UTRGV Athletic officials recap historic game

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — This past Saturday was a historic night for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as the Vaqueros hit the field for the very first game. Over 20,000 fans showed up in full force to witness the beginning of a new era.

The Vaqueros did not just show up, but they dominated with a 66-0 victory.

UTRGV Senior Associate Athletic Director, Derek Schramm, says staff have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure everything goes smoothly when game day arrives.

The ticket sales, security, and turnout all went according to plan. There were over 12,000 people in the stadium and 20,000 people gathered on stadium grounds to show support. Schramm says tickets were sold out within 15 minutes.

"Overall, I would say everything went right. You know, there’s so many meetings, conversations, hours and hours of discussion and planning of what game day is going to look like for our fans. It was not taken lightly. We wanted to be perfect,” said Schramm.

ValleyCentral spoke to some students on campus who said their experience at the game was nothing but exciting. From the lively tailgates that kicked off at 2 p.m., to the electrifying crowd energy, students say they feel honored to have been part of such a historic milestone.

Although everything went to plan, Schramm says they did decide to add additional parking in the orange and grey lots to improve traffic flow and make the overall game day experience easier for fans.

He adds they sent a post-game survey to season ticket holders and received positive feedback, with an 85% satisfaction rate.

The Vaqueros are set to face Prairie View A&M this Saturday in an away game, and officials say they have a special celebration planned to mark UTRGV's 10th anniversary.