UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros | |
---|---|
University | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Conference | Southland Conference (primary) Western Athletic Conference (men's soccer & women's swimming and diving) |
NCAA | Division I (FCS, starting in 2025) |
Athletic director | Chasse Conque |
Location | Edinburg, Texas |
Varsity teams | 16 (8 men's, 8 women's) |
Football stadium | Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium (Starting in 2025) |
Basketball arena | UTRGV Fieldhouse |
Baseball stadium | UTRGV Baseball Stadium |
Soccer stadium | UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex |
Tennis venue | Orville Cox Tennis Center |
Nickname | Vaqueros |
Colors | Orange and gray [1] |
Website | goutrgv |
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (often referred to as the UT–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros, Rio Grande Vaqueros or the UTRGV Vaqueros) is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). [2] The Vaqueros inherited the NCAA Division I status of the Texas–Pan American Broncs and were full members of the Western Athletic Conference through the 2023–24 school year [3] In March 2024, it was reported that the Vaqueros would leave the WAC for the Southland Conference, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. [4]
A member of the Southland Conference, UTRGV sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports: [5]
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Golf |
Football | Soccer |
Golf | Tennis |
Soccer | Track & Field† |
Tennis | Volleyball |
Track & Field† | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. |
Association | Sport | Year | Opponent/Runner-up | Score/Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
NAIA (6) | Men's Tennis (5) | 1961 | Southeastern State | 29–10 |
1962 | Southeastern State | 29–11 | ||
1963 | East Texas State | 31–16 | ||
1964 | Corpus Christi | 33–30 | ||
1965 | East Texas State | 29–15 | ||
Basketball (1) | 1963 | Western Carolina | 73–62 |
UTPA, then Pan American College, won the 1963 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament under Coach Sam Williams. Lucious "Luke" Jackson was one of the players on that championship team. Jackson was selected 4th overall during the 1964 NBA draft. He was selected to the 1964–65 NBA All-Rookie Team and played in the NBA All-Star Game that same year. He played his entire career with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The basketball program, during the mid-1970s was coached by Abe Lemons. Under Lemons, the program had very successful seasons but, lamentably, failed to get invited to any NCAA tournaments. Coach Lemons was later hired away by the University of Texas at Austin.
Upon Lemons' departure to the University of Texas at Austin, Bill White was named the head basketball coach. While at Pan American, Coach White led the Broncs to their first post-season tournament play at the Division I level. During the 1980–81 season, Pan American earned a berth to the 1981 National Invitation Tournament. The Broncs lost to the 1981 NIT champs, the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
The basketball program was also later coached by Lon Kruger, who later went on to coach at Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV, and Oklahoma. He also coached the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
The Vaqueros began play for women's basketball in 1982. Their 10–5 record in NAIA play was their only winning season until 2014-15, when they finished 19–15 in their final season as the Broncs. They finished their season in the WAC title game, though they lost to New Mexico State 70–52. They were invited to the WBI, their first ever postseason appearance in school history. They lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 78–56 in the first round. The next year, they finished 18–13, marking the first time in program history that they had consecutive winning seasons. Though they lost in the WAC title game to New Mexico State again, they were invited to the WBI, where they lost to TCU 97–73.
On November 19, 2016, the UTRGV Women's Volleyball Team defeated the Utah Valley Woman's Volleyball team, making them the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Volleyball Champions of 2016. [6]
The UTPA baseball squad placed 4th in the 1971 College World Series under Coach Al Ogletree.
The UTPA Tennis program won several NAIA championships (doubles and singles) from 1959 through 1962 under Coach Don Russell, who himself captured several championships while playing and coaching the team. Other prominent Bronc champions included John Sharpe and George Kon, with Sharpe and Russell winning three consecutive doubles titles together from 1959 to 1961.
On January 14, 2021, news broke that UTRGV had explored to create a football program for NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level competition by 2024. [7] At the time, it was believed that the program would compete as part of the newly reinstated football conference within the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). On December 11, 2022, Travis Bush was hired to be the first head coach of UTRGV. [8]
UTRGV has since delayed the start of varsity football to the 2025 season, though it plans to play an exhibition schedule in 2024. The school purchased H-E-B Park – later renamed to Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium – in 2024 to be the primary home of the football team in 2025. Sams Memorial Stadium will also host a game each year. [9]
The WAC merged its football league with that of the ASUN Conference (since reverted to its past name Atlantic Sun Conference) to create the United Athletic Conference (UAC) in 2023. However, the UTRGV athletic program was moved to the Southland Conference (SLC) before the football team ever played a game as a UAC member. [10]
After becoming a four-year college in 1952, the Broncs were members of the NAIA until the 1962–63 season. The Broncs were an independent in the first year of NAIA membership. From the 1953–54 season to the 1961–62 season, the teams were members of the Big State Conference. In 1962–63, the team had a dual membership in the NAIA and NCAA College Division. The Broncs began transitioning to the NCAA University Division in 1965–66 with the tennis team. The men's basketball began its transition in 1968–69. Broncs men's basketball participated as an Independent until the 1979–80 season when the team was a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference) and returned to independent status until 1986–87. UTPA joined the American South Conference as a charter member in 1987 and remained a member until the American South Conference merged with the Sun Belt Conference in 1991. The Broncs left the Sun Belt Conference at the end of the 1997–98 season and returned to independent status.
In 2008 it was announced that the Broncs would be charter members of the previously football-only Great West Conference when it began all-sports play in 2008. During the fall of 2008, the UTPA Cross Country team was the first to win a Great West Conference team title. UTPA exited Great West Conference after the 2012–2013 season.
The UTPA Broncs were one of the newest members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Men's soccer returned to the athletic program in 2015, and women's soccer started in 2014.
Football will play an exhibition-only season in 2024 before starting full varsity play in the Southland Conference in 2025.
The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Southland sponsors 18 sports, 10 for women and eight for men, and is governed by a presidential Board of Directors and an Advisory Council of athletic and academic administrators. Chris Grant became the Southland's seventh commissioner on April 5, 2022. From 1996 to 2002, for football only, the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League.
The University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was a public university in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it was a component institution of the University of Texas System. The university served the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas with baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. The Carnegie Foundation classified UTPA as a "doctoral research university". From the institution's founding until it was merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), it grew from 200 students to over 20,000, making UTPA the 10th-largest university in Texas. The majority of these students were natives of the Rio Grande Valley. UTPA also operated an Upper Level Studies Center in Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas. On August 15, 2014, Dr. Havidan Rodriguez was appointed interim President of UTPA, the institution's final leader.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team, or UTRGV Vaqueros, represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, United States. The school's team competed in the Southland Conference since the 2024–25 season. They play their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The Vaqueros are one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The Texas–Pan American Broncs were the varsity athletic teams representing University of Texas–Pan American in Edinburg, Texas in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsored 15 teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field ; soccer and volleyball for women only; and baseball for men only. The last varsity sport to be established for the Broncs was women's soccer, added for the 2014 season, with men's soccer added in 2015, the year that the merger took place. The Broncs compete in the NCAA Division I and are currently members of the Western Athletic Conference.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team, or the UTRGV Vaqueros, is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, an NCAA Division I institution with several campuses in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, United States. UTRGV was formally founded in 2013 with the announced merger of the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA), with its main campus in Edinburg, and the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) in Brownsville, with the merged university beginning operation in the 2015–16 school year. The Vaqueros compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), play home games at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg, and are coached by Derek Matlock.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. It is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 after the consolidation of the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas–Pan American.
The 2014–15 Texas–Pan American Broncs men's basketball team represented the University of Texas–Pan American during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This were head coach Dan Hipsher's second season at UTPA. The Broncs played their home games at the UTPA Fieldhouse and were members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10–21, 4–10 in WAC play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament to UMKC.
The 2015–16 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Dan Hipsher's third season with the UTRGV program, although his first under the "UTRGV" name. The Vaqueros played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the university's campus in Edinburg, Texas and were members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 8–22 and 4–10 in WAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament to Seattle.
The 2015–16 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This was head coach Larry Tidwell's third season, but first under the UT-RGV label. The Vaqueros played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and were members of the Western Athletic Conference. This was the first season for UTRGV as an institution. Before the 2015–16 academic year, the University of Texas–Pan American and the University of Texas at Brownsville merged, forming the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. They finished the season 19–14 and 9–5 in WAC play to finish in second place. They advanced to the championship game of the WAC women's tournament where they lost to New Mexico State. They were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to TCU.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team is the intercollegiate women's basketball program representing the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC), part of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), since the 2024–25 season. The Vaqueros play home basketball games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the university campus in Edinburg, Texas.
The 2016–17 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Vaqueros, led by first-year head coach Lew Hill, played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse as members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the regular season 10–22, 2–12 in WAC play to finish in seventh place. Due to Grand Canyon's ineligibility for postseason play, they received the No. 6 seed in the WAC tournament where they lost in the quarterfinals to UMKC.
The 2017–18 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Vaqueros, led by second-year head coach Lew Hill, played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse as members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–18, 6–8 in WAC play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament to Seattle. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to New Orleans.
The 2017–18 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This was head coach Larry Tidwell's fifth season along with the third under the UTRGV label. The Vaqueros played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The team finished seventh in the WAC after going 4–10 while finishing 14–16 overall.
The 2019–20 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Vaqueros, led by fourth-year head coach Lew Hill, played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas as members of the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 14–16, 9–7 in WAC play to finish in third place. They were set to be the No. 2 seed in the WAC tournament, however, the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball program in various categories, including points, three-pointers, assists, blocks, rebounds, and steals. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. As of the next college basketball season in 2024–25, the Vaqueros represent the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference.
The 2021–22 Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Lane Lord was in his fourth season as UTRGV's head coach. The Vaqueros played their home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The 2023–24 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by third-year head coach Matt Figger and played home games at UTRGV Fieldhouse as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). They finished the season 6–25, 2–18 in WAC play to finish in eleventh place, and thus did not qualify to play in the WAC Tournament.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros football team will represent the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in U.S. college football as a future member of the Southland Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). They will begin play at that level in 2025, after an exhibition schedule in 2024. They are coached by Travis Bush.
The 2023–24 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros women's basketball team represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Vaqueros, who were led by sixth-year head coach Lane Lord, played their home games at UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas, as members of the Western Athletic Conference.
The 2024–25 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's basketball team represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by first-year head coach Kahil Fennell and play their home games at UTRGV Fieldhouse as members of the Southland Conference (SLC).