THIS IS SO EXCITING!!! 1400 And Growing

As the petition continues to gain momentum, 1500 signatures is a key milestone that at once generates local press attention (and of course UTA attention) and launches the petition to the next level.  We are just 100 supporters away and the best way to grow is when folks like you post on Social Media or send news of you support your own email list.

If you haven't already, today please login to change.org/utafootballnow, click on send an email to friends.  If you use Facebook or Twitter just PUSH the button provided.  If you are old school, copy the link and share on LinkedIn! No matter how you do it every little but helps and, when you check back, you can see just how much good you've done!

To further inspire, we had a chance to catch up with former Arlington State College football player Harris W. “Buddy” Miers Jr. #90 of the 1959-61 team.  We got on the phone and several hours and several fantastic stories later realized he might be one of the last to connect the dots from the 50's to the 80's making the return of football tie end-to-end. He vividly remembers the vision of Chena Gilstrap and how college football can be the best advertising a school could get for both the college and the value of the students degrees. Gilstrap also shared how important it was to have the then president, Ernest H. Hereford and mayor Tom Vandergriff share this vision.  He asked the team to dig deep and play their incredibly tough schedule in those first few years of the College Division with "pride and perseverance" and it will pay off for generations.  Buddy said they would have gone to war for Gilstrap!  This remains true today and the vision of being a destination for students and student athletes must be  rekindled and shared by our future president Dr. Jennifer Cowley and Mayor Jim Ross.

Photo of the pregame 1957 Jr. Rose Bowl - Special Collections, UTA Library.