The bronc statue is a focal point of the Edinburg campus of UT-Rio Grande Valley. The university is moving to start a Division I football program and will hire a coach next year.Seven years after it was formed from two existing UT branches, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is amping up its efforts at student engagement — and a regional legacy — by creating a football program.
In a border region with high poverty rates and an economy dependent on agriculture and international commerce, the priority after thehad been the launching of a medical school in 2016. Bailey has served at institutions with and without a football program and believes it makes a difference. Timing also matters to students. Johnathan Dominguez, 22, and Jose Herrera, 21, the president and vice president, respectively, of the student government association, said their need for a sense of student identity didn’t come until their second year at UTRGV. As freshmen, their main concern was getting the hang of their academic life.