DECEMBER 23, 2022 — For many years, a novelty T-shirt boasting the phrase “UTSA Football: Still Undefeated” was one of the top-selling items at the Rowdy Campus Store. The shirts were a joking nod to UTSA’s absence of a football program in a state where the sport is the unquestioned king.
That all changed in 2009 when the university announced that it would start playing football in the fall of 2011. The program started in earnest with a lone helmet that university leaders would take to community events to garner interest in the fledgling Roadrunners Football brand.
My, how far we’ve come. Roadrunner fans across San Antonio and beyond are basking in back-to-back conference championships and looking forward to a leap to the American Athletic Conference in 2023. Simply put, the progress UTSA Football has made in a dozen seasons is awe-inspiring — and Sombrilla Magazine was there every step of the way.
Take a look back at the transformative journey by revisiting these six Sombrilla pieces:
2010: Are you ready for some…
Football at UTSA had been a dream for years, but in 2010, it finally started to feel real when players finally put on the pads and began practicing. With the first football game less than a year away, Sombrilla Magazine checked in with UTSA’s first head football coach Larry Coker, former athletics director Lynn Hickey and several others in the lead-up to the inaugural season.
2012: On tougher turf
After a 2011 season as an NCAA Division I FBS start-up program and another as an FBS transitional member in the Western Athletic Conference in 2012, UTSA announced it would join to Conference USA in 2013. This Sombrilla Magazine article breaks down the move to C-USA and how conference officials were blown away by the attendance for Roadrunners football games.
2016: All hands on deck
In 2016, UTSA Football hired its second head coach in program history. Frank Wilson came to San Antonio from LSU, where he earned a reputation as one of college football’s top recruiters as an assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Tigers. In this article, he talks about his “all hands on deck” mentality and his hopes to engage fans and families.
2017: Bird’s Eye View — One for the books
Only six years after their inaugural season, the Roadrunners made their first appearance in a bowl game in December 2016, taking on the University of New Mexico in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. This photograph recalls kicker Victor Falcon’s 27-yard-field goal, which went in the record book as the first ever points scored by UTSA during a bowl game.
2020: Legend Status
Jeff Traylor was named UTSA’s third head football coach in December 2019, and, well, we all know how that worked out. But before the Conference USA championships and the 210 Triangle of Toughness were a reality, Traylor sat down with Sombrilla Magazine to discuss his success as a Texas high school football coach and the need for significant investments to get UTSA to the next level.
2022: Bird’s Eye View — Savoring the moment
The Roadrunners took their fans on a magical ride in 2021, appearing in the AP and Coaches Poll for the first time ever before capturing the program’s first conference championship in December 2021. The monumental win over Western Kentucky sent just about everyone in the Alamodome into a celebratory frenzy. This photograph perfectly captured that joy on the faces of running back Sincere McCormick and his mother.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The Secular Student Alliance is proud to present guest speaker Dave Troiano, Board Secretary for the Greater Houston Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This event will emphasize how reproductive health care is intertwined with separation of church and state.
Student Union, Willow (2.02.12)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.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
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.
