UTSA enters bold new era of athletic and giving excellence

JULY 3, 2023 — On the heels of its July 1 entry into the American Athletic Conference, UTSA Athletics is taking the necessary steps to boost the strength of its organization with the launch of its latest campaign: Bold Champions in The American.

This philanthropic campaign accelerates the university’s focused work to elevate UTSA as a national brand and to stake its claim in this competitive conference, which features institutions with robust funding, programming and infrastructure.

As a member of The American, UTSA students-athletes will challenge competitors from institutions with strong operational budgets. When stacked against 13 full members in the conference, UTSA Athletics’ operational budget ranks 11th, underscoring a clear need for increased support to enhance recruiting efforts, resources and infrastructure. 

Bold Champions in The American will grow support for UTSA Athletics through increased activity in four prime areas by directly supporting student-athletes through the Roadrunner Athletic Fund, increasing ticket sales to sporting events, enhancing and expanding athletics facilities, and developing stronger relationships with corporate sponsors.

“We’re incredibly proud of our program, motivated to build on our momentum, and we are really excited about the future.”

“UTSA is on an incredible upward trajectory, and our move into a highly competitive conference marks a significant waypoint on that journey for our Athletics program,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Joining The American both increases our national exposure and creates even more opportunities for all students. We’re incredibly proud of our program, motivated to build on our momentum, and we are really excited about the future.”  

UTSA has captured 80 conference championships and made more than 60 NCAA postseason appearances during its 42-year history of NCAA Division I competition. Recently, the Roadrunners won back-to-back Conference USA championships in football in 2021 and 2022, as well as in women’s golf in 2018 and 2019. UTSA also claimed the C-USA tournament title in women’s soccer last fall. The Roadrunners have made nine NCAA postseason runs and boast 25 All-Americans in just the last six years.

“We are thrilled about joining the American Athletic Conference and continuing to elevate UTSA as a national brand,” said UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos. “This new conference affiliation will be a tremendous opportunity for our university and the City of San Antonio. We could not be more excited and optimistic about what the future holds.”

Throughout its history, the university’s athletics department has shown immense growth. In 1981, UTSA welcomed its first sport to campus: track and cross country. Later that year, UTSA basketball played its first season. Today, UTSA competes in 17 intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field, and women’s volleyball. 

• 1981-1985: NCAA Division I Independent 
• 1986-1991: Trans America Athletic Conference (now Atlantic Sun) 
• 1992-2012: Southland Conference 
• 2012-2013: Western Athletic Conference 
• 2013-2023: Conference USA 
• July 1, 2023: American Athletic Conference

“We’re excited about the move to The American,” said UTSA Head Football Coach Jeff Traylor. “There’s a lot of momentum right now for our program and UTSA as a whole. We have a ton of respect for the league and the level of competition we’ll face. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to grow our brand and increase our television and media exposure nationally.”

The success of UTSA Athletics has played an integral role in generating a greater sense of pride for UTSA and San Antonio. This has resulted in the highest level of support UTSA Athletics has seen in its history, with alumni and donor support increasing exponentially.

In the past 12 years, following the launch of Roadrunners Football, UTSA Athletics has garnered the support of 6,841 individual donors to the Roadrunner Athletic Fund. Today, there are more than 2,500 active athletics donors who continuously support our athletic programs. Ticket sales are also skyrocketing as 202,420 fans piled into the Alamodome over the course of seven games during the 2022 season, the most since 2011. 

The continued support of UTSA Athletics’ unwavering and dedicated fanbase, alumni, donors and corporate sponsors will help usher in a new era of resource development that will fund UTSA recruiting, program infrastructures, and facilities necessary to rival new opponents in The American.

“Winning the Conference USA title in our last year will never be forgotten, but we live by the phrase ‘forward from here.’ Now, moving forward from here as champions stepping into The American, we have a chance to compete in one of the very top conferences in the country,” said UTSA women’s soccer player, Marlee Fray. “I’m excited about the new challenges and competition it will bring to our university.”

As a member of The American, UTSA will enjoy greater national media exposure, enhanced brand recognition, more matchups against teams from the state of Texas and expanded recruiting opportunities, furthering the university’s ability to compete at the highest level.

— Jennilee Garza