Ali Halloum 
Mykel Del Angel/THE RIDER
Over the summer, UTRGV Athletics announced the football game scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 against Langston University at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville will no longer take place there. Instead, it was moved to the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.
It would have been the second time the Vaqueros set foot in Cameron County after last spring’s game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Delays in a $3.1 million field-replacement project at the stadium is the reason behind the relocation of the game. The project, which replaces the track with turf and expands the field from 185 to 225 feet wide, was delayed by graduation ceremonies and bad weather.
In a June 10 Athletics news release, Director of Athletics Chasse Conque expressed his disappointment about the relocation of the game while also affirming UTRGV’s wish to host a football game in Brownsville.
“We’ve been planning this Brownsville game for nearly four years, so having to move it is incredibly disappointing,” Conque said in the news release.
Opened in 1957, Sams Stadium typically hosts 30 to 35 high school football games a year across Brownsville Independent School District’s six high schools, while also hosting soccer games.
Its capacity of over 10,000 and proximity to the Brownsville campus led to it being chosen as the venue for the Vaqueros’ annual game in the city.
The Rider spoke with BISD Athletic Director Gilberto Leal about the project, the delay and the future of Sams Stadium. He said it was “in the best interest” of both UTRGV and BISD to postpone it.
“The logistics are involved when you’re dealing with Division I football programs,” Leal said. “They’re not able to, at the spur of the moment, go from one field to the other.”
In addition to the field expansion, the renovation adds capacity for ESPN and other media outlets to operate at the stadium, facilitating live streaming and broadcasting of games.
Mykel Del Angel/THE RIDER
Jonah Goldberg, UTRGV senior associate athletic director for Communications and Championships, said other venues in Brownsville were considered but did not have the necessary capacity or facilities for Division I football, leading to the decision to host it in Edinburg instead.
“There was nowhere else that was going to be able to seat five figures,” Goldberg said. “Sams Stadium can handle a large crowd. There’s both the large stands. They just built a new locker room in addition to what they already had.”
Reactions to the news among Brownsville students varied when asked by The Rider. Business sophomore Roy Garcia cited traffic concerns between Edinburg and Brownsville for those wishing to attend the game. It is a 64-mile drive between both cities.
“I was thinking of going to the game if it was in Brownsville since it’s closer to where I live, but Edinburg, maybe I’ll reconsider,” Garcia said. “Hopefully, I can get there earlier, so I don’t have to deal with all that [traffic].”
Business junior Daniel Machi said it was a “great choice” to move the game, citing the seemingly bigger facilities and events in Edinburg.
“I see that the events are way more energetic over there, so I really enjoy it,” Machi said. “The stadium looks really nice, and I can’t wait to get there.”
Leal added although this season’s game at Sams was postponed, there are already plans in place to host next season’s spring game at the venue.
—Venisha Colon contributed to this report.
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