The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
07.21.2020 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news 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,
As we head into the second half of July and continue to look at opportunities and options for the fall, we hope you are taking care of yourself and those around you. We are eager to see you all, cheer on our Longhorns and bring that powerful Texas passion, pride and spirit together once again. We have so many awesome things going on around our campus and a bright future ahead. It's a time to continue to unify, keep our Texas Fight strong and do our thing to support our city, state and nation in stopping the spread of COVID-19 so we can celebrate as one big Longhorn Nation as soon as we possibly can!
A Special Meeting at Campbell-Williams Field
When Dahr Jamail told us he and his family wanted us to change our field name from Joe Jamail Field to honor Longhorn Legends and Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, we were blown away. It certainly was an idea we all were completely behind, but what an unbelievably unselfish and thoughtful request it was. Last Wednesday, we had an incredibly emotional and inspirational time talking about that very thing in a private meeting with our team right there on Campbell-Williams Field.
Our field's new namesakes, Earl and Ricky, joined Dahr in sharing some heartfelt and powerful words with Coach Herman and our team. In college athletics I've never seen someone say, I've given you millions and millions of dollars and you bestowed my family with this field name, but because of our student-athletes' powerful messages and efforts, we want to change that name to support them and this great cause. It is truly awesome. It was so wonderful and reinforced how our student-athletes are inspiring a lot of people and affecting meaningful and significant change.
You could feel the emotion Ricky had as a Texas Ex when he addressed the team. "What I take the most pride in is that I decided to come to a University, that sometime in the future, would bring in a group of football players that had the courage and the initiative to speak up. The most important thing to me about this is that it's not just an empty gesture. No matter what you do, you cannot change the past, but you can learn from it, and you can use it to move forward into a brighter future. I want to thank you guys for helping me be a part of that movement into the future."
And Earl echoed similar sentiments and shared his appreciation as well. "What the Jamails did stepping up, that changed the world, not just The University of Texas. This is going to change America and a lot goes to you men because y'all spoke up. I want to thank you for doing that. It takes a hell of a man to be y'alls age and to do something like y'all did. I thank you guys for speaking up."
Speaking for the Jamail family, one of the most prominent supporters of Texas Athletics and our University, Dahr thanked the team for inspiring the family's decision. "It's easy for me to be here and honor two people that are a part of my family. It's not hard for me, you bring us all up. So, when the school honors them, they honor us. It's not like I'm giving something up, I'm getting something back. Today will feel like we did something. We did do something, thanks to Jay and Chris and the school, and so I'm telling you, you are here with the best people and the most chances, so make the most of them. This is your opportunity."
It was a memorable day indeed, and we are so appreciative of Earl, Ricky and Dahr for joining us. We look forward to an official naming ceremony when Longhorn Nation can share the moment and celebrate with us. In the meantime, this was an opportunity Coach Herman and our Football team truly appreciated, and it was a great joy for President Hartzell and me to be a part of it.
More from Earl and Ricky, Thanks to LHN
Our friends at Longhorn Network will debut a 30-minute special this Friday night at 7 p.m. (Central Time) featuring Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams discussing the positive impact of having the field at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium named in their honor. It's another opportunity to shine the spotlight on our spectacular Longhorn Legends and the monumental honor the Jamail Family allowed us to bestow upon them. In addition to that, LHN will be airing a pair of special shows tabbed "The Forty" this weekend with the Greatest Plays of 2019-20 on Saturday (7 p.m./CT) and The Best of the Decade on Sunday (7 p.m./CT). We are so grateful for our partners and all they're doing to keep Longhorn Nation engaged and inspired while we await to kickstart our sports seasons.
Return to the 40 Update
Coach Herman and our Football program continue to move forward and expand on their preparations for our 2020 Football season. It began with a few weeks of voluntary workouts. Last week, coaches were allowed to be at the strength and conditioning workouts and used some of the allotted eight hours of off-season training on things like film study. On Friday, they move into the next phase of preparations where they are allotted 20 hours of activities, which can include walk-throughs and meetings. They're all positive steps forward as we head towards the season while continuing the keen focus on the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes. The student-athletes have done amazing work as they continue to follow our protocols and procedures closely under the guidance of our medical professionals.
Last week, Men's and Women's Basketball and Volleyball began voluntary athletic activities on campus. This week, Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes transitioned into an allotment of eight hours of instructional work inside Denton A. Cooley Pavilion. The eight hours include a maximum of four hours on court with coaches and a maximum of four hours under the supervision of the Basketball strength and conditioning staff. All activity is closely monitored by the Sports Medicine and Strength and Conditioning staffs and evaluated by the Student-Athlete Return to Campus task force.
The NCAA recently released a list of return-to-sport guidelines, which included a daily self-health check, use of facial coverings and social distancing, testing strategies for pre-season, in-season and post-season that included a recommendation of once per week (within 72 hours of competition in high-contact risk sports), and working closely with health professionals in our local community. We're happy to report that our policies and procedures go above and beyond what the NCAA requires, and we are developing and planning in-season protocols that will make competition as safe as possible. To take a look at all of our COVID-19 procedures manuals and updates, click HERE.
Football Season Ticket Holders Email
As the Football season gets closer and we continue to look at scenarios for the fall, we sent an email to our dedicated and supportive season ticket holders this week. Please give it a read and provide us with your responses by the end of the week, so we'll have your information in queue as we prepare for the 2020 season. As I stated in that note, we're anticipating the Football season kicking off on Sept. 5 against USF at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, and we're so looking forward to seeing everyone. We continue to work closely with the Governor's office, and in following with current state guidelines for social distancing, we anticipate seating in our stadium to be at a reduced capacity. As of today, capacity would be limited to 50 percent. If we end up at 50 percent capacity, we do anticipate being able to offer all season ticket holders an opportunity for season tickets. Please know that as we continue working toward hosting sporting events this season, our number one priority remains the health and safety of our student-athletes, staff and fans. With that said, we cannot thank you enough for your support. Your investment in our programs is invaluable, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you.
Football Preseason Honors Rolling In
As we get closer to the start of the Football season, the excitement keeps growing for what this group can accomplish as you see all of the annual preseason honors roll in. Last week, the Big 12 released its Preseason All-Big 12 Team, and our Horns tied with our rivals up north for the most selections on the team with five. Already a Walter Camp preseason All-American, offensive lineman Sam Cosmi was one of four who were chosen unanimously. He was joined on the team by quarterback Sam Ehlinger, defensive backs D'Shawn Jamison and Caden Sterns, and the super versatile Joseph Ossai, who plays what our coaches call the JACK position. A number of awards watch lists have also come out, and so far we've had lots of representation, including Sam (Cosmi) on the Outland Trophy list (top interior lineman), Sam (Ehlinger) on the Davey O'Brien (best quarterback) list, Joseph on the Bendarik, Nagurski, Lott (all three recognize the best defensive player) and Butkus (top linebacker) lists, Caden on the Bednarik, Nagurski and Thorpe (top defensive back) lists, and Keaontay Ingram on the Doak Walker list (top running back). Watch lists are a great reflection of work already put in, combined with the trajectory of what's to come, so great job guys, and a big Hook 'em to you! The awards won't stop there with more being released over the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our social channels and TexasSports.com for more great news.
Men's Basketball Earns Team Academic Honor
Kudos to Coach Shaka Smart and the Men's Basketball program for earning a Team Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) last week. The award recognizes teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for the 2019-20 season. With the sudden suspension of their season and mid-semester switch to online learning in the spring due to COVID-19, this result is a testament to the resolve and determination of our student-athletes, coaches and Student Services staff.
Volleyball also Recognized for Academic Success
Congratulations are in order for Coach Elliott and the Volleyball program as well as they earned a USMC (United States Marine Corps)/AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Team Academic Award. The honor recognizes a full school year of academic success with Volleyball teams that produced a year-long grade point average of 3.30 (out of 4.0) making the list. Even more impressive, it marks the fourth-straight year that our Longhorns have received this team academic achievement honor from the USMC/AVCA.
15 Track & Field Student-Athletes Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
Our Track & Field programs stood out as the USTFCCCA Academic Awards were announced last week. Both our Men's and Women's teams received All-Academic Team honors, as well as 15 individual Longhorns. Big congratulations and Hook 'Ems are in order to all our of student-athletes for their unwavering success in the classroom despite the challenges and obstacles that COVID-19 presented last semester. And kudos to Coach Floréal, his coaching staff and our Student Services team for helping guide our student-athletes through these unique times. This news comes in addition to UT having a conference-leading 217 Academic All-Big 12 honorees across all sports in May, and 101 student-athletes being recognized on the 2019-20 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team earlier this month. We are so proud of each and every one of our Longhorns for their continued academic accomplishments this year.
Kudos to Dr. LaToya Smith
As academic honors continue to roll in, what a perfect time to recognize our very own Dr. LaToya Smith. Our Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student Services, LaToya is so talented, and such a fantastic leader and person. She and her staff do a magnificent job balancing the demands that come with supporting our 500-plus student-athletes and all of our coaches and staff. We are so lucky to have LaToya on our team!
Silver Spurs & BEVO XV Supporting Neighborhood Longhorns Program
How great of a thing is this? A huge shout out goes to our Silver Spurs organization (the ones who care for the big guy – BEVO) with its current and former members announcing their commitment to match up to $150,000 in donations to support the Neighborhood Longhorns Program! We're so proud of our affiliation and work with both groups, and what a tremendous combo! The donation matching will last through August 31, so now's the time for any help you can give!
Big 12 Football Media Days Rescheduled
The Big 12 Conference has rescheduled its 2020 Virtual Football Media Days to Monday, August 3. Commissioner Bowlsby said, "As everyone is aware, our head coaches and student-athletes have not been able to collectively engage in organized team functions since athletics activities were suspended in March. We felt it was prudent to give coaches a chance to re-acclimate with their teams prior to participating in our annual season preview event." A revised version of the original July 20-21 media day schedule will be available in the coming days, and we'll be sure Longhorn Nation knows all the details.
Team Shop is Open for Business
Longhorn fans, are you ready to gear up this summer with the best licensed team apparel and gear from the official source? The Texas Longhorns Official Team Shop, located on the west side of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium along San Jacinto Street, re-opened for business last Friday. It will be open with limited hours from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Fridays & Saturdays) and noon-4 p.m. (Sundays). Just remember to protect yourself and those around you while you're there by wearing a face covering!
We continue to constantly evaluate, plan and prepare the best possible pathways for our return to campus and our athletics seasons. We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented and ever-changing time and are beyond grateful for all of your support. Keep your eyes on all of our platforms and for email updates in the coming days and weeks as we will continue to help you remain abreast of all of the happenings on and around our campus.
Stay safe, be healthy and Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. – I know we can all use a nice dose of football, so thought you'd enjoy this sensational highlight video of our preseason All-Big 12 selections put together by our outstanding Football Creative Team. Kudos to them for continued extraordinary work and thank you for keeping us entertained!
HEADLINES
Video: Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell conversation
Texas' Heisman Trophy winners chatted about UT, Campbell-Williams Field and more on Longhorn Network.
Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams and Jamail Family visit with Football team
Texas' two Heisman Trophy winners, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams and Dahr Jamail spent time on Wednesday visiting with the Longhorns.
Video: Campbell-Williams Field dedication
At the request of the Jamail family, Joe Jamail Field will now be named in honor of Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell & Ricky Williams.
Women's Golf's Papp places fourth at Texarkana Children's Charities Open
The senior golfer was the top-finishing amateur in the field.
#7 Asjia O'Neal - Middle Blocker - University of Texas
Asjia takes us through her 2 heart surgeries and outlook on this upcoming season!
Texas tennis star Anna Turati eagerly waiting for one more chance
FORZA!
Collier ready to lead Women's Basketball
The 6-foot-5 center is poised to be one of the nation's best post players.
Limited edition Nike Kevin Durant (KD) Texas Longhorns shirts available beginning July 15
Gear up now online at Shop.TexasSports.com
Pair of Women's Basketball players on WNBA Opening-Day Rosters
Ariel Atkins and Joyner Holmes tip off their seasons on Saturday.
2000 Olympic Gold winner, Laura Wilkinson, 42, an NBC analyst at the Rio games, will dive for Tokyo medals
Wilkinson with a lot of Texas Fight!
HONORS & RECOGNITION:
Cosmi named to Outland Trophy watch list
Ossai, Sterns named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list
Sterns named to Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list
Ingram selected to Doak Walker Award watch list
Ossai named to Butkus Award watch list
INTERVIEWS:
Video: LHN Charli Collier and Retha Swindell conversation
