Give us an F-A-L-C-O-N-S — what’s that spell? Falcons! And better yet, it spells football and school spirit.
Both are soon to arrive on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. In fact, the sport will be on the gridiron by the 2016 season with Ratliff Stadium as the home field.
The big announcement came this week from UTPB officials and fundraisers who scored a big TD by securing the $9.5 million needed to cover the first five years of football. Odessa oilman Kirk Edwards helped spearhead the effort and deserves a big cheer of his own for helping raise the funds.
UTPB also turned to its students, who voted in April to repurpose a $35 student union fee toward the football program. That fee will add an estimated $1.9 million to the first-five-years budget.
“This is a big day for all of us,” Edwards told a crowd at the Wednesday announcement. “The great thing about West Texas right now is that so many people are doing well and they want to give back to the community.”
Now the actual blocking and tackling comes in as a new coach will be hired and plans are in motion to build a new fieldhouse, athletic training facilities, a weight room and more locker room space, as well as an expanded budget for recruiting, equipment and supplies, athletic director Steve Aicenena said.
Twenty-two jobs ranging from assistant coaches for “several sports” to an athletic administrative assistant, will be created, and two more sports, men’s and women’s golf, will also begin in the fall of 2016.
Aicenena said the athletic department will use three-quarters of what the NCAA allows for football scholarships, which is more than what is allocated for the other UTPB sports, but, “We will work to raise what our other sports have as well,” Aicenena said.
The search for the football team’s first head coach will begin in November and Aicenena said the goal is to have someone in place in January. Recruiting is set to begin in February.
And the hope is that the new football program won’t just fill Ratliff Stadium during football season but that the excitement of adding college football will also increase UTPB’s student population.
UTPB President David Watts said the overarching objective is to continue to improve the experience of all UTPB students, a population that the university is aiming to increase to 8,000 — or about double its current enrollment — by 2020.
“We have started a whole host of new academic programs … the kind of professional programs that students all over the country are looking for. Our engineering program has practically doubled in one year,” Watts said. “The university is on a real growth spurt, really stepping forward, and adding football will just add to the quality of the life at UTPB.”
We congratulate not just UTPB but also the community for a new program that is sure to find some fans ready to root those Falcons into the endzone.
http://www.oaoa.com/editorial/views/our_opinion/article_993c76ca-570b-11e4-aae5-0017a43b2370.html
Both are soon to arrive on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. In fact, the sport will be on the gridiron by the 2016 season with Ratliff Stadium as the home field.
The big announcement came this week from UTPB officials and fundraisers who scored a big TD by securing the $9.5 million needed to cover the first five years of football. Odessa oilman Kirk Edwards helped spearhead the effort and deserves a big cheer of his own for helping raise the funds.
UTPB also turned to its students, who voted in April to repurpose a $35 student union fee toward the football program. That fee will add an estimated $1.9 million to the first-five-years budget.
“This is a big day for all of us,” Edwards told a crowd at the Wednesday announcement. “The great thing about West Texas right now is that so many people are doing well and they want to give back to the community.”
Now the actual blocking and tackling comes in as a new coach will be hired and plans are in motion to build a new fieldhouse, athletic training facilities, a weight room and more locker room space, as well as an expanded budget for recruiting, equipment and supplies, athletic director Steve Aicenena said.
Twenty-two jobs ranging from assistant coaches for “several sports” to an athletic administrative assistant, will be created, and two more sports, men’s and women’s golf, will also begin in the fall of 2016.
Aicenena said the athletic department will use three-quarters of what the NCAA allows for football scholarships, which is more than what is allocated for the other UTPB sports, but, “We will work to raise what our other sports have as well,” Aicenena said.
The search for the football team’s first head coach will begin in November and Aicenena said the goal is to have someone in place in January. Recruiting is set to begin in February.
And the hope is that the new football program won’t just fill Ratliff Stadium during football season but that the excitement of adding college football will also increase UTPB’s student population.
UTPB President David Watts said the overarching objective is to continue to improve the experience of all UTPB students, a population that the university is aiming to increase to 8,000 — or about double its current enrollment — by 2020.
“We have started a whole host of new academic programs … the kind of professional programs that students all over the country are looking for. Our engineering program has practically doubled in one year,” Watts said. “The university is on a real growth spurt, really stepping forward, and adding football will just add to the quality of the life at UTPB.”
We congratulate not just UTPB but also the community for a new program that is sure to find some fans ready to root those Falcons into the endzone.
http://www.oaoa.com/editorial/views/our_opinion/article_993c76ca-570b-11e4-aae5-0017a43b2370.html
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