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But wait, there’s more. In addition to the above Longhorn single season records, De Ayala also holds the career records for sacks (40.5) and quarterback pressures (117). And he not only holds the record for most quarterback pressures in a season, he also had the second best season ever, getting 47 quarterback pressures in 1981. Not surprisingly,
De Ayala was named All Southwest Conference first team in 1982 and second team in 1981. He was also a team Captain in 1982.

In addition to setting individual records, De Ayala played in one of the greatest games in Longhorn history, the 1982 Cotton Bowl, which pitted the #6 Longhorns against Bear Bryant’s #3 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Longhorns were on the short end of a 10-0 score entering the fourth quarter. The Horns scored on a 30-yard quarterback draw to narrow the lead with ten minutes left. Then, with just over two minutes on the clock, Texas finished off an 80-yard drive to pull ahead 14-10. Alabama returned the following kickoff into Longhorn territory, but the drive was stopped when the Horns intercepted an Alabama pass at the Longhorn one-yard line. After failing to gain much on three downs, Texas coach Fred Akers elected to take a safety rather than punt, which let the Horns kick from their own 20-yard line, rather than from their own end zone. This put Alabama in worse field position, but the safety made the score 14-12, giving Alabama a chance to win if they could get in field goal range. In fitting fashion, De Ayala sacked Alabama’s quarterback to end the game. It was a storybook ending to a legendary game.

How did a six foot one inch, two hundred thirty pound defensive end overcome those six foot six, three hundred pound offensive linemen to get to the quarterback so often? “Really, it was just hard work,” said De Ayala. “I was pretty quick, so sometimes I used my speed to get around them. And I was fairly strong, so sometimes I used leverage and strength to go through them. But mostly, I had to out-think them.”

After his college career, the Cincinnati Bengals picked De Ayala in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL draft. But times then were different from now. The upstart United States Football League (USFL), a new professional league that began its initial season in the spring of 1983, also drafted De Ayala that year. USFL teams spent freely in those early days and signed some of the top college players, including Heisman Trophy winners Herschel Walker and Mike Rozier. De Ayala was able to sign for considerably more money with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers than he would have gotten from the Bengals. Since the drafts didn’t occur until after the USFL season started, De Ayala had to wait till the start of the next season, the spring of 1984, before playing.

The Gamblers were one of the USFL’s most exciting teams, featuring future NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly at quarterback. The Gamblers made the playoffs in both of De Ayala’s seasons (1984 and 1985) and he excelled, garnering All-USFL honors at linebacker each year.

When the USFL folded after the 1985 season, De Ayala signed with the Bengals, who still held his draft rights. He signed a two-year contract and played the 1986 and 1987 seasons, but the toll of professional football caught up to him and limited his effectiveness. “I had six major surgeries. I played out my contract and decided it was time to move on.” After the ’87 season, De Ayala stepped away from football and embarked on his second career, as a businessman.

Today, De Ayala is president of De Ayala Properties, a real estate development firm based in Houston, Texas. De Ayala has been involved in large development projects in Houston, Laredo and San Antonio, Texas, including the Laredo Entertainment Center, a $40 million, 10,000 seat multi-use stadium that houses the Laredo Bucks hockey team of the Central Hockey League. De Ayala was a part owner of the Bucks until recently, and still has a significant real estate development project in Laredo.

De Ayala Properties is now developing a new high-end waterfront community in Rockport, Texas, called The Islands of Rockport. “Rockport is one of the most unique cities I’ve been to,” said De Ayala. “ There is so much for everyone that it attracts people from all over the country. The community does a great job of creating excitement. Rockport has its famous festivals including the Wine, Art, Bird, and Oysterfest every year, which attract thousands of visitors. You can’t beat the combination of fishing and golf during the day and fine dining at night. It makes perfect sense why so many people are choosing Rockport as their vacation or permanent home”.

De Ayala is involved in the Rockport community as more than a developer; he’s an avid outdoorsman and recently sponsored the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) fundraising dinner, which raised money to help protect local waterways and marine life. “The CCA is a wonderful organization. The volunteers are what make it great. The fundraiser was heavily attended. We brought in a lot of paintings and sculptures for auction, and raised a nice amount for CCA. I’d love to do it again next year.”

The Islands of Rockport, located directly on the Intracoastal Waterway, consists of 140 lots, 136 of which are on the water. The community will have its main water entrance on the Intracoastal, then have a series of wide, connected canals. De Ayala, being a fisherman, is quick to point out that residents of The Islands can jump in their boat and “be fishing in Estes Flats for redfish and trout in two minutes, or they can jump on the Intracoastal and be in Port Aransas in 10 minutes for lunch or out in the Gulf in 15 minutes for deep-sea fishing.”

About those boats. The canals of The Islands were specifically made deeper and wider (around 130 feet) to accommodate larger boats. “There are very few waterfront communities that can accommodate both small and large boats with such ease and provide access to great water and certainly fewer that have our amenities”.

“When I started the process of designing The Islands of Rockport a year and a half ago, I wanted quick access to both deep water and the flats, and I wanted top-notch amenities. Private gated entrance, resort style pool and clubhouse, wide roads for biking and running, and wide, deep canals for all size boats,” said De Ayala. “The lot size averages around 9000 square feet, with larger ones up to 15,000 square feet,” said De Ayala. “While not being too strict, we do have architectural restrictions to ensure that the community has an island style flavor in materials, color and design.”

And best of all, of the 140 lots, over 80 have already been pre-sold, a huge amount for a new development. Pre-selling these days is usually slow going. But leave it to a man who excelled at rushing quarterbacks to inspire a land rush on The Islands of Rockport.