Former Longhorns' football player Breckyn Hager joins the Flagship Podcast interview this week to talk about how he ended up with a starring role in the soon-to-be-released movie "12 Mighty Orphans," a true story about a Fort Worth football team made up of orphans in the late 1930s that went on to become one of the best teams in the state of Texas.

The movie is based on a book written by Jim Dent and stars Luke Wilson, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen, among others, and is due to be released on June 20. 

Hager talks about how he was training for the 2019 NFL Draft when he became aware of the film being made and its need for live-action football scenes.

Having made a short film while he was a student at Texas, Hager has always had a fascination with making films and ended up auditioning and landing the role of Myrle Greathouse, a stellar running back and defensive lineman from Abilene who went on to play for Oklahoma under legendary coach Bud Wilkinson in the 1940s.

It was said at the time that no defensive player hit harder than Greathouse, who ended up being roommates with OU teammate Darrell K Royal.

Greathouse goes up against the Fort Worth orphanage's football team, known as the Mighty Mites, and Hager talks about how hard he hit the actors in those scenes.

(Hint: At least one actor complained to his agent.)

Hager talks about another film in which he makes an appearance - "The Blazing World" - which has yet to be released.

Hager and his father, Britt Hager, UT's all-time leading tackler (499 tackles from 1985-88) have formed a film production company and are now looking at developing other projects.

Hager shares a cool moment that occurred between Duvall, an Academy Award-winning actor, and Britt Hager during the filming of 12 Mighty Orphans.

Hager said he's been trying to keep up with the Longhorns' football team and is excited to see what new coach Steve Sarkisian can do with the program.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices