The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams that represent The University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the 'Horns and take their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the official "large animal" of the U.S. state of Texas. The women's teams are sometimes called the Lady Longhorns, but generally both the men's and women's teams are referred to as the Longhorns, and the mascot is a Texas Longhorn steer named Bevo.
The Longhorn nickname appeared in Texas newspapers by 1900.
The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. It offers a wide variety of varsity and intramural sports programs, and was selected as "America's Best Sports College" in a 2002 analysis by Sports Illustrated. Texas was also listed as the number one Collegiate Licensing Company client from 2005-2013 in regards to the amount of annual trademark royalties received from the sales of its fan merchandise.
Texas is the only remaining NCAA Division I school to operate separate men's and women's athletic departments, after the other remaining holdout, the University of Tennessee, merged its men's and women's athletic departments at the end of the 2011-12 academic year.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Varsity sports
A charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, the Texas Longhorns now compete in the Big 12 Conference, as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The school's colors are officially Orange (Pantone 159) and White, with Burnt Orange -- also known as Texas Orange - being the specific shade of orange used. The University of Texas Longhorn Band performs the alma mater ("The Eyes of Texas") as well as the university fight song ("Texas Fight") at various sporting events.
Over the years, Longhorn sports teams have won 52 total national championships, 44 of which are NCAA National Championships. The University of Texas currently fields a varsity team in nine men's sports and eleven women's sports.
Football
Two Texas Longhorn running backs have won college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy: Earl Campbell (1978) and Ricky Williams (1998). Seventeen Longhorn players and two Longhorn coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, while four are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Other Longhorn players have also received recognition for their performance.
In terms of total wins, Texas is the 2nd-ranked NCAA Division I FBS program in college football history with 891 wins, after passing Nebraska during the 2016 season. As of the end of the 2016 season, the Longhorns' all-time record is 891-359-33 (.709). Only the University of Michigan has won more games and a greater percentage of games played than Texas, which recorded its 800th victory with the Longhorns' 41-38 win over the USC Trojans in the 2006 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the program was somewhat less successful, but the Longhorns have since returned to prominence in college football, finishing in the top six of the AP and coaches' polls in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009.
The University of Texas team plays home games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium which has a seating capacity of 100,119. Renovations began on the stadium November 14, 2005, two days following the last home football game of the 2005 season. The improvements were completed before the 2008 football season, and included additional seating and the nation's first high definition video display in a collegiate facility nicknamed "Godzillatron." The University completed a $27 million expansion and renovation to the south end zone facilities in August 2009 which added 4,525 permanent bleacher seats and changed the playing surface to FieldTurf. With the new permanent bleacher seating section added behind the south end zone and the total remodeling of the north end zone completed in 2008, the stadium's official capacity now stands at 100,119. This was surpassed when 101,357 saw #3-ranked Texas beat Kansas 51-20 on November 21, 2009.
The Longhorns are currently coached by Tom Herman, who came to Texas in November 2016 after being head coach at Houston.
Texas Longhorns under Mack Brown
Mack Brown became the head football coach for Texas in 1998. From 1998 through the 2008-2009 season, the Longhorns had a 124-27 win-loss record. In his first six years at Texas, Brown had a winning record but he had not managed to win the Big 12 conference or to lead the Longhorns into a Bowl Championship Series game. He was often lauded for his recruiting while being criticized for failing to win championships.
That changed with the 2004 Texas Longhorns football team who played in the 2005 Rose Bowl against the Wolverines of the University of Michigan. The game was the first meeting between the two storied teams and the Longhorns' first trip to the Rose Bowl. In a classic game that featured five lead changes and three tie scores during the course of play, the Longhorns defeated the Wolverines 38-37 on a successful 38-yard field goal by place kicker Dusty Mangum as time expired. It was the first time the Rose Bowl had ever been decided on the closing play, and it earned the Longhorns a top 5 finish in the polls. Three ex-Longhorns from the 2005 Rose Bowl team -- Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, and Bo Scaife -- were selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Brown followed up the strong 2004 season on the field with an extremely successful 2005 recruiting season by securing the top-ranked recruiting class (the 2005 recruiting season is for players entering the University in Fall 2006). With the exception of Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, and Bo Scaife, Texas returned most of their key players from 2004-2005, including red-shirt Junior Quarterback Vince Young. The 2005 Texas Longhorns football team was given a pre-season No. 2 ranking (behind defending National Champions University of Southern California) by Sports Illustrated magazine, and was also ranked second in the AP and USA Today coaches' pre-season polls. They maintained those rankings throughout the entire 2005-2006 season.
Texas and USC ended up winning out their seasons and faced each other in the National Championship, which Texas won, 41-38. At the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season, Sports Illustrated issued a special commemorative edition that featured Vince Young shouting in triumph amidst a storm of multi-colored confetti. Features in the special edition included a story on Vince Young's Glory Days by author Tim Layden, as well as a story dissecting How the Rose Bowl was won by Austin Murphy. The issue was on sale nationwide alongside the regular edition of the magazine, which also featured the Rose Bowl on the cover.
2006
The 2006 Texas Longhorns football team hoped to repeat as national champions. The Texas Longhorns returned several offensive (7) and defensive (7) starters from their National Title team, but quarterback Vince Young elected to go the NFL which left freshman Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback.
The Longhorns opened the season with a win at home against North Texas. Their second game, against Ohio State, was one of the most anticipated college football games of the regular season. The Longhorns lost that game, but then defeated Rice, Iowa State and Sam Houston State by a combined score of 145-24. Then they defeated 14th-ranked Oklahoma 28-10 in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns lost their last two regular season games to Kansas State (45-42) and Texas A&M (12-7). A victory against A&M would have clinched the Big 12 South Division title for the Longhorns. As a result of the loss, Oklahoma won the division and played in the Big 12 Championship game. The Alamo Bowl, with the 5th pick of Big 12 conference teams selected the Longhorns to play against unranked Iowa who had placed 8th in the Big Ten conference. With Colt McCoy at quarterback, the Longhorns narrowly defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 26-24.
2007
The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team began play on September 1, 2007. Texas entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage. They were ranked in the Top 10 by numerous pre-season polls. For instance, a pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth; Rivals.com has them at ninth. College Football News and Real Football 365 both had the Longhorns ranked third. The Longhorns come into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches' Poll and AP Poll. The Longhorns failed to make good on that ranking, however, dropping to number 20 in the BCS standings after losing to conference foes Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
2008
The 2008 Texas Longhorn football team entered the season with freshmen athletes at many positions, no definite starting running back and appeared to lack talent at key positions. The Longhorns were projected to post a 9-3 during the 2008 season, and were ranked Nos. 11 and 10 in the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll, respectively. Despite doubt surrounding the season, the Longhorns rallied to an 8-0 start, including a four game in-conference stretch against opponents ranked in the top 12 football teams in the country. During that stretch, the Texas Longhorns defeated BCS ranked No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 11 Missouri, and No. 7 Oklahoma State before losing to No. 7 Texas Tech on November 1, 2008. On January 5, 2009, Texas defeated No. 10 (according to final BCS rankings) Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl 24-21. The loss to No. 7 Texas Tech was the only loss for the 2008 Texas Longhorns, finishing 12-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big 12 Conference South Division and No. 3 in the BCS rankings, No. 4 in the final AP Poll, and No. 3 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll.
2009
The 2009 Texas Longhorn football team entered the season with a veteran quarterback in Colt McCoy and high hopes of winning a National Championship. The Longhorns were ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Longhorns finished the season 13-1, and 8-0 in Big 12 play. They represented the Big 12 South Division in the Big 12 Championship Game where, on a last second field goal, they defeated Nebraska 13-12 to become Big 12 Champions. The Longhorns finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series to earn a birth in the BCS Championship Game where they were defeated by Alabama 37-21 after an early injury to Colt McCoy. Texas finished the season ranked No. 2 in the AP and coaches poll.
2010
In 2010, after losing six players to the NFL Draft, the Texas Longhorns finished with their worst record under Mack Brown, going 5-7 and finishing last in the Big 12 South, ending a string of nine 10 or more win seasons. The only signature win of the season was a 20-13 upset in Lincoln over Nebraska in their final in-conference match-up.
2011
In 2011 the Longhorns finished the season 9-4, 5-4 in Big 12 play, in a tie for third place. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they defeated The University of California, Berkeley.
Quarterback Garrett Gilbert was named the starter for the Longhorns August 29 in their season opening against Rice University. However, on September 12, it was announced that Gilbert was being moved to the second-string quarterback behind Case McCoy and David Ash who would be sharing the starting position for the duration of the season. On September 20, it was announced that Gilbert underwent successful surgery on his shoulder and will be out the remainder of the season. Knowing that his future in Austin looked bleak, Gilbert sought an unconditional release, which was granted to him on October 5. Gilbert finished his degree at Texas before moving to Southern Methodist University in Dallas to continue his football career.
All-time All-Americans
The Texas Longhorn football program has produced 120 All-American selections (93 players), with 48 of these being Consensus All-American selections (41 players) and 21 of these being Unanimous All-American selections (18 players).
All-time national award winners
Players
Coaches
All-time University of Texas football team
(As chosen by the Austin American-Statesman on September 9, 2005.)
Coach - Darrell Royal (1957-1976)
Honorary captain - Louis Jordan (1911-1914) - Note: First Texas player to make the Walter Camp All-American team. He was later killed in battle while fighting in France during World War II.
Championships and Bowls
- National Championships (4 claimed; 9 unclaimed):
- Conference Championships (32):
- Divisional championships (7):
- Bowl Game Wins (27):
Men's basketball
The Texas men's basketball team has achieved national prominence under head coach Rick Barnes in recent years. Barnes has guided Texas to a school-record twelve consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a school-best eleven consecutive 20-win seasons as of March 11, 2010.
Hired as the twenty-third men's basketball coach in University of Texas history on April 12, 1998, Rick Barnes left Clemson University to take over a Longhorn program coming off of a losing season and "in disarray." Former head coach Tom Penders had resigned after a scandal involving his unlawful release of player Luke Axtell's grades to the media. Longhorn players Axtell, Chris Mihm, Gabe Muoneke, and Bernard Smith had met with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds "to say that they had lost faith in Penders and his program."
Despite playing with just seven scholarship players for the majority of the 1998-1999 season - and opening the season with a 3-8 record - Barnes engineered one of the greatest mid-season turnarounds in school history. The Longhorns won 16 of their final 21 games, posting a 13-3 record in conference play and winning the school's first regular season Big 12 Conference championship by a two-game margin, and finishing the year at 19-13, with a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2002, the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1996-97 season, and for only the third time since the expansion of the tournament to 64 participants in 1985. The 2003 Longhorn basketball team matched the school record for most basketball victories in a season with their 26-7 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four round for the first time in 56 years, and for the third time in school history. Along the way, Texas earned its highest ranking in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls in school history (No. 2 in both polls on Dec 2, 2002) and received its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore point guard T. J. Ford became the first male player for Texas to earn the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's Player of the Year in 2003.
Despite the early departure of Ford to the NBA as the eighth overall pick (Milwaukee Bucks), Texas compiled a 25-8 overall record in 2004 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round for a school-record third consecutive year. The four senior starters on the 2004 team graduated as the winningest class in school history (98 wins) to that point. In 2006, the Longhorns recorded the program's first 30-win season (30-7), claimed a share of the Big 12 Conference regular season championship, received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the Elite Eight (Texas fell to LSU in overtime), marking the fourth time in five years that Texas had advanced to at least the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The 2006 class, which finished with 101 wins in four years, bested the 2004 class' mark of 98 wins to become the winningest class in the history of Longhorn basketball.
The 2005-06 season also marked the 100th anniversary of basketball at the University of Texas. Special logos were placed on the uniforms to commemorate this anniversary.
In 2007, the men's basketball team was ranked sixth by the Harris Poll for favorite men's college basketball teams, moving up one spot from the previous year.
Championships
- Pre-NCAA Tournament Premo-Porretta National Championships (1):
- Conference Championships (25):
- Conference Tournament Championships (2):
Women's basketball
The women's basketball team has long been a national power, especially during the late 1980s (winning a National Title in 1986) and through the 1990s. Both teams play home games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. The adjacent Denton A. Cooley Pavilion serves as the training and practice facility for both the men's and women's teams.
Championships
- National Championship (1):
- Conference Championships (12):
- Conference Tournament Championships (10):
Baseball
The Texas Longhorns are the winningest team in college baseball history, both in terms of total wins and in terms of win percentage. Texas holds the records for most appearances in the College World Series (35) and most individual CWS games won. The Longhorns have won six NCAA baseball national championships (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, and 2005) -- second only to Southern California's total of 12 - and have appeared in the CWS Championship Game or Championship Series on six other occasions (1953, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2004, and 2009).
Former Longhorns who have gone on to success in Major League Baseball include Roger Clemens, Bibb Falk, Ron Gardenhire, Calvin Schiraldi, Burt Hooton, Keith Moreland, Spike Owen, Greg Swindell, Huston Street, Omar Quintanilla, Taylor Teagarden, Sam LeCure and Drew Stubbs.
From 1997 to 2016, the Longhorns were led by head coach Augie Garrido, the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history. The team plays its home games at Disch-Falk Field.
Championships
- National championships (6):
- Conference regular-season championships (77):
- Conference Tournament championships (16):
Softball
The University of Texas Longhorn's softball team is led by head coach Connie Clark and assistant coaches Jennifer McFalls and Tripp MacKay.
UT's Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans
Championships
- Conference championships (4):
- Conference tournament championships (4):
Men's golf
The University of Texas has a strong golf tradition, winning national titles back-to-back in 1971 and 1972 and again in 2012, and finishing runner-up four other times. Individual national champions were Edward White (1935), Ben Crenshaw (1971, 1972, and 1973), Tom Kite (1972), and Justin Leonard (1994). Longhorns who have won the U.S. Amateur include Justin Leonard and David Gossett. Two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jordan Spieth played for the Longhorns golf team in 2011 and 2012. Several former Longhorn players have gone on to success on the PGA Tour including: Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Blackmar, Mark Brooks, Bob Estes, Justin Leonard, and Jordan Spieth.
Legendary golf instructor Harvey Penick was a long-time coach at Texas. The team is currently coached by John Fields and Ryan Murphy.
Championships
- National Championship (3):
- Conference Championships (47):
Women's golf
In 1978 Deborah Petrizzi won the AIAW national intercollegiate individual golf championship.
- Conference Championships (13):
Men's track and field
The men's program is coached by Bubba Thornton who was also the men's US Olympic coach in 2008; as a team, the Longhorn men placed fourth in the 2008 NCAA outdoor championships. Other notable coaches of the Texas men's program have included Stan Huntsman (Texas coach, 1986-95), who was also the coach of the 1988 US Olympic team, and Clyde Littlefield (Texas coach, 1920-60), the 1925 co-founder of the annual Texas Relays. The men have won four consecutive Big 12 Indoor Championships.
The Longhorn track and field programs have produced numerous Olympians for various nations. Male medalists include Winthrop Graham (Jamaica, silver, 400m hurdles, 1992 and 4 × 400 m relay, 1988), Patrick Sang (Kenya, silver, 3000m steeplechase, 1992), Du'aine Ladejo (Great Britain, bronze, 4 × 400 m relay, 1992), Johnny Lam Jones (USA, gold, 4 × 100 m relay, 1976), Eddie Southern (USA, silver, 400m hurdles, 1956), and Dean Smith (athlete) (USA, gold, 4 × 100 m relay, 1952).
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, former Longhorns Leonel Manzano, Trey Hardee, Andra Manson, Michelle Carter, Marshevet Hooker, and Sanya Richards represented the United States. Richards won a bronze medal in the 400 meters and a gold in the 4 × 400 meter relay. Jamaican Melaine Walker won gold in the 400 meter hurdles.
Championships
- Indoor Conference Championships (12):
- Outdoor Conference Championships (51):
Women's track & field
The Texas Longhorn women placed seventh in the 2008 Big 12 outdoor championships. The women's program is coached by Beverly Kearney, who has guided the Lady Longhorns to six NCAA Championships: Indoor Championships in 1998, 1999, and 2006, and Outdoor Championships in 1998, 1999, and 2005. Other notable coaches have included Terry Crawford whose teams won Indoor Championships in 1986, 1988, and 1990, and Outdoor Championships in 1982 and 1986. Crawford's athletes also won the 1986 Women's Cross Country Championship. The program's first title was the 1982 AIAW outdoor track and field championship.
The Longhorn track and field programs have produced numerous Olympians for various nations. Female Olympic medalists have included Sanya Richards and Moushami Robinson (USA, gold, 4 × 400 meter relay, 2004), Sandie Richards (Jamaica, silver, 4 × 400 m relay, 2000 and 2004), Merlene Frazer (Jamaica, silver, 4 × 100 m relay, 2000), Nanceen Perry (USA, bronze, 4 × 100 m relay, 2000), Carlette Guidry (USA, gold, 4 × 100 m relay, 1992 and 1996), Juliet Cuthbert (Jamaica, silver, 100m and 200m, 1992 and bronze, 4 × 100 m relay, 1996), and Nikole Mitchell (Jamaica, bronze, 4 × 100 m relay, 1996).
Championships
- Indoor National Championships (6):
- Outdoor National Championships (5):
- Indoor Conference Championships (18):
- Outdoor Conference Championships (19):
Volleyball
Texas has finished among the top 25 in the nation 19 out of the last 23 years, with 1988 and 2012 NCAA National Championships, as well as runner-up finishes in 1995, 2009, 2015, and 2016. They also won an AIAW national championship in 1981. The team is currently coached by Jerritt Elliott and plays home games in Gregory Gymnasium.
Texas has finished the Big 12 conference in third place or higher every year for 8 out of 12 years, finishing 1st in 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2009, 2nd in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 3rd in 1999 & 2006.
Texas volleyball has produced many All-Americans, and in 2007, they won the program's first Big 12 title since 1997, sharing the title with Nebraska, breaking Nebraska's 3-year streak of winning the title outright. They also earned the programs first AVCA National Freshman of the Year since 1995 in 2007, for Big 12 Freshman of the Year Juliann Faucette.
Championships
- National Championship (3):
- Conference Championships (22):
Swimming and diving
Texas has won thirteen National Titles in men's swimming and diving (1981, 1988-1991, 1996, 2000-2002, 2010, 2015-17) and nine in Women's Swimming and Diving (1981-82, 1984-88, 1990-91) making swimming and diving the most successful Texas athletics program by far, based on number of national titles. The men's swimming team is currently coached by Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik and the diving team by Matt Scoggin. Reese has coached numerous former and current world record holders while at Texas, including many competing in the summer olympic games for the United States and other home nations. The swim team was first developed under Coach Tex Robertson.
Men's championships
- National Championships (13):
- Conference Championships (59):
Women's championships
- National Championships (9):
- Conference Championships (27):
Women's rowing
The women's rowing team was established in the fall of 1998. At the team's first appearance at the NCAA championships in 2003, its varsity 8 placed 12th nationally. The team won the inaugural Big 12 Championship in 2009 and kept the championship title for the following three years. Additionally, the Texas women's rowing team won the 2011 Conference USA Championship. In June 2014, Dave O'Neill was appointed head coach of the program.
University Of Texas Soccer Video
Notable non varsity sports
Rugby
Founded in 1985, the Texas Longhorns rugby team plays in the Allied Rugby Conference, and plays its postseason in the Varsity Cup Championship. The Longhorns rugby program has been improving in recent years. Texas rugby has instituted a combine to identify the most elite athletes on campus with an eye towards recruiting them to play rugby. The increasing popularity of rugby in the United States and the announcement that rugby would return to the Summer Olympics led Texas to upgrade the designation of its rugby program from club to Olympic. The Texas Rugby Alumni association and the Texas Exes have begun an endowment to award scholarships to Texas rugby players, which is viewed as a vital recruitment tool.
The Longhorns' improvement led to Texas winning the Southwest Conference in the 2011-12 season to qualify for the sweet sixteen of the 2012 national championship playoffs. Texas won the 2012 Southwest 7s tournament to qualify for the 2012 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships.
The Longhorns rugby program has been boosted by its participation in the Collegiate Rugby Championship, the highest profile college rugby competition in the US, which is broadcast live on NBC. In the 2011 CRC, Texas defeated Big 12 rival Oklahoma to reach the quarterfinals. Following Texas' participation in the 2011 CRC, Texas "raised an additional $10,000 from alumni, landed a new apparel sponsor, and have been contacted by 90 students (including two DBs from the football team) who want to play rugby." In the 2012 CRC, Texas defeated its rival Oklahoma to again reach the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The Longhorns rugby program reached a new all-time high during the 2013-2014 season. Texas won the 2013 Southwest Conference 7s Championship advancing them to the 2013 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships, where they finished ranked #12 in the nation. Months later Texas won the 2014 Southwest Conference 15s Championship, making them the first team in the conference to win both the 7s and 15s championships in the same season. The Longhorns finished the season with their first participation in The Varsity Cup Championship, where they finished in the top 8.
Halls of honor
- University of Texas Men's Athletics Hall of Honor
- University of Texas Women's Athletics Hall of Honor
Championships
NCAA team championships
Texas has won 44 NCAA team national championships.
- Men's (22)
- Baseball (6): 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005
- Golf (3): 1971, 1972, 2012
- Swimming (13): 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017
- Women's (23)
- Basketball (1): 1986
- Cross Country (1): 1986
- Indoor Track and Field (6): 1986, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006
- Outdoor Track and Field (4): 1986, 1998, 1999, 2005
- Swimming (7): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991
- Tennis (2): 1993, 1995
- Volleyball (2): 1988, 2012
- See also:
- Big 12 Conference National team titles
- List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships
Other national team championships
Below are 9 national team titles that were not bestowed by the NCAA:
- Men's (4)
- Football (4): 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005
- Women's (5)
- Outdoor Track and Field (1): 1982 (AIAW)
- Swimming and Diving (2): 1981, 1982 (AIAW)
- Volleyball (1): 1981 (AIAW)
- Beach volleyball (1): 2008 (AVCA)
- See also:
- List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships
Conference championships
* Denotes shared conference title
+ Denotes an AIAW Championship. The University of Texas began NCAA and Southwest Conference competition in women's sports for the 1982-83 season.
Rivalries
The university's biggest rival is Texas A&M University. However, in football, Texas considers the Oklahoma Sooners to be a more significant rival. According to Bill Little, the Longhorns' assistant athletic director, the rivalry against A&M is "based on respect", while the rivalry against Oklahoma is "based on anger". Other teams have also been considered to be rivals of the Longhorns in various sports. This list includes several other colleges in Texas, such as Texas Christian, Baylor, Rice, Texas Tech, and Houston.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Texas is also one of the biggest rivals of the University of Arkansas which may be attributed to their long tenure as the two eponymous state schools of the former Southwest Conference, or to the 1969 game between the two, which decided the national championship in favor of the Longhorns.
Oklahoma Sooners
Texas has a long-standing, bitter rivalry with the University of Oklahoma. The football game between the University of Texas and Oklahoma is commonly known as the "Red River Shootout" and is held annually in Dallas, Texas, at the Cotton Bowl. This name has come to refer to the two schools' contests in other major team sports as well. Since 2005, the football game has received sponsorship dollars in return for being referred to as the "SBC Red River Rivalry" (changed to AT&T Red River Rivalry in 2006 when SBC changed its corporate name to AT&T), a move which has been criticized both for its commercialism and its political correctness.
In recent years, this rivalry has taken on added significance, since both football programs have been highly ranked and compete in the same division of the Big 12 conference. In 2005, The Dallas Morning News did an opinion poll of the 119 Division 1A football coaches as to the nations top rivalry game in college football. The Texas-Oklahoma game was ranked third.
Texas A&M Aggies
The annual football game with Texas A&M usually took place on the weekend of Thanksgiving each year, though it was moved to the first weekend in December in 1994 due to A&M's TV restriction during probation. In either case, the Texas-Texas A&M game was the last regular-season contest for each team. The Longhorns lead the series, 76-37-5.
In an attempt to generate more attention for the rivalry in sports other than football, in 2004 the two schools started the Lone Star Showdown, which began as a two-year trial program and has continued ever since. Essentially, each time the two schools meet in a sport, the winner of the matchup gets a point. In sports wherein the teams meet twice one half point is awarded for a victory. If more contests than two occur, such as in baseball, the series winner gets one point. At the end of the year, the school with the most points wins the series and receives a trophy. In the event of a tie the current holder retains the trophy as did A&M after the '08-'09 season. Texas leads the series 6-2.
Aspects of the rivalry include:
- Each school mentions the other in their fight song (Texas with "and it's goodbye to A&M" in Texas Fight, and the Aggies singing about Texas for essentially the entire second verse of the Aggie War Hymn, which is the only verse typically sung)
- The football series between the two universities is the third longest running rivalry in all of college football. From 1900 - 2011, the last regular season football game was usually reserved for their matchup.
- Each school has elaborate pre-game preparations for the annual football clash, including the Aggie Bonfire and the Hex Rally
- Texas has a unique lighting scheme for the Tower after wins over Texas A&M.
- In the past, mischief has preceded the annual game, such as "kidnapping" each other's mascots.
With Texas A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference, the Lone Star Showdown's final game was played on November 24, 2011, at Kyle Field. The Longhorns won, 27-25, on a last-second field goal. Another game between Texas and Texas A&M will not happen until at least 2018, according to Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds. The 2011 game marked the end of the 118-year Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Longhorns and Red Raiders football teams compete annually for a traveling trophy called the Chancellor's Spurs. The exchange began in 1996, and the Longhorns lead the football series, 48-15.
Rice Owls
A long-standing more historic rivalry with the Rice Owls that has been largely dominated by Texas since their days in the Southwest Conference is still played almost annually, with Texas winning the latest matchup (2015 contest) 42-28. The Rice Owls last victory in the rivalry came in 1994 when they beat Texas, 19-17, at Rice Stadium on ESPN and the Owls went on to win the Southwest Conference that year.
Facilities
Major sporting facilities and their main use include:
- Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium -- football
- Frank Erwin Special Events Center -- basketball
- Denton A. Cooley Pavilion -- basketball
- Disch-Falk Field -- baseball
- Mike A. Myers Stadium -- soccer; track and field
- Red and Charline McCombs Field -- softball
- Gregory Gymnasium -- volleyball
- Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center -- swimming and diving
- Penick-Allison Tennis Center -- tennis
- Texas Rowing Center -- rowing
- The University of Texas Golf Club - golf
In addition, the University of Texas has numerous practice, training, and intramural facilities.
Traditions
The University of Texas many traditions which associated with athletics events, especially football. Some Longhorn traditions include:
- Bevo - the school mascot, a live Texas longhorn steer present for football games and other special events. It is a common misconception that the mascot's name came from Texas students altering a 13-0 branding a group of Aggies gave the steer. Bevo was received his name several months before the Aggies could vandalize the steer in a Texas alumni magazine. His name came from the slang term for a steer that is destined to become food, beeve, and in a common practice for the 00's and 10's, an "O" was added at the end, similar to Groucho or Harpo Marx.
- Big Bertha - Claimed by the university to be the world's largest drum, however Purdue University makes a similar claim about their drum.
- "The Eyes of Texas" - the school song, traditionally led by the Orange Jackets on the football field, sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
- Hook 'em Horns - the school hand signal, was introduced at a pep rally in 1955. Sports Illustrated featured the Hook 'em Horns symbol in front of a Texas pennant on the cover of their September 10, 1973 issue (pictured).
- "Texas Fight" - the school fight song
- Texas - Fight! cheer - one side of the stadium yells "Texas!" and then the other side yells "Fight" - this is usually repeated several times
- Script Texas - half-time routine by the Longhorn Band
- Smokey the Cannon - fired in celebration on game day at the moment of kickoff and after Texas scores
- The University of Texas Longhorn Band, nicknamed The Showband of the Southwest
- The World's Largest Texas Flag is run on the field prior to home football games, bowl games, and other sporting events. It is also dropped from the President's Balcony during pep rallies. It is owned by the UT Alpha Rho chapter of Alpha Phi Omega.
- Lighting the Tower (also known as the Main Building) in orange for various types of sporting victories. After national championship victories, windows are lighted in the main building to display a large number "1".
- Read the rest - Students from primarily Texas A&M University usually taunt Texas students by threatening to "saw off" the horns of Bevo, citing the Bible verse Psalms 75:10: "I shall cut off the horns of the wicked." As it turns out, that's not the entire verse, and as a response, Texas students tell Aggies to "read the rest". The rest of the verse is "but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up." This appears on shirts, usually with "Hook 'Em" written underneath. Their other primary rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, generally prefer to show their disdain by inverting the "Hook 'Em" hand sign or Longhorn logo. This gesture has become more common among fans of other teams as well, especially in the Big 12, when they play against Texas.
Merchandise
For nine straight years (2005-2013), Texas was listed as the number one Collegiate Licensing Company client in regards to the amount of annual trademark royalties received from the sales of its fan merchandise. Schools that are not members of Collegiate Licensing Company however are not ranked in the listing. Money from merchandising sales goes to the university, as opposed to being earmarked specifically for athletics programs.
TV channel
On January 20, 2011, the UT athletic department announced plans to launch a 24-hour channel devoted entirely to UT sports and academic activities at the University of Texas. This channel, a joint venture with ESPN, takes advantage of a clause in new Big 12 Conference television contracts allowing Texas a bigger share of revenues than the conference's other members; in turn, it was part of the agreement to keep the conference together amidst a full-scale plan by the Pac-10 Conference to raid Big 12 members. (The Pac-10 only gained one Big 12 school, Colorado). Both sides hoped to launch the channel for the 2011-2012 academic year, but needed carriage commitments first.
Banners with the name "ESPN Texas" were visible during segments of SportsCenter and other programs originating from Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas in the week prior to Super Bowl XLV. The channel was launched in August 2011 as the Longhorn Network.
Before its launch, the network had controversial plans to air high school football games, an institution throughout the state of Texas. Currently, the state's governing body for public high school sports, the University Interscholastic League, prohibits live game telecasts on Friday nights. It had also been speculated that any telecast on the new channel, regardless of when it aired, could violate NCAA rules against unfair recruiting inducements. This was especially an issue for Texas A&M; in fact, the plans for the network to air high school games directly led to A&M's decision in July, 2011, to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The Big 12 then approved a temporary rule in August 2011 banning the planned high school telecasts, and within two weeks, the NCAA ruled that no school or conference network could broadcast high school games, ending that particular controversy.
Boosters
The University of Texas is known to have a big group of powerful boosters that help support a third of the budget of the athletics department. The main people known to be involved are:
- W.A. "Tex" Moncrief
- Joe Jamail
- Red McCombs
- Mike A. Myers|Mike Myers
- Frank Denius
- B. M. "Mack" Rankin Jr.
- Jim Bob Moffett
- Robert Rowling
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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