EDINBURG — The countdown to kickoff for UTRGV football is underway with a plan to start competing at the Division I level in 2025, UTRGV president Guy Bailey, vice president and director of athletics Chasse Conque and senior vice president for strategic enrollment and student affairs Maggie Hinojosa announced during a celebratory news conference Friday at UTRGV’s Edinburg campus.
“Today will be etched in history forever. Institutionally, this day is significant for us as a region, it puts us on a different trajectory,” Conque said. “I think the beauty of this is, and I think what we saw today, is it’s bigger than just athletics. You saw all the different community groups out here, you saw the external community, our city and governmental leaders. It’s going to take all of us and today was a great start.”
Friday’s ceremony came one day after receiving the final green light from the University of Texas System Board of Regents, who approved an increase in intercollegiate athletic fees for UTRGV to create a football team, women’s swimming and diving team, marching bands and expanded spirit programs.
“It’s a wonderful morning and a day of great excitement. What this means is that as we move forward, we’re going to be able to offer our students the same college experience, the same campus life experience they can get at any other major university in the United States,” Bailey said. “We offer a very high quality education here, great values, but what students can’t get is the traditional college experience. When you participate in the marching band, you have the expanded spirit squads, you have the tailgate you can go to before the football games — as we do that, our students will have the same set of opportunities they would have at any other university. We’re committed to providing opportunities on the educational limb with new degree programs, but also the student life as well, so we think it’s a really important day for our students, for the university and for the Rio Grande Valley.”
UTRGV, who is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, will compete at the Football Championship Subdivision level beginning in Fall 2025.
UTRGV will play the majority of its games at H-E-B Park in Edinburg and host one home game each season at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville. The Vaqueros also plan to build an on-campus practice facility in Edinburg.
UTRGV athletics plans to hire the program’s first head coach in the next few months to give ample time to create a coaching staff to help launch UTRGV football. The program will conduct a practice season in 2024.
“We want to take our time. We’re not in a rush. We don’t have to sign a recruiting class next February, so you have an opportunity to get it right,” Conque said of the hiring process of a football head coach. “I think there’s going to be great interest in this position. I look forward to working through that process and I look forward to working through the process as we hire a swimming and diving coach next summer.”
UTRGV also announced an expansion of on-campus housing to further the college experience for its diverse student body.
“UTRGV is such a thriving and growing university. Bringing football to this region, Texas loves football and this area has probably been starved for football for a long time,” WAC commissioner Brian Thornton said. “Having the opportunity to bring something here that’s your own and something the community can rally around will certainly impact this area and the Valley, but also will be a huge piece of what we continue to do in the WAC.”
