve and Elway were roommates at Stanford, but perhaps Steve’s favorite moment came after the game as he got to see Shane for the first time.

“He walked out soaked in sweat, and his exact words were, ‘Hey, Pops. What’s up?” Steve said. “If you knew Shane, that’s him, like nothing happened. That’s unbelievable.”

Manager Jeff Banister excused Buechele from the Rangers’ game Sunday in order to attend the game. Buechele said that he hopes the Rangers’ postseason run doesn’t allow him to go to another Texas game until November.

“I hope I miss them all,” he said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2016 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Buechele cherishes watching QB son’s winning Texas debut."