Keeping up with the Vaqueros

UTRGV Athletics announced an Orange and Gray Day will take place Thursday. The event provides groups an opportunity to tour the university’s athletic facilities while also attending a game afterward.

Registration for the tours closed Friday. According to Derek Schramm, senior associate athletic director and chief revenue officer for the department, the event comes after an increase in interest to Athletics.

“We’ve been working hard to build some of the best facilities in the country, both at the [Football Championship Subdivision] level and Southland Conference,” Schramm said. “A ton of groups, like high schools and teams, have been reaching out to us and asking to check out what goes on behind the scenes. Instead of trying to keep up with every request that comes in, we decided that we can focus our efforts on one day and make it the biggest facility tour we can possibly have.”

Visitors will tour facilities such as the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium, the Vaqueros Performance Center, the Baseball Stadium, the Soccer and Track & Field Complex, and the Fieldhouse.

“We thought it was a great idea getting as many of these groups out and checking out the facilities,” Schramm said. “Then, [we] pair it up with a basketball game to help our attendance and create that game day atmosphere for our women’s basketball program.”

He added he believes people will especially enjoy the tours.

“I think any time that they’re able to get a behind-the-scenes look … can be a really cool and unique opportunity,” Schramm said. “Very few members of the general public have been able to see these facilities, especially the Vaqueros Performance Center. There is going to be that wow factor to it, seeing the level of quality and attention to detail that we put into everything.”

The tours will begin at 2 p.m., with each set of groups starting at a designated facility and rotating throughout the day, according to the senior associate athletic director.

“The groups will start at four different locations,” he said. “They’ll each take their tours and rotate to the next one. Once they complete the tour of the fourth facility, the fifth and final stop will be at the Fieldhouse.”

Afterward, the groups will be invited to attend the women’s basketball game vs. Houston Christian University at 6:30 p.m. 

“Any time that the public interacts with us, we want them to have a great experience, walking away having enjoyed that game day atmosphere and wanting to come back to another game,” Schramm said.

Groups will also have the chance to purchase merchandise at team stores while visiting the Vackar Stadium and Fieldhouse.

“The groups that have the highest amount of interest are high school and middle school athletic programs,” Schramm said. “But if it’s a church group or a group of alumni that want to get together and check out our facilities, that’s cool, too.”

He added if the first-ever Orange and Gray Day is successful, it could become an annual event, “giving the community and school programs an opportunity to check out where the Vaqueros practice and train.”