Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. [Forty Acres Insider archives]
Longhorn Nation, Welcome back Longhorns! As you read this, we are just a few days from the kickoff to the 2022 Football campaign and year two under Coach Sark. It's been a long summer, and we sure have missed y'all, but we're back and it's time to get revved up and ready to go for the 2022-23 sports seasons. The Forty is bustling with students, classes, practices and workouts aplenty, and the buzz around our great campus and city is undeniable.
Volleyball got us on the winning track right out of the gates with a pair of emphatic Top-10 wins at No. 7 Ohio State over the weekend, and for that effort, our Horns moved up a spot to No. 1 in the nation this week. And y'all brought it big time for our Soccer squad at Mike A. Myers Stadium as we fought valiantly against No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday before taking down Florida, 3-2, on Sunday. We'll get our week started at Gregory Gym on Wednesday (7 p.m. CT), and we can't wait to see y'all raise the roof for our top-five Volleyball tilt with No. 4 Minnesota. Coach Elliott's got a national title contender in the burnt orange & white once again, and that will be another big early season test for our Horns. We can do our part by packin' the Greg and showing our Longhorn passion and pride pullin' for them!
That takes us to Saturday, and I know you're all jazzed up for Football season kicking off. Our all-time record for season ticket sales and your excitement and enthusiasm at the open practice a couple weeks ago speak volumes for the energy that is at a fevered pitch heading into the weekend. Coach Sark and the squad are ready to get things rollin' and to put an off-season of blood, sweat and hard work to the test starting with ULM (7 p.m. CT/LHN) this week. I'm fired up and ready to bring that patented Texas Fight, and I know you are too! So get your Longhorn-best laid out ready to go, let's fill the streets around DKR to celebrate as a family, then let's rock the stadium as we cheer our Horns to victory!! To get prepped, Longhorn Network's All-Access airs on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT and is must see TV!!!
Oh, and while I've got you, thanks to President Hartzell and his campus efforts, we had some really great news to share this week as we're adding the ever-growing and popular sport of Beach Volleyball to our athletics program. We join Coach Elliott in our enthusiasm of launching such an awesome Olympic sport to our repertoire, which will only serve to build on the traditional power that is Texas Volleyball!
With all of that that said, everything we love about a Football game week is finally here … and Longhorn Family, it's time to PAR-TAY! For all of the latest updates leading up to this Saturday's home opener against ULM, check out the Gameday HQ page!
Football Season Tickets at an All-Time High We've already set a record for Football season tickets and that number continues to grow as we near 64,000 sold. That breaks the previous mark of 63,279 from 2019, and more than 7,000 of this year's total are new season ticket sales. That certainly says a lot about the momentum we're all feeling and the excitement we have to cheer on Coach Sark and our Longhorns. In addition to that, our students are clearly stoked, too, as numbers steadily increase for our Big Ticket sales. We'll have one rowdy DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium for our seven home games this season, and I do want to thank everyone who's onboard and ready to get those Horns Up with us!
Still don't have tickets? We've got your covered! Come join that already all-time record Texas Football season ticket holder base by becoming a season ticket holder today! The only way to get tickets for the Alabama game is to be a season ticket holder. A limited amount still remain, so don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to lock in your seats for all seven home contests, the most games at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium since 2010.
If you're looking for other ticket options, single-game tickets, 3-game mini plans, and FLEX passes are also available. None of those plans include an option for tickets to the Alabama game. One thing's for sure, this season is going to be memorable, and we can't wait to have you join us on the ride!
Best pregame experience in the country kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday! All the action kicks off on the Forty Acres at 2 p.m. with the best pregame experience in the country including Bevo Blvd presented by H-E-B, Smokey's Midway, and Hook 'Em Hangout! This includes two signature moments on Bevo Blvd you absolutely don't want to miss — Bevo XV's arrival at 4 p.m. during the Bevo Parade presented by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, followed by greeting Coach Sark and the team at the Stadium Stampede at 4:30 p.m. Our squad will be decked out in their GameDay best and love all the Hook 'Ems, cheers and juice y'all provide as they head to the locker room to prepare for the big game.
We've got a full slate of activities for you to enjoy on Bevo Blvd including the new Football Combine Together with Truist, new Instagrammable photo opportunities, giant LED screens to enjoy the day's best college football games from around the country, and autograph sessions with our Men's and Women's Tennis teams.
Signups for the Hook 'Em Herd — the pregame fun run on the field — for our little Longhorns (ages 7-12) will take place across from Gate 4 beginning at 2 p.m. So come out early and get a spot and FREE shirt while spots remain!
A "Bigger" Big Beertha at Hook 'Em Hangout Over at Hook 'Em Hangout in Winship Circle on the northwest corner of the stadium, we're adding live music on the new Hangout Stage. Grab a bite from your choice of 10 of Austin's best food trucks, enjoy the shade, and quench your thirst with the return of Big Beertha, our giant draft beer track. They say everything's bigger in Texas, well this year Big Beertha has double the taps and will feature 15 selections for y'all to enjoy.
And yes, Happy Hour pricing is back for all of our pregame areas, as well. That means $5 domestic and $6 premium beers up until 6:30 p.m. at Bevo Blvd, Longhorn City Limits, Smokey's Midway, and Hook 'Em Hangout.
Charley Crockett headlines Longhorn City Limits presented by Still Austin Whiskey The best live music on gamedays returns to the LBJ Lawn with season four of Longhorn City Limits presented by Still Austin Whiskey. I am so elated to welcome rising superstar Charley Crockett who headlines the FREE gameday concert series beginning at 3 p.m. If you haven't see Charley, he's one of the best performers touring today and this is a show you won't want to miss.
And we've got two new areas we're proud to unveil at LCL for our fans ages 21 and up this season! Upon entering the LBJ Lawn, fans are invited to experience the Still Austin Music Lounge serving up a full menu of refreshments including signature cocktails and plenty of shade to relax while enjoying the show. They've even got surprises and limited edition swag they'll be passing out on game day!
In front of the LBJ Fountain, check out the new Tito's Tailgate and enjoy refreshing Tito's cocktails on tap, shaded views of the stage, and college football live streaming to tailgate in real Texas fashion.
After the game, the party keeps going on the LBJ Lawn for a FREE postgame silent disco. Featuring three live DJs, get your own pair of wireless headphones, and choose between three DJs LIVE at Longhorn City Limits.
And that's all outside of the stadium! Let's touch on the enhancements you'll find inside DKR.
Check out the Hall of Fame on gameday After an amazing 2021-22 Texas Athletics season that saw our Longhorns win four National Championships, 11 Big 12 titles, and tons of individual honors and awards, come on in and check out all of the updates inside the Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. Our spectacular area honoring great teams and student-athletes past and present will be open to all fans with a game ticket beginning at 2 p.m.
Don't forget to have those mobile tickets downloaded before heading to DKR For the third consecutive year, we are implementing mobile ticketing with required entry gates to help alleviate congestion and wait times. Please download and save your mobile ticket to your smartphone's digital wallet prior to coming to the game. On gameday, our team will open the Gate 8 box office beginning at 3 p.m. for any mobile ticketing support needs followed by additional locations at Gate 2, 25, and 32 beginning at 5 p.m. when all gates open. Learn more how to download, manage, access, or transfer your tickets.
Also, all transactions at our merchandise and concession locations will be cashless and contactless. For our fans who don't carry or use credit or debit cards, we have cash-to-card kiosks available for your convenience outside Sections 7, 28, and 114.
More concessions options than ever Our partners at 1883 Provisions Co. have been working hard to provide you with the best stadium food and beverage experience all season long. This year's Fan First Pricing menu includes 16 of our most popular concessions items at an average discount of 30% all game long! From soft drinks and bottled water to hot dogs, Earl Campbell sausage wraps, cheeseburgers, or a Texas-sized corn dog, we've got you covered. In addition, we continue to bring in local fare including a signature Mighty Fine Burgers Fries Shakes location inside Gate 8 as well as multiple Southside Flying Pizza locations throughout the stadium.
There will also be new grab 'n' go concession locations around the stadium with self-checkout kiosks for fans looking for even more convenience. Visit the full concessions map for this season!
Tito's Lounge, Bud Light Back Forty, and Still Austin Terrace Lounge make their debuts We are thrilled to offer our fans ages 21 and up three new signature bar experiences around the stadium. Located inside Gate 8, the Tito's Lounge will serve up cocktails on tap featuring Tito's vodka. The Still Austin Terrace Lounge, located on the 6th floor on the north end for our Terrace Club members, will serve up select recipes curated by Still Austin Whiskey. In addition, we are proud to unveil the Bud Light Back Forty located in the lower Gate 25 plaza. Liquor will continue to be served at Texas Tavern locations around the stadium.
Get to your seats early for the Showband of the Southwest! Make sure and get to your seats by 6:40 p.m. to enjoy the Showband of the Southwest taking the field for the first time during the 2022 season! Our students in the Longhorn Band, Texas Cheer and Pom, and Mascots have worked very hard this summer and fall to provide the amazing pageantry that can only be experienced live at DKR! And speaking of mascots, don't miss Bevo XV's intro on the field. I got to watch him practice this past weekend and I can tell you one thing, the big fella is amped and ready for gameday!
At halftime, the Longhorn Band hits the field again for their traditional Wall-to-Wall Precision Drill performance. And don't leave those seats as we will then recognize our 2021-22 Big 12 and National Championship squads on the field. What an awesome year our sports teams had and great opportunity to give them a huge round of applause while showing our Longhorn pride for a job well done.
It's a Top-10 sweep for Volleyball in Columbus and we're back at the Greg on Wednesday Our then No. 2 Texas Volleyball team won six of seven sets on their way to a 2-0 start to the season at No. 7 Ohio State last week. Kudos and an emphatic Hook 'Em are in order for Zoe Fleck, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for her extraordinary efforts in those matches! Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Logan Eggleston tallied 33 kills over the two matches with 4.71 kills per set. Madisen Skinner recorded 17 kills in the Longhorns' second game against the Buckeyes. Texas will face another top-10 opponent with No. 4 Minnesota coming to town for our home opener at Gregory Gym on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT. Limited tickets for this Top-5 matchup remain so get 'em before they sell out! If you can't join us in the gym, our partners at LHN have you covered so tune in and cheer on our Horns!
Soccer battles past Florida, 3-2 Sophomore forward Trinity Byars scored two goals to lift Texas to a 3-2 win over Florida on Sunday. Texas outshot Florida 19-13 in the match as our Longhorns rebounded from a hard-fought loss to No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday. Y'all showed up and showed out with 3,264 of you packed into Mike A. Myers Stadium for the match against the Tarheels and we're so grateful for your support. That marked the eighth-largest attendance in program history! And a huge shoutout to Trinity Byers, who was received a Top Drawer National Team of the Week honor for her efforts in those matches. This week our Horns are on the road, but they'll be right back here at Myers Stadium next week versus Utah State (7 p.m. CT) on Thursday and UTRGV (1 p.m. CT) on Sunday. We'll see you there!
Women's Basketball's Aaliyah Moore wins U23 FIBA Americas 3X3 Nations League Championship After six days of competition sophomore Aaliyah Moore and her USA teammates captured the FIBA 3X3 U23 Nations League Americas Conference Championship. As a freshman, Moore emerged as a dominant post presence for the Longhorns during their postseason run to a Big 12 Championship Title and return to the NCAA Elite 8.
Cross Country announces schedule, opens season with Tornado Watch Invitational Sept. 1 The men's and women's cross country teams open their season this week with the Tornado Watch Invitational in Round Rock, Texas. In the 2020-21 season the men's team won the NCAA South Central Regional and finished 14th at the NCAA Championships, which proved to be critical points in our charge to the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup title!
Peyton Stearns claims singles and doubles main draw wild cards for US Open Former Longhorn tennis star and National Champion Peyton Stearns received a main draw wild card spot for the US Open, which will be played Aug. 29-Sept. 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Stearns, the 2022 National Player of the Year, will face WTA No. 28 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the main draw singles Round of 128 on Tuesday, Aug. 30. Stearns and partner Ashlyn Krueger open doubles competition in the Round of 64 on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
More Horns at the Open And Peyton won't be the only Horn in New York, a couple of our resident doubles masters – Lloyd Glasspool and Richard Ciamarra – will be there, too! Lloyd is an 11 seed in men's doubles with partner Harri Heliovaara, while Ritchie, our recently crowned NCAA champ, picked up a wild card in mixed doubles to play with women's champion Jaeda Daniel of NC State. How fun is that?
Come join us in celebrating our 2022 Class of the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor We'll be inducting 11 former Longhorns greats into the 2022 class of the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor on Friday, Sept. 16, and we look forward to seeing everyone there! This year's class includes Sam Acho (Football, 2007-10), B.J. Bedford (Swimming & Diving, 1991-94), Kevin Durant (Basketball, 2006-07), Ovie Dotson (Basketball, 1976-79), Lindsay Garner (Softball, 2000-03), Kate Golden (Golf, 1986-89), Robyne Johnson (Track & Field, 1982-85), Anne Grousbeck Matta (Tennis, 1985-88), Jonny Levine (Tennis, 1982-84), Dustin Majewski (Baseball, 2002-03) and Kirk Stackle (Swimming & Diving, 1987-90). The ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Central in the LBJ Auditorium and Conference Center on the UT campus (2313 Red River St.). Tickets for this year's Hall of Honor show will be general admission and are available for $25 per person, just type in the promo code of HOH22. Parking will be available in lots 38 and 39 located in front of LBJ Auditorium.
This Week's Longhorns action on The 40 and beyond
Wednesday: Volleyball vs. No. 4 Minnesota (7 p.m. CT/LHN/Gregory Gym/Buy Tickets) Thursday: Soccer at Oregon (9 p.m. CT/Eugene, Ore.); Cross Country at Tornado Watch Invitational (Round Rock) Friday: LHN Football All Access Show (7 p.m. CT); Rowing National Championship Tower Lighting Saturday: Football vs. ULM (7 p.m. CT/LHN/DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium/Buy Tickets) Sunday: Soccer at Gonzaga (3 p.m. CT/Spokane, Wash.); Volleyball at No. 14 Stanford (3 p.m. CT/Stanford, Calif.)
We'll be Lighting The Tower Friday The UT Tower will be bathed in Burnt Orange with the number "1" on all four sides of the building on Friday night to celebrate Texas Rowing's 2022 National Championship! Fans are encouraged to arrive in front of the Littlefield Fountain from 8:00-8:30 p.m. CT to watch the champs take group photos and celebrate their second consecutive national title.
The Longhorn Foundation is breaking fundraising records While I've got you, I want to take a quick second to brag on our Longhorn Foundation donors. As most of you know, the Longhorn Foundation is the fundraising arm of our athletic department and critical to our efforts to field the best sports programs in the land. Well, because of many of you, who year-after-year generously contribute to our program, they have raised just north of $125 million for our student-athletes. That type of money is a really big deal, but it is even more impressive that this makes four out of the last five years where our Longhorn family has given north of $100 million. To sustain our level of excellence, a record $60 million was raised for our Annual Fund, including $4 million for Longhorn Excellence, which are unrestricted annual gifts. Back in the spring during the university's 40 Hours for the Forty Acres giving campaign, we saw donations fly in for the 50th Anniversary of Title IX to support our outstanding female student-athletes. The leadership giving team continues to impress with 217 donors surpassing $65 million, a majority of which went to capital projects such as the new Basketball and Rowing Training Facility that will be opening this fall. All of these gifts are counted as part of the University's What Starts Here campaign that we publicly launched in the spring. Our overall athletics goal for this campaign is an ambitious $750 million but we feel as though we can shatter that number with the help of all of you great fans and supporters in Longhorn Nation. The motto for this campaign says it all: What Starts Here, Starts With You.
I often say, donors are the wind beneath our wings and you all continue to amaze me! Last year 21,418 of you gave anywhere from $50 to more than $20 million. No matter the amount, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to each and every one of you. You allow us to do what we do at such a high level and we are forever grateful. Our student-athletes have the best resources in the world because of your generosity and y'all saw what that can help us achieve with our second consecutive LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Championship last year You are the team behind the team and we can't thank you enough for your continued support.
Hook 'Em Horns, Chris Del Conte
P.S. — Well here we go, Beach Volleyball coming to the Forty Acres soon!
P.S. — What a fun night it was celebrating the very best student-athletes and coaches that made our back-to-back LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Championships happen!
P.S. – Our campus Gone to Texas event welcomes our students back in full force and is always a joy to be a part of!
P.S. – We see you Roschon, keep up the great work on the field and in the classroom!
VIDEO: Coach Sark's Game Week Press Conference
Coaches Corner: Q&A with Volleyball's Jerritt Elliott (courtesy of the Longhorn Foundation)
Coaches Corner: Q&A with Soccer's Angela Kelly (courtesy of the Longhorn Foundation)
VIDEO: John Field Revisiting Men's Golf's National Championship (courtesy of LHN)
VIDEO: Howard Joffe Talking Women's Tennis' National Championship (courtesy of LHN)
Men's Basketball announces staff adjustments
Coach Flo add Greg Metcalf to Track & Field/Cross Country staff
Rowing's Kate Knifton named a 2022 USRowing Under 23 Athlete of the Year
Volleyball season tickets, mini plans, single game tickets and group tickets on sale
University of Texas Athletics pulls on some new Lucchese boots
Old Dominion Freight Line Aligns with the University of Texas as the Official Freight Carrier of Texas Athletics
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