Feel this moment: Thousands gather to celebrate Texas, SEC
Music, television broadcast, autographs, photo opportunities embedded within the Forty Acres.
Chris Allen Brown
7/1/2024
the dawn of a new era.
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) July 1, 2024
welcome to the @SEC, Longhorn Nation. now let’s get to work. ??#HookEm pic.twitter.com/P9WRaWgKQf
AUSTIN, Texas — As soon as the announcement was made on July 30, 2021, fans and supporters of The University of Texas wanted to fast-forward to the moment the Longhorns were official members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
With so many variables — new opponents to play, new cities to visit, new stadiums to tour, old rivalries to re-visit, etc. — one could understand why the eagerness to change conference was high. And that level only climbed on Feb. 9, 2023, when it was announced Texas formulated plans to join the SEC a year earlier than originally scheduled.
From July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2024. Three hundred and sixty-five days erased from the countdown.
But Armando Christian Pérez — aka Pitbull — had a piece of advice:
“Like a stopwatch,
Let’s stop time
And enjoy this moment”
I see the future but live for the moment. Makes sense, don’t it?Pitbull
With the future of Texas Athletics set to shift from a conference the Longhorns participated in over the last 28 years to one that won over 250 national championship, university officials elected to hold a celebration.
On June 30, 2024, less than 12 hours before Texas moves from the Big 12 the SEC, the university welcomed fans, students, media and Mr. Worldwide to the Forty Acres to celebrate what the Longhorn athletic department achieved over the last near-three decades and talk about what can be accomplished during the future.
“When you have an opportunity to take — what I believe is — the best league in the country and add a brand like this, all it does is just situate the best league and make it even bigger,” said Marty Smith. “Not only from the brand perspective, which is obvious, but it’s also the esteemed respect that this university carries.”
“It feels like it was ready-made for the SEC to welcome Texas into a league that we believe is the best in the entire land,” Laura Rutledge said. “Just from the turnout today, you can already see how excited Texas fans are. It’s been a long time coming and I can’t tell you how excited everyone is now that it’s finally here.”
Smith and Rutledge were on site for the celebration as part of SEC Network’s near-four-hour live broadcast that featured interviews with Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte along with current UT head coaches Steve Sarkisian, Vic Schaefer, Jim Schlossnagle, Howard Joffe, Jerritt Elliott, Stein Metzger, Rodney Terry, John Fields, Laura Ianello, Carol Capitani, Dave O'Neill, Mike White and Angela Kelly. Former Longhorn student-athletes Leo Neugebauer, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Goodwin and Jamaal Charles were also featured throughout the broadcast as well.
Just from the turnout today, you can already see how excited Texas fans are. It’s been a long time coming and I can’t tell you how excited everyone is now that it’s finally here.Laura Rutledge
Throughout the afternoon, Texas fans were able to sit and watch the SEC Network broadcast, receive an autograph from a variety of Longhorn head coaches on a copy of a Texas x SEC poster as well take photos throughout different sections of the SEC House that featured mock sets of popular network shows like Marty and McGee and The Paul Finebaum Show.
“I think this even speaks volumes about the Texas brand and what the brand means to our fans and what our fans mean to The University of Texas,” Elliott said.
“I think this is a great celebration, obviously,” Terry said. “It’s been two years in the making and we are living where our feet are right now. I know everyone is excited about a great partnership that’ll come with joining one of the premier conferences in the SEC. You know our fans are excited about coming to the SEC.”
“Today was a lot of fun,” White said. “It’s exciting to see so many fans and supports out here as we make the move to the SEC. As everyone knows, it’s going to be a big move for us.”
I think this even speaks volumes about the Texas brand and what the brand means to our fans and what our fans mean to The University of TexasJerritt Elliott
And reporting live from in front of the university’s 307-foot UT Tower, Mr. 305 became Mr. 512 for the night as two-time Billboard Music Award winner Pitbull closed out the nine-hour day with a performance for everyone in attendance.
looking good in the burnt orange @pitbull ??#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Jv6AB06FDR
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) July 1, 2024
“I just want to feel this moment.”
picture perfect ??#HookEm pic.twitter.com/EUGMq2JBzS
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) July 1, 2024
