Why you should care about UTSA Football

(December 14, 2016) – -- In a few short days, the UTSA football team will be playing the University of New Mexico in our first-ever bowl game.

Now I understand that football is not everyone's priority — some academics would even argue that college sports serve as a distraction from the tireless work of research, reading and lectures. However, whether you share this view or not, intercollegiate sports play an influential role in higher education. I would argue that this is not something that we should loathe but rather analyze closely and seek the intrinsic value that it could provide. In our case, here at UTSA, football is a relatively new venture with many eyes now looking closely at its recent success. On Nov. 26, 2016, UTSA beat the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and became eligible to be placed in a bowl game for the first time in the program's six-year history. I believe, though, that bowl-eligibility was the lesser of two incredible milestones achieved that victorious night. As to the second, let me explain by first discussing the history of our football program.

In 2011, with the vision of Athletics Director Lynn Hickey and Head Coach Larry Coker, the brand-new football team was filled with hope, energy and determination. They played hard, had the city's overwhelming support and the school's adoration. However, the journey to bowl-eligibility was not one lined with flower petals. It took hard work and even failure; it required persistence but sometimes ended with fatigue. At the start of the spring 2016 semester, the program welcomed a new head coach at the helm and with him a new vision. Coach Frank Wilson's call to action to the team, the fans, and the university from the start was "All Hands on Deck." Coach Wilson worked and lifted our team up to be ready to compete in bowls and conference championships. Promising wins and success, it is safe to say that he has delivered.

We can draw many parallels between the story of the football program and the history of UTSA. The university was established in 1969 making it a young university at a little under 50 years old. Its beginnings were filled with hope, energy and determination. The newly christened institution began the hard work of making a name for itself right from the start.

In 1999, Dr. Ricardo Romo became UTSA's fifth president and immediately began to further the organizational vision to strive to become a top-tier institution. The new life that Dr. Romo provided lifted the university and all of us up to where we are now. UTSA is no longer simply a commuter college but a university that is comparable to renowned institutions across the world. This journey has had many challenges and there are many more to come, but the theme is simple: We stand together -- students, faculty and staff. All hands are needed on deck as we make our journey toward Tier One status.

Earlier, I mentioned the two achievements of the team; the second achievement was contingent upon their win for bowl eligibility on Nov. 26. That night, the team became the embodiment of the UTSA story: the young doing the incredible…the deniable doing the impossible. That is not only who our football team is — that is who we are. That is what it means to be a Roadrunner.

So, this Saturday, when you see the players take the New Mexico field, remember that they aren't just wearing UTSA on their jerseys; they are wearing the story of UTSA on their hearts — the story that we all share as members of The University of Texas at San Antonio community. The team has not only earned their right to a bowl game, they have become the story of UTSA.

That is why you should care about UTSA football.

- By Andrew Hubbard, Student Body President
- Edited by Rebecca Conejo, SGA Legislative Director

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