The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: Aug. 27
08.27.2019 | 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,
What an awesome start to our week with Sunday's student-athlete welcome back. It was a spectacular evening as we kicked off 2019-20, and the spirit and passion in the room was infectious. We have 523 student-athletes who are training hard, starting classes on Wednesday, and sharing one heartbeat in their drive and determination for greatness in everything they do just like our special guest speaker Matthew McConaughey. The MOC (Minister of Culture) truly bleeds burnt orange and brought the energy by sharing his love for Texas traditions, our culture and what it means to be a Longhorn. He stole the show, raised the roof, and dropped the mic to a student-athlete standing ovation!
We are 1-0 and off to the races as Coach Kelly and No. 19 Soccer started us off with a thrilling 4-3 home win over Gonzaga last Thursday. Next up is an action-packed weekend on the Forty Acres. It's so cool, too, because we'll have a chance to celebrate everything that is Texas -- past, present and future.
Friday afternoon, it's a celebration of our great history with the grand opening of The Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. (RSVP here.) Later that evening, we enshrine 14 new members into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor. No. 4 Volleyball opens its season on Friday, hosting the first of two weekend matches at 'The Greg' against Northern Iowa (7 p.m.) before facing No. 14 USC on Sunday (1 p.m.).
On Saturday, it's football time as Coach Herman and the No. 10 Horns welcome Louisiana Tech for our season opener. We're so fired up to unveil all of our new pregame activities with year two of Bevo Blvd. presented by H-E-B and Longhorn City Limits presented by ATX Web Designs, along with the debut of Smokey's Midway. It's going to be a sensational Saturday, and I can't wait to see everyone there!
Speaking of football gameday atmosphere, I want to give a huge shout out to our entire Texas Athletics team that has made pregame a huge success and such a terrific event for our fans. For their tireless efforts, creative visions, and diligence in developing and creating Bevo Blvd. and Longhorn City Limits, Drew Martin and his team won the Innovation Award at the 2019 Greater Austin Business Awards. The Greater Austin Business Awards honors excellence in business for achievements and community contributions that impact Central Texas. We're just getting started and big things are on the horizon!
In closing, many of you have asked what we'll be doing to honor Cedric Benson, who we tragically lost on Aug. 17. We will pay tribute to Cedric with a moment of silence at Saturday's game, and Coach Herman and the team will honor the Longhorn Legend by wearing a No. 32 helmet decal. Our football team also shared in a moment of silence after practice on Saturday, the day of Cedric's funeral service in Austin. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Cedric's family, friends and all of Longhorn Nation.
Thank you for all of your support, and we'll see you on the Forty Acres this week.
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Hook 'em, Horns!
Members of 1969 team remain part of Football program
We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Football National Championship this year. Two members of that squad can be seen regularly at Football practice. Read more.
Welcome back to the Horns' House!
Come early to the Gregory Plaza Block Party on Friday from 5:30-7 p.m. before No. 4 Volleyball opens the season against Northern Iowa (presented by American Campus Communities). The party on the plaza features food trucks, beer garden and music outside before the match. Northern Iowa is led by head coach Bobbi Petersen, who is the mother of our very own sophomore libero Sydney Petersen! And don't forget to wear burnt orange for National College Colors Day! The Longhorns host No. 14 Southern California Sunday at 1 p.m. to finish out the weekend. Tickets are available for both matches at TexasSports.com/tickets.
What it means to be a Longhorn: Derrick Johnson
We hope you're enjoying our 'What it means to be a Longhorn' series running on TexasSports.com. Here's the latest feature in the 14-part series. Read more.
Football season tickets selling fast
Excitement continues to build for the upcoming Texas Football season. Act now while a limited number of season tickets remain and single game tickets are now on sale! Buy ticket now at TexasSports.com/tickets.
Men's Golf tabbed preseason No. 1
The Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek Coaches poll. Texas enters the 2019-20 season with four of their starting five from last season. Read more.
Chalk named to National College Baseball Hall of Fame
Former Baseball standout Dave Chalk will be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in November. Chalk was a three-time All-American and four-time All-Southwest Conference performer at Texas from 1969-72. Read more.
Soccer creates 'fan first' experience for 2019 season
Upgrades include closer-to-the-field seating, lower concession prices, and more. Read more.