The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
08.17.2021 | 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>]
Longhorn Nation,
The kickoff of the 2021 Football season is just 18 days away! Coach Sark and our Longhorns are coming off their first scrimmage and are hard at work to get ready for the opener against Louisiana on Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. CT. Our new turf is in, the south end zone project is in the final stages, and everything in and around the stadium is getting jazzed up for game day. We are looking forward to a full house at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, so if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, go do that! As we've been saying, home is where the Horns are, and doggone it, this is going to be the best darn family reunion ever!! And on Wednesday, you can get a sneak preview with Coach Sark opening up a practice at DKR just for you, our loyal and passionate Longhorn Faithful. Gate 7 will open at 6 p.m., practice is set to begin at 6:45 p.m. and we'll have concession stands open for your convenience, as well. Come join us and cheer on your Horns!
We couldn't be more excited, and we know you are, too. We feel your energy, enthusiasm and passion as we head into a season of All Gas, No Brakes action! Season tickets are certainly available, and for those of you still looking to jump in, single-game tickets went on sale this morning AND we just announced a mini-plan opportunity you can take advantage of. And one more reminder, this is the last chance to lock in annual seat-related gifts for season tickets so don't miss out on this great opportunity. Go grab your tickets, get that Burnt Orange and White ready, and let's get set to have a big ol' party at DKR in just a few short weeks!
We do realize there are some discussions around an uptick in COVID, and rest assured, we will continue to monitor that and adjust to ensure we provide the healthiest and safest environment possible at all of our Texas Athletics venues as we begin several of our sports seasons very soon. Here in Athletics, we're thrilled to report that more than 90 percent of our student-athletes and 98 percent of our athletics staff are fully vaccinated, which has allowed us to get back on campus to work together and prepare for the 2021-22 seasons. It's an exciting time on the Forty Acres, and I'm here to encourage you to take care of yourselves, stay healthy and protect one another so that we can all be together. If we all do our part, we'll continue to be able to compete and support our Horns. Help us Protect Texas Together and do your part. Together, we got this!!
This new era of name, image and likeness continues to be a major point of discussion across the country and a very important initiative and conversation on our campus as we look to support our student-athletes in their efforts to enhance their brands. Rest assured, we're staying on top of and at the forefront of this ever-evolving frontier. As we've discussed before, our LEVERAGE program is a critical piece to all of this, something we proactively put in place in anticipation of this, and it's now paying huge dividends for our student-athletes. Folks are interested in partnering with them and have been asking how they can connect. In an effort to assist with providing the contact information necessary for those interested in a partnership with our student-athletes, we're proud to have recently launched LEVERAGE Lineup – a hub for finding and contacting Texas student-athletes who may be interested in partnering-up with companies, groups and brands. We've worked with our staff and campus partners to fully vet this and ensure it is compliant with State of Texas and NCAA regulations, as well. We're also very close to signing a brand licensing deal that will be a tremendous benefit and a gamechanger for our student-athletes in the NIL space, so stay tuned for more details on that, as well. We're excited about these amazing new opportunities for our student-athletes and look forward to continuing to watch them build their personal brands while representing The University of Texas at the highest level.
While I've got you, how about those Longhorn Olympians?! From K.D. bringing home his third Gold and Cat Osterman claiming her third medal for Team USA, to the greatest shot putter of all time claiming his second straight Olympic title, and Julia Grosso netting the game winner for Team Canada in soccer, it was an illustrious couple weeks of The Pride and Winning Tradition of our Texas Longhorns. Chiaka Ogbogu helped Team USA win its first-ever Gold in Volleyball, Ariel Atkins became the third former Horn to win Gold in Women's Basketball, and Teahna Daniels (4x100m) brought home Silver for America, while Stacey Ann Williams (4x400m) delivered Bronze for Jamaica in Track & Field. We had a future Horn make the medal stand, as well, as incoming freshman swimmer Erica Sullivan earned a Silver (1,500m freestyle). On top of that, Coach Flo's professional athletes were also bringing home medals, and you wanna talk about "What Starts Here…" – our Olympic Greats Sanya Richards Ross and Trey Hardee did just a fabulous job on the NBC Track & Field broadcast from Tokyo.
And how about these fast facts? Texas has now had a Gold Medalist at 10-straight Olympics, an athlete at every Games since 1936, and a medalist in 17 of those 20 Olympiads. A total of 28 current or former University of Texas student-athletes and two coaches, the most ever at a single Olympiad for our Longhorns, participated in the Tokyo Olympics, and it was glorious to watch! Can't wait until Paris in 2024, just three short years this time around!!
Our teams have been training, preparing and getting ready for another great season over the summer months. Things are really heatin' up now, and we're getting ever so close to seeing the games and matches begin! Coach Kelly and Soccer got the dub in an exhibition match with ACU at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Friday night. They open their season on the road at UCF on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT. Coach Elliott and our Volleyball squad are getting ready to rumble, too, as they'll take their show on the road to start things off, traveling to LSU to face the Tigers in an exhibition match on Saturday. It's back to the rowdiest home court advantage there is at the Greg when we officially open the season on Friday, Aug. 27, versus San Diego (6 p.m. CT). I can't wait to see that place rockin' all season long once again! After a historic year in 2020-21, I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about the 2021-22 seasons getting underway and can't wait to see you all on the Forty Acres very soon! It's a great time to be a Longhorn and we're so grateful for your support!!
And we'll close with an awesome quote from our Football standout Moro Ojomo during Monday's media availability. This one will make you feel so proud to be a Longhorn. "I just thank God for the opportunity to come to The University of Texas. Great coaching staff, great platform, great education, just great all around people. There's no better place."
Stay safe, be healthy and Hook 'Em Horns,
Chris Del Conte
Chris Del Conte
P.S. — Love our Coach!
P.S. II — Another awesome message. Thank You Inky!
P.S. III — This is AWESOME! Congrats to Ryan Crouser, our 2-time Gold Medalist and World Record Holder!
HEADLINES
Volleyball picked No. 1 in AVCA preseason coaches' poll
After finishing as the NCAA runner-up last season, the Longhorns begin this season in the top spot of the national rankings.
Three Longhorns to be inducted into HISD Athletic Hall of Honor
Vince Young, Greg Swindell and Carlette Guidry-Falkquay were honored by the Houston Independent School District on August 14.
In Memoriam: Ragan Gennusa
A member of the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, a standout wide receiver for the Longhorns and an acclaimed painter, Gennusa was 76.
VIDEO: Football scrimmage highlights
The Longhorns completed their first scrimmage of the fall this past Saturday.
VIDEO: Football Family BBQ
The Longhorns cooked up some family time following Saturday's scrimmage.
VIDEO: Football players media availability
Moro Ojomo and Cade Brewer spoke to the media following Monday's practice.
VIDEO: Football players media availability
Keondre Coburn and Bijan Robinson spoke to the media following last Thursday's practice.
VIDEO: Football players media availability
Quarterbacks Casey Thompson and Hudson Card spoke to the media following last Wednesday's practice.
Football ranked No. 19 in preseason coaches poll
The Longhorns collected their fifth-straight preseason top-25 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Football ranked No. 21 in Associated Press preseason poll
The Longhorns earned their fifth-straight preseason top-25 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll.
Crouser captures shot put gold in record-setting performance at Tokyo Olympics
Texas Legend Ryan Crouser won his second-consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men's shot put with a record toss of 23.30m.
Julia Grosso hits decisive PK as Canada wins gold at Tokyo Olympics
The Vancouver, British Columbia, native sealed the victory in the sixth round of the penalty shootout.
Durant leads Team USA to Gold Medal
Former Longhorn posts a game-high 29 points in 87-82 victory against France to earn his third gold medal with USA Basketball.
Atkins, Team USA earn Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics
Ariel Atkins becomes the third Longhorn to win a gold medal with USA Women's Basketball.
Ogbogu helps Team USA claim Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics
Chiaka Ogbogu is third Longhorn to medal in Women's Volleyball at Olympics, first to earn Gold.
Baseball announces winners of 2021 postseason team awards
Six Longhorns honored with individual awards voted on by their teammates.
