The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Bachelorette star and lifetime Longhorn Rachel Lindsay returns to the Cotton Bowl
10.16.2017 | Football
The Dallas native talks growing up a UT fan, the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry and teaching her fiancé to love Texas as much as she does.
By James Rodriguez
Millions of fans rooted for Rachel Lindsay as she journeyed to find a fiancé in the hit television show, the Bachelorette.
Years earlier at the 2006 Rose Bowl, Lindsay, a UT undergrad at the time, cheered on the Texas football team as they scored a ring of their own.
Lindsay, who attended Texas from 2003 to 2007 and majored in kinesiology and sport management, is fond of saying she went to school during Texas football's "glory years." A member of the spirit group, the Texas Angels, Lindsay was on hand to witness the Longhorns' historic victory in Pasadena. On Saturday, the Dallas native and lifetime Longhorn donned a familiar burnt orange and arrived on the field at the Cotton Bowl to support Texas against rival Oklahoma.
"It means everything to be able to come back to UT as an alum and cheer on my 'Horns," Lindsay said. "I did it years ago as an Angel and as a student, and I'm still here doing the same thing. So it feels good. It feels right."
Lindsay's parents, both of whom graduated from UT, raised her to be a Longhorn. She grew up attending the annual showdown against the Sooners, and admitted the only time she's shed a tear at a sporting event was when Texas football won the national championship.
"I've been bleeding burnt orange since birth," Lindsay said. "My dad went to UT, my mom went to UT, aunts, uncles, sister. So it's within me. I'm a huge fan."
An hour and a half before kickoff, Lindsay emerged from the tunnel alongside fiancé Bryan Abasolo, who proposed to Lindsay in the season finale of the reality show, which aired in August. After crossing the globe as the Bachelorette, Lindsay remained awed by the view from the field.
"This is new territory for me, so you can imagine how geeked I am right now," Lindsay said.
Lindsay's popularity transcended team loyalties as she made her way down the sideline toward the Texas end of the stadium. She posed gamely for a photo with the Oklahoma cheerleading squad and prompted double-takes from Sooners and Longhorns alike as she walked. She and Abasolo grinned in front of Bevo. A few minutes later, they dodged an errant football as they stood alongside members of the Texas Cowboys and Smokey the Cannon.
"Never did I think I'd be on the Bachelorette, never did I think I'd be able to come back and support my 'Horns, be on the field hanging out with them, cheering them on before the game," Lindsay said. "It's such a surreal experience."
Abasolo, who recently moved from Miami to Dallas and was sporting a gray shirt with the Longhorn logo, admitted he's a Florida Gator at heart. But he said Texas is quickly becoming his second favorite team.
"Bryan is bleeding burnt orange now," Lindsay confirmed. "He's a Florida Gator, but he's adopted the Horns as well."
Lindsay was giddy with anticipation as she stood in the end zone before kickoff.
"This is like the biggest day of our year. The biggest day," Lindsay said. "Being at Texas-OU, the rivalry game, the Red River Showdown means everything, not just because I'm from Dallas, but because I'm a 'Horn. This is what we look forward to every year."
