The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
01.29.2019 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news, interesting tidbits and exciting stories happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. [<a href="http://texassports.com/archives.aspx?path=forty_acres_insider">Forty Acres Insider archives</a>]
Greetings Longhorn Nation,
Classes began last week so our campus is abuzz with activity and energy is high around the athletics department with so many of our sports competing, Football beginning winter workouts, and everything else we have going on. The hustle and bustle of the Forty Acres is fantastic these days, and it is such a wonderful time to be a Longhorn.
Tonight will be an exciting evening at the Erwin Center as Men's Basketball welcomes Kansas for a 6 p.m. tip. It always electrifies the building when the Jayhawks are in town so I look forward to everyone bringing the noise and that "Texas Fight" to help pull our Horns to victory!
That is just the start of another exciting week on the Forty Acres. Men's Tennis hosts a Wednesday doubleheader vs. UTSA (1 p.m.) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5 p.m.) at the Texas Tennis Center, then moves to the Weller Indoor Tennis Center on Saturday for a matchup with North Carolina (1 p.m.). Later in the week, both Swimming and Diving programs welcome Arizona and North Carolina State to campus for dual meets Friday and Saturday at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
On the heels of a thrilling run to the College World Series last year, Baseball season begins with a bang with our yearly tradition of Fan Appreciation Day and the Alumni Game this Saturday. A full day of spirited festivities is planned beginning with the 11:30 a.m. unveiling of a bust of Augie Garrido to be placed alongside Longhorn Legends Bibb Falk, Billy Disch and Cliff Gustafson just outside of the UFCU Disch-Falk Field home plate gate. Come join us and the many UT greats, past and present, on this very special day of baseball.
There's plenty more sports action to follow this week with Men's Basketball at Iowa State (1 p.m./ESPN2) and Women's Basketball traveling to Red River rival Oklahoma (3 p.m./Fox Sports Southwest) Saturday. Women's Tennis is at Ohio State on Friday (5 p.m.) and Michigan on Sunday (11 a.m.), while Track and Field heads to College Station for the Charlie Thomas Invite this weekend. Stay tuned to TexasSports.com and all our social media channels for the latest updates on all of our teams.
Next Thursday night will be a special one with the inaugural Texas Athletics Town Hall event. I look forward to sharing all that is going on in athletics, but I'm also excited to hear your feedback. Your voice is important to us, so please join us to let us know what you liked, what we can do better, and any ideas you have. Your input is critical to our success.
It's also Super Bowl week and while our Longhorns are in the midst of preparing for the 2019 season, I know everyone will get their dose of following the big game and checking out the newest commercials. We're so blessed to have a player in the game for the 14th straight year. And with a Longhorn on both teams -- Malcom Brown (New England Patriots) and Malcolm Brown (Los Angeles Rams) -- we'll have a Super Bowl Champion once again. I'm so proud of the success our student-athletes have at the next level and want to congratulate Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks) and Adrian Phillips (Los Angeles Chargers) who extended our streak to 18 straight years of having a Texas Ex in the Pro Bowl. Always a joy cheering on our Longhorns 4 Life!
You, too, are passionate lifetime Longhorns supporters who bleed burnt orange with pride. We truly appreciate all of your support and can't thank you enough for helping us continue to put the "T" back in Texas.
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Hook 'em, Horns!
Texas Athletics Town Hall
Details are set for our Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium (LBJ Library). We're anxious to hear from all of you at this open forum with lots of discussion. Tickets are free. Visit TexasSports.com/tickets to claim tickets and get more details on the event.
Football Spring Game
Mark your calendars for our annual Spring Football Game on Saturday, April 13. We're planning an entertaining day of events for everyone to gather and celebrate our great University and Football program. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m., but there will be much, much more going on around the game so stay tuned for more news to come.
While we're talking football, be on the lookout for your season ticket renewals as they'll hit the mail in the coming weeks. For those of you looking to join in the fun and become a new season ticket holder in 2019, season ticket deposits are now being taken at just $200 per seat. That deposit can be placed at TexasSports.com/tickets or by calling 512-471-3333 and will allow you to select your location from available seats in May. Place your deposit today!
Baseball Alumni Game
Texas Baseball hosts its annual Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Gates open at 11 a.m. prior to the unveiling of a bust honoring legendary former Texas Baseball head coach Augie Garrido. This year, the autograph session takes place immediately following the conclusion of the nine-inning game. See the full roster here.
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the terrific Austin weather last Friday and Saturday and cheered on our Texas Tennis teams at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Texas Tennis Center. Coaches Center and Joffe had their teams ready to roll and they did, posting a combined 4-0 record. Kudos to both the men and women who advance with shutout victories to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
Happy birthday, Bevo!
Last week we celebrated the fourth birthday of our revered and beloved friend Bevo XV. Happy birthday to college athletics' premier mascot!
Track and Field at UW Invitational
Distance runners took center stage for our Track and Field squads last weekend as they turned in a number of outstanding performances, including breaking the UT school record in the women's distance medley relay by over three seconds! Our first Big 12 Championship meet under the leadership of Coach Floreal is just a few weeks away and our teams look primed and ready!
Kevin Durant presented with Sugar Bowl jersey
Thanks to our good friend Daron Roberts, founding director of UT's Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation, for delivering the Sugar Bowl jersey Coach Tom Herman had made for our Longhorns Legend and NBA great Kevin Durant. Daron said KD loved the new threads!
Longhorns in Atlanta
What an awesome event we had in Atlanta last week before the Big 12/SEC Challenge men's basketball game with Georgia. It was such a blast catching up with all of our friends and supporters out east. Thank you to our special guest, Longhorns Legend T.J. Ford, for joining us!
