(Sept. 10, 2018) -- When the air horn blared signifying the five-minute mark before his wedding, Gary Alexander ’99 tried his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. Fellow UTSA tailgaters began to swarm, cheering him on and awaiting the walk down the orange-and-blue-chalked aisle that resembled yard markers to where he would make his biggest touchdown – marrying Laura Chavez.
The couple were married on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Alamodome parking lot in a tailgate-themed wedding to showcase their love for one another and UTSA Roadrunners football. More than 200 tailgaters, including Rowdy, stood by and applauded the pair as they were wedded in matrimony.
“When the official asked us to turn around and look at the crowd, I saw so many tailgaters here for us,” Alexander said. “I saw so many people I know, friends, family and even people I didn’t know. It’s indescribable as there was so many people here for us.”
After Alexander proposed to his fiancée during a UTSA tailgate last season, the couple joked about the possibility of having their wedding take place at a tailgate. Laura’s father and current UTSA adjunct professor, John Chavez ’12, initially thought it was “the most insane idea” but he eventually changed his mind.
“They are a fun couple and they really enjoy the UTSA tailgating experience,” Chavez said, who also participated in tailgates with the couple in the past. “They’re diehard UTSA fans, so this was perfect.”
For the bride, sporting UTSA cowboy boots, she had never experienced a football tailgate before meeting Alexander and was overwhelmed at the adoration the couple received from the crowd of wedding guests in the lot.
“It was amazing and more than I could ever imagine, that all these people came here, for us,” Laura said. “The most satisfying part was seeing him (Gary) at the end of the aisle waiting for me.”
As the tailgaters lined up to congratulate the newlyweds, Alexander was taken aback by the camaraderie of the UTSA faithful who showed up for the first tailgate wedding at a UTSA football game.
The couple was later feted on the Alamodome field during the game, appearing on Kiss Cam, and receiving a number 18 Roadrunners jersey with their last name on the back.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
