When it comes to college athletics, I have fallen deeply in love with Texas A&M University. I give the credit to my wife and in-laws, as they have opened the door to Aggieland for me and shown me what a great institution it is. Since my alma mater, UTSA, did not have a football team, it was easy to change my affiliation to the Aggies. As we all know in Texas, in a football stadium is where affiliations and rivalries are born and live.
This season, UTSA fielded its very first football team, and the city of San Antonio has fallen behind them 100-percent. The amount of support from alumni, sponsors, and even the Chamber of Commerce is unbelievable. They are playing their games in the Alamodome, which is notable for its size and location downtown… the perfect place for a city to show up and embrace a new team (just ask the New Orleans Saints).
The first UTSA football game was played while we were out of town. The school set a goal to break the “first game for a program” attendance record that was held by the South Florida Bulls in 1997 at 49,212. UTSA shattered that record by filling the ‘Dome with 56,743!
Thanks to a phone call from a friend (Adam) with an extra ticket, I got to go to UTSA’s second game. This required that I gear up for game day with a UTSA shirt. Thank goodness the HEB grocery store a full display of shirts since the Academy sporting goods store was sold out! (See what I mean about support?!)
Game day came and I got there early to tailgate with my sister and her friends. I must say that there was a whole lot more tailgaters than I expected. That is one thing I have done a lot of with my family at A&M, and it was good to see that UTSA was doing what it could in the confines of the downtown Alamodome. There were two parking lots of tailgaters: students and alumni/season ticket holders. I’ll let you guess which one was crazier.
Adam and I made our way into the ‘Dome. I have been there for many football games, but NEVER have I sat front row on the 40 yard line! We were even on the UTSA sideline, so watching the entire UTSA football program operate on game day was amazing to see. I must admit that I got a little choked up thinking about my time at UTSA and how big this move is to field a football team. Like it or not, more pride is born from supporting athletics than anything else a university has to offer its students and alumni. I was certainly filled with pride when I watched what MY alma mater was doing on the field and in the stands.
What a great time it is to be a Roadrunner!
-RB
