Finally an official update on the football program/athletic complex:
Regents will weigh UTSA football plan
By Jerry Briggs - Express-News
UTSA football may take a step closer to reality next week when the University of Texas System regents discuss the issue.
More than a year after the idea was first proposed,
the regents have put the issue on the agenda of their two-day session starting Thursday in Austin.
The plan calls for the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop an athletic complex, add a football program and position the school to move all its sports teams into a new conference with a higher caliber of athletics.
The proposed on-campus athletics complex is described in documents as an $84 million project. It would include a football practice field and competitive playing facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, track and tennis.
Initially, UTSA would play in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) with a
projected kickoff in fall 2011.
Actual games would be at the Alamodome.
Also, the plan calls for UTSA to upgrade all of its 16 sports teams, so the school eventually would be in position to receive an invitation to a conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of Division I.
On the regents' agenda,
a document states that the UT System interim chancellor, three vice chancellors and UTSA President Ricardo Romo “concur in the recommendation'' that UTSA should be authorized to proceed with the athletics initiative.
“First of all, that is outstanding,'' UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey said Friday night. “It's great to hear that there is a positive recommendation going forward.''
If the regents approve the plan, UTSA would be able to start searching for a coach or a football program administrator immediately.
Hickey declined to speculate on what could happen, noting that the regents could approve the plan “with stipulations,'' or could table it.
“At this point, to be given a direction one way or the other would be very good,'' Hickey said. “We're just very excited that there is full discussion on this issue. We'll get to hear how the board feels about our vision plan.''
To implement the plan, UTSA would be faced with a massive fundraising campaign.
For football alone, the university would need to raise $15 million over the next eight years.
UTSA has secured more than $22 million in funding for the complex through public funds. Included in that figure is $15 million from the recently approved extension of the venue tax.