The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
09.22.2020 | 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,
Well, the old adage is absence makes the heart grow fonder, and after a spectacular Football season-opening 59-3 win over UTEP last Saturday, we had a bye this past weekend. So, with the extra week of recovery, preparation and anticipation, Coach Herman and our Top-10 squad will be back at it and begin Big 12 play on the road at Texas Tech on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT/FOX).
First and foremost, I must thank our staff who tirelessly and meticulously planned out every detail to manage our events in the safest and healthiest manner possible. Every ounce of those efforts was worth it, and the servant leadership did not go unnoticed as everything from the game atmosphere with limited fans, to the contactless ticketing and concessions efforts, social media engagement and tremendously positive media coverage was just exceptional. And how about those cardboard cutouts, were those not the coolest thing ever?! Of course, there is always room for improvement and we look forward to reviewing all of your thoughts from the fan survey we sent out after the game. There are plenty of things we learned from last weekend, can do better and will enhance, but what a splendid fall debut it was!
It will be a week full of action, including Red River Showdown matchups for Soccer and Volleyball. Coach Elliott and our Volleyball squad open their season with a Thursday-Friday doubleheader at Oklahoma later this week. Thursday's match is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT first serve with Friday slated for 6 p.m. CT, and you can cheer on your Horns on ESPNU for both matches. Soccer will host the Sooners at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, and that match will also be televised nationally on LHN.
Last week, the NCAA approved its plans for the Men's and Women's Basketball seasons and laid out the schedule for spring championships in Cross Country, Soccer and Volleyball. It also made a truly awesome and historic decision, requiring all NCAA Division I institutions to give student-athletes the first Tuesday of November off every year for Election Day, including this year's on Nov. 3. This was a tremendous initiative proposed by the student-athletes themselves and will be a powerful message as they focus their attention on participating in civic engagement on that day every year going forward.
There's a lot of positive buzz going on, Longhorn sports action is heating up, and energy across Texas Athletics is continuing to pick up steam. We are so appreciative of all of you and your continued support, and let's put that pride, passion and spirit on full display this week as we cheer our Horns to victory against those Red Raiders and Sooners!
Getting Ready for Another Football Game Week
I know everyone needed something to keep the juices flowing through the bye weekend, and as always, our Football creative team delivered big time! This video will not only give you a chance to reflect on an awesome season opener, but get you ready to cheer on our Horns in Lubbock this Saturday.
'Election Day' officially an 'off day' for all student-athletes
The NCAA Division I Council announced last Thursday that Election Day will be an official 'off day' for athletic-related activities every year. Although we had previously decided as an athletic department to give our student-athletes the day off from competition and practices on November 3, this was a great move by the NCAA moving forward. Every student-athlete should not only have the resources provided to register to vote, but also have the time on Election Day to exercise that right. Congrats to the NCAA for making the right decision for all student-athletes.
Almost Time to Hoop it Up!
We have a start date for Men's and Women's Basketball! The NCAA announced last Thursday that Division I Men's and Women's Basketball teams can begin the upcoming 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Coach Smart and Men's Basketball and Coach Schaefer and Women's Basketball will now officially begin preseason practice on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Both programs are currently in the process of revising their non-conference schedules, and the Big 12 Conference is working to finalize the league slates. Please stay tuned to our social media and website platforms as we release schedule information for both programs, and as we determine what our seating capacity for fans will be at the Frank Erwin Center.
Let's Play Two! Volleyball Opens its Big 12-Only Season
Coach Elliott and Volleyball will get their fall season of Big 12-only matches underway on Thursday and Friday with a doubleheader against Oklahoma in Norman. Since 2011, our Longhorns have produced an extraordinary record of 136-8 (.944) in Big 12 matches, including two perfect season records of 16-0 (2013 & 2017). Coach Elliott returns a pair of VolleyballMag.com second-team All-Americans in Brionne Butler and Logan Eggleston, as well as freshman All-American Skyler Fields.
Grand Opening of Richard Mithoff Field House
We've been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to show off their new digs to our Soccer and Track & Field teams. Last week, we were finally able to get them together, and Coach Kelly and Coach Floréal officially opened the doors to the newly-renovated Richard Mithoff Field House. These renovations have been in the works for quite a while and are the latest of our numerous facility upgrade projects to be completed, following the most recent opening of the Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool earlier this month. With new locker rooms, team lounge areas, a hydrotherapy pool, nutrition center and more, our Longhorns now have one of the finest facilities in the country to call home. And, we are thrilled to be providing it!
NFL Hall of Fame
What awesome news it was last week to hear three of our Longhorn Legends were nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We all know how spectacular Casey Hampton, Priest Holmes and Eric Metcalf were in the Burnt Orange and White. They're all in our Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, but they had equally incredible NFL careers and now are in consideration for that league's greatest honor. How cool is that?! Congrats to Casey, Priest and Eric!
Gibson Makes Top 30 Cut for NCAA Woman of the Year
It's great to share some big-time news for 'Big Al' from last week. Our former NCAA champion diver Alison Gibson was named one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She advances to the next round in the selection process where nine finalists (three from each NCAA division) will be announced in mid-October. Alison truly embodies excellence in all four major areas of criteria for the award: academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The best part of this is we still get to see Alison most every day, as she has put her NCAA Winter Sports Postgraduate Scholarship and Big 12 Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship to good use and has started pursuit of her master's degree in advertising right here on the Forty Acres.
Wednesday Is the Deadline For You to Get Fan Cutouts In Time for the TCU Game
Limited edition My Texas Fan Cutouts are still available for purchase for the 2020 Texas Football season, beginning with our next game against TCU on October 3. Upload a favorite photo of yourself, a family member, or a pet showing their Longhorns pride, and be a part of the pageantry at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in a new and unique way! Cutouts are $50 and are available for purchase online at TexasSports.com/Cutouts. Orders will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last and must be purchased and approved by September 23 to be guaranteed in place by TCU.
Congratulations to Amy Folan
We hate to lose her as she's been such a valuable member of our Texas Athletics staff for many years, but congratulations to Amy Folan, who was named Athletics Director at Central Michigan on Tuesday. Amy does a tremendous job, will be a terrific leader for CMU Athletics and speaking for our entire department, we are wishing her the very best in her new opportunity.
We Lost Two Great Longhorns Last Week
We had some very sad news last week with the passing of two Longhorn Legends. Our sincerest condolences go out to their family and friends and all of those whom these two great men impacted in their athletics careers and beyond.
T Jones (1931-2020): A former Longhorn student-athlete, coach and administrator who is a member of our Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, T Jones passed away last Tuesday. He was such a highly-respected, well-thought-of man whose legacy as a Longhorn Legend, as well as his time as an outstanding athletics director at our conference partner Texas Tech, will never be forgotten.
Dr. Jim Willerson (1939-2020): A former Longhorn swimmer and member of the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, Dr. Willerson passed away last Wednesday. He was a lifelong supporter of The University of Texas and our athletics department, and one of our country's preeminent heart surgeons. UT Austin named its top cardiovascular research center at the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) in honor of Dr. Willerson, and he was a distinguished UT Austin alum.
Dr. Willerson shared this awesome piece of advice to all of our student-athletes when he was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2009:
"You can do it. It's a wonderful opportunity. There is no better place in the world to gain an education or to compete than UT Austin. Be tough, be optimistic, be focused, and achieve — if not for yourself, then for your team and for the benefit of this great university, The University of Texas."
What They're Saying
"I applaud the decision by the Division I Council to require all teams to provide an 'off day' on Election Day. Many of our greatest patriots fought for the right to vote for all, and it's important that we provide maximum flexibility for student-athletes to exercise their right, as we should for all Americans. UT has done a great job providing resources to enable student-athletes to register to vote, and now, on Election Day, they'll definitely have the time to do so." — Men's Basketball head coach Shaka Smart.
It's Game Week! Raise those flags, get decked out in your favorite Burnt Orange & White and fire up the backyard grill for some fantastic tailgating and Texas sports, Longhorn style! Our teams will be competing their hearts out on Thursday, Friday AND Saturday, so let's Hook 'Em Horns, cheer loudly, unite as a nation and bring that patented Texas Fight to the party as our Horns look to bring home the wins!
Stay safe, be healthy and Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. – How cool was this?! The new President of the NFL's Washington Football Team took time to visit with our Longhorns as part of our 4EVER TEXAS program.
HEADLINES
Unpredictable offseason marks start of Vic Schaefer era
Scottie Scheffler, a four-year standout at UT, posted seven top-10s in his rookie season on tour.
In her blood: Women's Basketball's Ashley Chevalier
The freshman guard is the daughter of two basketball coaches.
Cross Country releases 2020 schedule
The Longhorns will compete twice during the fall.
Men's Tennis' Braswell wins Lakes Tennis Invite title
Freshman Micah Braswell earned the overall title as part of six singles wins by the Longhorns on the final day.
Football checks in at No. 8/9 in national rankings
The Longhorns held onto a top-10 ranking in both major polls for the second-straight week.
Soccer falls at TCU, 3-0
Texas out-shot the hosts overall by a 20-16 total, but TCU led 9-5 in shots on goal.
Video: Seeds of Change narrated by Caden Sterns
The junior DB narrated a piece inspired by the Texas student-athletes' call for change.
Video: Ricky Williams on Texas GameDay
The Longhorn Legend discussed student-athletes' calls for change, Campbell-Williams Field and more.
