Playing Career
In 1942, during World War II, Royal finished Hollis High School, where he had played football. Royal joined the United States Army Air Corps, where he played football for the 3rd Air Force team during 1945 and was spotted and recruited by scouts for the University of Oklahoma Sooners football program. Royal played quarterback and defensive back at the University of Oklahoma under his mentor, coach Bud Wilkinson from 1946 to 1949. While attending Oklahoma, he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity.
Royal was most noted for his prowess as a defensive back, where his 18 career interceptions and his three interceptions in the 1947 game against Oklahoma A&M are still Sooner records.
Royal's part-time contributions at quarterback had a similar impact, despite having to share time with Jack Mitchell and Claude Arnold at the position. He threw a 43-yard pass against North Carolina in the 1949 Sugar Bowl. Royal holds the fourth-best winning percentage in school history (minimum 15 starts) with a 16–1 mark as a part-time quarterback starter. His 11–0 mark as a starter in 1949 ranks as one of the best seasons in school history.
In 1992, Royal was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
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