http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/2/19...mack-brown

(02-19-2016 05:28 PM)panama Wrote:  http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/2/19...mack-brown

IUPUI and UTRGV should merge and become IUPUUTRGVAI.

FloridaJag, your presence is requested.

The article suggests that should UTRGV bring a consistent winner it will be successful. UTRGV /UTPA hasn't had a consistent winner in anything since the 1970's and draw poorly in every sport. There's a reason they were in conference purgatory for two decades.

That said, if they'd have had football, the SLC would have taken them.

It's South Texas

Everything comes second to football.

They don't want anything to do with Southland. They are already in WAC. Their intention is to go FBS within 2 years.

Will be impossible with no stadium

It's good to have teams that want in - have the ability to be more selective.

(02-20-2016 12:25 PM)panama Wrote:  Will be impossible with no stadium

2 solutions. They could build an FBS stadium on the 52 acres of land they purchased, or second, there is a brand new soccer specific stadium that seats 10,000 that is being built for the USL soccer team. By simply enclosing the end zones, you could easily get the stadium up to 15-20K as a temporary solution. In fact, it is already being discussed.

http://valleycentral.com/sports/college/...e-football

According to these accounts, UTRGV's goal is to establish an NCAA FBS (Division I-A) program after two years as a FCS (Division I-AA) independent, much in the same way UT-San Antonio built their nascent football program.

The Roadrunners' first game came five years after they began their feasibility study, three years after the approval of the UT Board of Regents.

While a duplication of that particular time frame would give UTRGV ample to opportunity to build their own campus stadium, perhaps somewhere on the 52 acres of property recently acquired by the university, another option is for UTRGV to become a tenant of the new soccer stadium being built in Edinburg for RGV Toros FC.

Sources close to the situation say UTRGV has had discussions with Toros owner Alonzo Cantu about changing the current plans and possibly enclosing the end zones of the stadium, which would add the seating needed for the Vaqueros to qualify for NCAA Division I.

http://www.themonitor.com/news/sources-u...8764c.html

College football isn’t coming to the Rio Grande Valley just yet, but it could be close.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is expected to initiate a feasibility study on college football, according to multiple sources close to the situation. The sources wished to remain anonymous because they did not have authority to disclose the information.
The study is expected to center around the cost and interest in fielding a college football team. It would include establishing revenue sources, alumni contributions and community interest.
According to sources, the university is scheduled to publicly introduce the study at 2 p.m. Friday.
UTRGV athletics director Chris King said in July 2014: “I think everybody realizes who is involved with UTRGV that (football) is probably five or seven years down the road before we even look at the study.” That was true then.
However, because of the impressive growth of enrollment at the university — which stands at 28,500 and is projected to be 40,000-50,000 in two years — a study on college football became feasible, according to sources.
In mid-January, UTRGV purchased 52 acres of land north of its campus in Edinburg. The university had looked at using the land to build athletic facilities, among other venues, according to Marty Baylor, UTRGV Executive VP of finance and administration.
“We had already looked at the idea of putting a stadium out there,” Baylor told The Monitor on Tuesday.

http://www.themonitor.com/news/utrgv-off...f830c.html

Before University of Texas Rio Grande Valley President Guy Bailey can plot the course for the university’s future, he needs to know if the time is right for a football program.
UTRGV announced Friday the initiation of a football feasibility study, confirming a report The Monitor had Wednesday afternoon. Former Texas coach Mack Brown will guide the committee that will lead the study, which is a part of the university’s overall strategic plan.

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/2/19...mack-brown

Football may finally be coming to the Rio Grande Valley.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has announced its intention to pursue the creation of a football team with former Texas head coach Mack Brown leading the study committee.

The fastest growing university in Texas, UTRGV is a consolidated university that includes the former University of Texas at Brownsville and University of Texas Pan American campuses. Aiming to reach 50,000 students in the coming years, UTRGV is also working to open a medical school in their efforts to bring top-tier education to the criminally under-served Rio Grande Valley.

University president Guy Bailey served as provost at UTSA from 1997 to 2005 when the university first implemented its roadmap to bring football to San Antonio. With Bailey's experience, Mack Brown's guidance, and athletic director Chris King's innovative leadership, I have no doubt that UTRGV will be successful in their attempts to bring college football to the university.

Yeah I was just reading the article about the stadium in Edinburgh. One thing is for sure, they are 3 hours plus from San Amtonio and 6 from Houston. Of course most are still die hard Longhorns but they will not have to worry about competing for attention.

Panama Wrote:It's South Texas

Everything comes second to football.

That is completely incorrect. Baseball is king in South Texas and has been for generations.

As a Liberty alum who lived for many years covering sports in South Texas, I consideer UTRGV as the least of our worries as competition for an FBS invitation.

(02-20-2016 12:34 PM)SlyFox Wrote:  

Panama Wrote:It's South Texas

Everything comes second to football.

That is completely incorrect. Baseball is king in South Texas and has been for generations.

As a Liberty alum who lived for many years covering sports in South Texas, I consideer UTRGV as the least of our worries as competition for an FBS invitation.

As someone who has lived in South Texas for 16 years, I couldn't disagree more. Football is by FAR king in all of south Texas.

Lots of Dallas Cowboy fans down there. May not be hard to get dual loyalties

Where do you live in South Texas? San Antonio is the obvious exception but it has little to no connection to the Valley.

I live in San Antonio, but have traveled to the valley and Corpus area many times. I follow high school sports and high school football is well supported in the valley. As someone stated there are also a lot of die hard NFL and Dallas Cowboys fans from San Antonio all the way to the Valley.

Wanting FBS football, and actually being able to support FBS football are not always the same thing.

As others have pointed out, the Lower Rio Grande Valley is a very poor part of the country, the 1.3 million in population is spread out over a distance of some 75 miles, and UTRGV is not a school of 50,000 students yet. It is two very different schools, very recently combined in name by action of the UT Board of Regents.

I have no doubt that starting an FBS program would help galvanize support for the school and raise tons of money - at first. I just wonder about the implications of trying to fund FBS football on a long term basis, at the same time you are trying to put together a school and have it function at a much higher level than it has ever done before. Kind of trying to run before they know how to crawl.

On the other side of the coin however, the past few years have taught us that if you have a successful football program, your academics don't really have to be very good to be perceived as good.

With a former high-profile, major college football coach leading a "feasibility study" there is no doubt in my mind that the results will come back very positive for starting football though!

It's a rabid part of the country where football is concerned. As you said, you don't wake up Mack Brown unless you're going to do something. And again, they have zero competition to worry about within several hundred miles.

(02-20-2016 12:52 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  With a former high-profile, major college football coach leading a "feasibility study" there is no doubt in my mind that the results will come back very positive for starting football though!

I concur. You don't select someone like him if you are impartial. Just his involvement will get many people excited. He really needs to be their head fundraiser with the respect he gets in the state and his contacts.

Even with a good start, the most crucial piece is hiring the right coach.

(02-20-2016 12:34 PM)SlyFox Wrote:  

Panama Wrote:It's South Texas

Everything comes second to football.

That is completely incorrect. Baseball is king in South Texas and has been for generations.

As a Liberty alum who lived for many years covering sports in South Texas, I consideer UTRGV as the least of our worries as competition for an FBS invitation.

Lol...my wife is from San Juan. I was just there last weekend. I never hear talk of baseball. I was in Reynosa, MX last Friday and as per usual saw nobody wearing MLB caps but several Mexicans wearing Cowboys and Longhorns stuff. Also, Friday night at the HS stadium in the fall is still an event in Hidalgo County. Driving around MCAllen, Mission, Pharr etc the one thing that stands out is the sheer number of high school and middle school football stadiums.