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Texas AD Chris Del Conte

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EE2B

EE2B 1,561

Posted
Posted
I have a question:  where did CDC get that vest?

This looks like it:
https://www.southernmarsh.com/products/the-marshall-quilted-vest?variant=5799402305&utm_content=vest&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gshp_owear&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzKnjBRDPARIsAKxfTRAmctXcCdGBwbLfDSTXbFuQjlOmQKoufKtD7Oy8jicJXtzC5-YV-2UaAhR6EALw_wcB
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Mittens
Mittens

No CR:  

Penche Gringo
Penche Gringo

Here you go

JFKFC
JFKFC

Fortunate?!? There are 2 sports that matter: Football & Men's basketball. CDC's hires for both have been absolute abortions. 

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Cairn Horn88

Cairn Horn88 8,148

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Nope said:

Not the same, but closest I could find

https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-nano-puff-vest/191743674068.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=shopping&CAWELAID=120226140000574694&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping ad&utm_campaign=Shopping - Alpine&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-bH4kbnG4AIVxrbACh2yhAN7EAkYCCABEgKWIfD_BwE

Thx

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Cairn Horn88

Cairn Horn88 8,148

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Posted
2 hours ago, EE2B said:


This looks like it:
https://www.southernmarsh.com/products/the-marshall-quilted-vest?variant=5799402305&utm_content=vest&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gshp_owear&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzKnjBRDPARIsAKxfTRAmctXcCdGBwbLfDSTXbFuQjlOmQKoufKtD7Oy8jicJXtzC5-YV-2UaAhR6EALw_wcB

Thx

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8,596

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Posted
12 hours ago, Red Five said:


He’s going to have sex with your wife.


Especially if he keeps using "I" as the object of the preposition "to".

"He gave his card to (my wife and) me..."

When in doubt, take out the other person and see if it sounds right. "He gave {my wife and) me some good advice."

Dude, you're representing the University. Type like you graduated from the place. (Or at least like you graduated from high school.)

PS- He's going to have sex with your wife.

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gecko

gecko 1,104

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Posted
Aggies don't live in Houston. Aggies live AROUND Houston. Katy. Woodlands. Pick a mega-suburb. The beltway and the culture and independent thought therein act as a natural deterrent. 

Don’t kid yourself....there’s a metric ton of Longhorns in The Woodlands.
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utee94

utee94 15,742

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Posted (edited)

Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.

Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs

Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs

Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

Edited by utee94
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ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9,045

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.

Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs

Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs

Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

I think you answered your own question. 

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dcar00

dcar00 14,023

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Posted
10 hours ago, Napoleon said:


Especially if he keeps using "I" as the object of the preposition "to".

"He gave his card to (my wife and) me..."

When in doubt, take out the other person and see if it sounds right. "He gave {my wife and) me some good advice."

Dude, you're representing the University. Type like you graduated from the place. (Or at least like you graduated from high school.)

PS- He's going to have sex with your wife.

you're

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CoTex

CoTex 1,160

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Posted
2 hours ago, utee94 said:

Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.

Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs

Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs

Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

Imperial ton is bigger.  aggy has an imperial ton.

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NeverMarryAStripper

NeverMarryAStripper 21,780

Posted
Posted
Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.
Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs
Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs
Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

A long ton is 160 stone, or 2,240 lbs. So a long shit ton 35.4 pounds more shit than a metric shit ton.
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Player

Player 4,575

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, utee94 said:

Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.

Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs

Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs

Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

PlushFakeCopperbutterfly-size_restricted

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TrashMaster G

TrashMaster G 17,379

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Posted
17 hours ago, Not a Sock said:

Bama and UK? You think we can start a rumor that CDC is back channeling with SEC power brokers for Texas and watch aggy flip the fuck out?

The ONLY scenario that I would be interested in UT joining the SEC is one where they take us in and kick aggy out.

That would be glorious, just for the lulz.

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SquishMitten

SquishMitten 10,395

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Posted
1 hour ago, TrashMaster G said:

The ONLY scenario that I would be interested in UT joining the SEC is one where they take us in and kick aggy out.

That would be glorious, just for the lulz.

Why would they do that? They obviously like the current arrangement of having a full stable of shitty conference opponents to pad win totals for the top 2-3 teams. 

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Johnny Sack

Johnny Sack 8,397

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Posted
1 hour ago, SquishMitten said:

Why would they do that? They obviously like the current arrangement of having a full stable of shitty conference opponents to pad win totals for the top 2-3 teams. 

Yep.  When they expand they add shitty to mediocre programs who are no threat to win anything.  Arkansas, South Carolina, Aggy, Missouri.

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pyrohornIII

pyrohornIII 4,801

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Posted

 

On 2/19/2019 at 7:36 AM, utee94 said:

Why do people use "metric ton" as a colloquialism instead of just "ton?"  Is it to denote that it's even more than a ton?  I mean, it is, but not by a whole bunch.  Only about 10%.

Metric ton = 1000 kg = 2,204.6 lbs

Ton = 907.18 kg  = 2,000 lbs

Delta = 204.6 lbs = 10.23% more than a regular ton

Like giving 110%.

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satyanash

satyanash 14,276

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Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, TexasFan21 said:

Anyone have this?

Eyes of Texas: Numbers show Texas fund-raising through the roof

 

Football 101 clinics run by college programs for their female fans have always been hot topics in years' past. Do you make it a wine and cheese affair where women come dressed for a night out, sipping wine and giggling at 18- to 22-year-old young men in football pants? Do you make it a hamstring pull-a-thon the way Charlie Strong and Pat Moorer used to? I mean you were likely to see two middle-aged babes going at it in the Oklahoma drill during Strong's Women's Clinics. It wasn't deemed a success unless at least a half-dozen women ended up being carted off to Seton's or St. David's.

Or do you make it a sexist embarrassment the way A&M did a few years back, replete with assistant coaches advising their own female fans that in order to be successful linemen they needed "to spread their legs" and other patently insulting lowlights. Well, for better or worse, the Women's Chalk Talk at Texas is surfacing March 13. Registration will begin at 5 pm with dinner being served immediately inside Moncrief-Neuhaus.

Event programming divided into four parts - Pre-Game, First Half, Halftime and Second Half - begins at 6 pm. The night will include "an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Texas Football," interaction with current team members as well as optional position drills inside DKR.

PRE-GAME: 5-6 pm ... dinner in tent adjacent to Moncrief-Neuhaus ... Photo ops with the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy.

FIRST HALF: Welcome from Tom Herman ... Participants divided into groups and rotate through five stations: Recruiting ... Weight Room ... Training Room ... Locker Room & Equipment Room ... Player Panel

HALFTIME: Group photo at midfield of DKR
SECOND HALF (optional): Participants (encouraged to wear athletic gear) can take the field for position specific drills while being coached by the current staff and team. — Chip Brown

***
NUMBERS SHOW DEL CONTE FUND-RAISING BLOWS AWAY PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS COMBINED

Listening to Chris Del Conte trying to explain how the facilities at one of the superpowers of college athletics could possibly need such a massive overhaul can be comical at times. (It will total nearly $560 million the next two-plus years, including a new, $338 million basketball arena being built by third-party investors.) “We’ve got to refresh these great bones that have been built,” Del Conte said, sounding more like a plastic surgeon talking to a prospective patient. “Our football stadium was built for the heyday of Darrell Royal and renovated for John Mackovic. Our basketball arena was built for the heyday of Abe Lemons. Eddie Reese, our 14-time national championship swim coach, asked then-athletic director Darrell Royal, when Eddie was hired in 1978, for an outdoor pool. That will happen this year. Eddie’s only been waiting since 1978.”

What’s nearly as staggering as the dire need for UT's facility overhaul is the ride-or-die, no-turning-back pace Del Conte is on to raise at least $200 million to pay up front as much as possible. Del Conte wants to avoid adding to UT athletics’ current tab of $190 million in low-interest debt — 70 percent of which is from the last football renovation (the north end of DKR in 2008). The other 30 percent is from projects dating as far back as Disch-Falk Field’s renovation in 1998.

According to dollar figures of the Longhorn Foundation obtained by Horns247, the fund-raising in Del Conte’s first full year on the job (2018) — excluding contributions to the Longhorn Foundation to maintain football season tickets — totaled $95.7 million. That’s more than double the four previous years of related fund-raising by the Foundation combined ($38.7 million). “Chris’ message to us is '10 meaningful visits per week,'” said Andrew Hamor, senior associate athletic director in the Longhorn Foundation. “He’s not going out and closing every gift. But our staff knows if they’re close and need his help, he’s more than willing to help us close gifts. He prioritizes fund-raising for sure.”

In less than two months in 2019, the Foundation’s fund-raising efforts, led by Del Conte (excluding contributions to the Foundation to maintain football season tickets), have totaled $58.2 million with 10 months to go — a record-setting pace. "I'm sure everyone realizes what we're doing is really ambitious and probably far from any kind of norm at any school," Hamor said. "But the biggest difference from the last several years here is Chris (Del Conte) is connected to our fans and listens to them. He's laid out a vision for Texas athletics, and everyone has bought into it — literally — with their hard-earned dollars."

Foundation fund-raising, including contributions to maintain football season tickets (that total is listed first), the last six years:

2014 … $41.2 million … $5.6 million (Steve Patterson AD)

2015 … $42.7 million … $8.0 million (Patterson/Mike Perrin AD)

2016 … $43.9 million … $8.3 million (Perrin AD)

2017 … $53.2 million … $16.8 million (Perrin AD)

2018 … $137.1 million … $95.7 million (Chris Del Conte AD)

2019 … $68 million* … $58.2 million* (Del Conte AD)

* year to date

Former athletic director Steve Patterson was dismissed 22 months into a six-year contract in September 2015 by school president Greg Fenves. Fenves replaced Patterson with longtime Texas booster, former UT football player and Houston attorney Mike Perrin, who served as athletic director until December 2017, when Del Conte was hired. Jon Payne, the chief financial officer of Texas athletics, was hired by then-athletic director DeLoss Dodds in 2012.

“I was fortunate to get one year with DeLoss,” Payne said. “Then, it was tough with the performance of the football team and the coaching turnover. “That’s stress from a financial perspective. We’re really moving beyond that right now, and the future looks as good as it has since I’ve been here. All this ambition is warranted. Right now, we can support it financially. The fund-raising, too, has put us in a really good position.”

Fenves said when he hired Del Conte, he trusted him implicitly as athletic director, because Fenves watched Del Conte raise $300 million in advance at TCU to pay for a complete football stadium renovation, new hoops arena as well as upgrades for baseball and other sports. “Chris (Del Conte) has incredible vision and passion, and there’s great alignment here between athletics and the president’s office,” said former Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst, who serves as Del Conte’s internal affairs lieutenant at Texas.

“Chris gets the big picture. He’s committed. He’s done this before. He’s been in the arena a long time. He gets the financial part of it. He gets the sustainability part of it. He’s able to articulate it. He connects well with everybody, whether it’s the janitors, the ushers, the ticket takers, the parking attendants, the student-athletes. It’s been fun to be a part of, and it’s very much a team effort with a lot of transparency.”

Del Conte is so transparent, he held a “first-annual Town Hall” on Feb. 7 in the auditorium of the LBJ Presidential Library, where he announced there would be no increase in football season ticket prices for the fourth straight year. “We have not earned the right,” Del Conte said. “I think some may look at it and say, ‘We won! We need to increase now.’ I look at it the other way. ‘Because we won, we need your continued support in buying season tickets.’”

Del Conte revealed at the Town Hall meeting Texas is still 10,000 season tickets under UT’s “high-water mark under Mack Brown” of 63,000 in 2010. Del Conte doesn’t hold back. He said next year’s Town Hall might be focused on his plans to reseat the new basketball arena (expected to be completed in 2021) to make room for 2,000 student seats surrounding the court. “Good, bad or indifferent, we always want to have an open dialogue about the things going on around here,” Del Conte said. “That way, everyone stays invested.”

At one point during the Town Hall, you thought Del Conte was doing bathroom humor standup — until you realized he was telling a true story. He said athletics will have to come up with at least $11 million this summer to finally get rid of the 1920s’ cast-iron pipes on the west side of DKR that burst in the middle of last season’s USC game, emptying “grey matter” into a long-time booster’s suite, Del Conte said, and leaving the upper deck with no toilets.

“When they built the stadium in the 1920s, it was cast iron pipes,” Del Conte said. “Instead of tearing it out at some point and updating the pipes, we just kept adding cast-iron connectors to the original system. More connectors and more connectors. And then a long-time donor who has been very good to us had grey matter come splattering into the bathroom in his suite. A guy in a hazmat suit came and told him to evacuate, and the donor grabbed a bottle of whiskey and said, ‘I’m not going anywhere. We’re winning!’

“So, we have an $11 million problem, and we’re addressing it this summer. We’re fixing it. We have plenty of toilets for the upper deck. We just need to make sure they work.” — Chip Brown


***
DEL CONTE'S CABINET

Drew Martin, External Services

Del Conte's right-hand man at TCU and now at Texas. Martin is a force of nature, who gets more done in a day than most get done in a week. Martin helped oversee the development of Bevo Blvd, Longhorn City Limits and the in-game improvements at UT football games this past season and pushes Del Conte's credo of transparency at every turn.

Shawn Eichorst, Internal Services

When Eichorst was let go as athletic director at Nebraska, Del Conte turned to his longtime friend and respected colleague and brought him to Texas to help oversee the internal affairs of UT athletics and how each area of the department could work better together and maximize output. Eichorst oversees the business operations of UT athletics along with chief financial officer Jon Payne.

Chris Plonsky, Chief of Staff

Considering Plonsky basically used to run the UT athletic department, Del Conte has done a great job of including Plonsky's input in all of his "cabinet" meetings while having Martin and Eichorst basically take over what Plonsky used to do. Del Conte has given Plonsky, whose contract runs out in August 2020, a large role in helping determine what will be on display in the new Longhorns Athletics Hall Of Fame as well as several jersey retirements about to happen among former UT women's athletes.

Arthur Johnson, Operations

Del Conte basically counts on Johnson to find a way to put into operation all of the ideas that are coming out of the cabinet meetings, which are often logistical nightmares. Johnson has become one of Del Conte's top problem solvers.

Amy Folan, Longhorn Foundation

Folan has found new life under Del Conte after the ever-changing leadership of UT athletics from 2013 to 2017 left Folan's role as the head of the Longhorn Foundation, the fund-raising arm of UT athletics, in doubt. But Folan and her top executive Andrew Hamor have done well in latching on to Del Conte's fund-raising vision and making sure the 18 staffers in the Foundation are carrying out his mandate of "10 meaningful visits per week." The record-setting results speak for themselves.

Jon Payne, Chief Financial Officer

Payne is finding life much more enjoyable under Del Conte than the ever-changing direction/leadership of the department the previous four years. From 2013-16, a poor, on-field football product resulted in poor fund-raising as well as an even-harder-to-decipher long-term vision for UT athletics from former athletic director Steve Patterson and his successor Mike Perrin. Payne and Eichorst work very closely in handling UT's $219 million athletics' budget. — Chip Brown

***
DEL CONTE: DID YOU KNOW?

When Texas suddenly had an opening for a home-and-home football series in 2022-23 because Ohio State wanted to reschedule, Del Conte contacted Texas A&M to see if the Aggies wanted resume their 100-year rivalry in those windows. A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said the Aggies already had non-conference games scheduled in 2022-23 with the Miami Hurricanes and didn’t want to change.

Del Conte is working on a home-and-home football series with the Florida Gators for 2029-30. For the next two football seasons, during the renovation of the south end of DKR, the roughly 4,000 student bleacher seats behind the south end zone will be eliminated and moved back to the northeast corner of DKR in Sections 18 and 19. There might also be a construction fence that could partially obstruct the south end zone view of those seated in the first dozen or so rows of Sections 1 and 32.

UT athletics told regents it would raise $125 million of a $175 million budgeted for the renovation of the south end of DKR, which will begin this summer and be completed before the 2021 season. Del Conte said athletics already has more than $125 million in pledges from donors. In addition to roughly $10 million in cash given by UT athletics to the central university (the money paid annually to Texas by ESPN as part of a 20-year, $300 million agreement for the Longhorn Network), Texas gives another $44 million annually to the central university for everything from scholarship costs, room and board and electricity to library fees. — Chip Brown

***
UT FACILITIES' UPGRADE TIMELINE

But even before announcing the $175 million south end renovation of DKR, Chris Del Conte was busy raising $46 million for the following projects:

Baseball: A new indoor pitching and hitting lab located outside right field. Already under construction. Cost/Raised: $9 million - fully raised Completion date: August

Longhorns Athletics Hall Of Fame: A new, 30,000-square-foot Hall Of Fame honoring the complete history of UT athletics located in the north end of DKR. Already under construction. Cost/Raised: $10 million - fully funded Completion date: August

Swimming and Diving: A new outdoor swimming and diving pool. Cost/Raised: $9 million - $2 million raised so far Completion date: November

Softball: A new indoor hitting/pitching lab on third-base side of McCombs Field as well as new locker room, players lounge, hydrotherapy and coaches’ offices. Cost/Raised: $9 million - just started raising money Completion date: December

Soccer/Track: New locker rooms, players’ lounge and workout area (hydrotherapy) in Mike A. Myers Stadium. Cost/Raised: $9 million - $2 million raised so far Completion date: 2020

Basketball: A new arena located just south of Mike A. Myers Stadium to be built by the Oak View Group, a collection of investors that also includes C3/Live Nation and Oscar-winning actor/UT alum Matthew McConaughey, who has anointed himself UT’s “Minister Of Culture.” Construction will start late this year or early next year, depending on when UT can get approval from the city to shut down Red River between Manor and MLK to make room for the arena, which will extend to the access road of I-35. Cost:  The $338 million cost will be funded by the Oak View Group in a lease-back agreement with the university. Completion date: Beginning of the 2021-22 basketball season — Chip Brown

***
OJOMO TO GET A LOOK AT NOSE

Talked to a team source Wednesday who said Moro Ojomo, explosive as a defensive end in Todd Orlando's 3-4 scheme (and certainly more of a 4i technique than Charles Omenihu or Breckyn Hager), will also get a look at nose tackle in addition to Gerald Wilbon, Keondre Coburn and D'Andre Christmas. The source said Ojomo has become even more powerful this off-season at 6-foot-2 and closer to 300 pounds than his listed 285 from last season's Sugar Bowl.

"His ball get-off is the real deal," the source said. "Moro's going to be on the field somewhere this season. A lot. There's a bold prediction for you." I'm very excited to see Ojomo work this spring. I had a high school coach in Ojomo's district compare his play and work ethic to former Texas DT Roy Miller, which I think most Longhorns' fans would take in an instant. I know I would. — Chip Brown

***
NEW FOR TEXAS BASEBALL GAMEDAY

Left-field scoreboard

Make sure to check out the new left field scoreboard, which is really a new, LED videoboard, which allows the right field board to be a permanent scoreboard, providing more stats and information than in years' past.

Fan-Friendly Concession Prices

Chris Del Conte led the charge for Texas' concession partner - Sodexo - to reduce prices by an average of 30 percent on 10 of the most popular concession items. French fries, for example, have gone from $4 to $3, and the Earl Campbell Sausage Wrap has gone from $6 to $5.

Pregame Happy Hour

From the time gates open until 15 minutes before the first pitch, domestic beers are $5/premium beer $6.

Longhorn Moments/Experiences

Texas is offering fans the chance to purchase upgraded experiences at Disch-Falk Field such as access to batting practice, upgraded seats and video board messages, etc. To receive the upgraded offers, you have to do a one-time signup for text alerts: Sign up at TexasSports.com/LonghornMoments. Opt in on your mobile phone with a "YES" reply to receive the text alerts when upgrades go on sale.

Burnt Orange Yeti Rambler

Texas has partnered with YETI to introduce a new, burnt orange 20 oz. Rambler, available for purchase ($40 includes beverage of your choice) starting Friday, Feb. 22 at the Home Plate Bar at the Disch. — Chip Brown

Edited by satyanash
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Wally Pryor

Wally Pryor 5,240

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Posted
11 hours ago, satyanash said:

Eyes of Texas: Numbers show Texas fund-raising through the roof

  Hide contents

Football 101 clinics run by college programs for their female fans have always been hot topics in years' past. Do you make it a wine and cheese affair where women come dressed for a night out, sipping wine and giggling at 18- to 22-year-old young men in football pants? Do you make it a hamstring pull-a-thon the way Charlie Strong and Pat Moorer used to? I mean you were likely to see two middle-aged babes going at it in the Oklahoma drill during Strong's Women's Clinics. It wasn't deemed a success unless at least a half-dozen women ended up being carted off to Seton's or St. David's.

Or do you make it a sexist embarrassment the way A&M did a few years back, replete with assistant coaches advising their own female fans that in order to be successful linemen they needed "to spread their legs" and other patently insulting lowlights. Well, for better or worse, the Women's Chalk Talk at Texas is surfacing March 13. Registration will begin at 5 pm with dinner being served immediately inside Moncrief-Neuhaus.

Event programming divided into four parts - Pre-Game, First Half, Halftime and Second Half - begins at 6 pm. The night will include "an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Texas Football," interaction with current team members as well as optional position drills inside DKR.

PRE-GAME: 5-6 pm ... dinner in tent adjacent to Moncrief-Neuhaus ... Photo ops with the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy.

FIRST HALF: Welcome from Tom Herman ... Participants divided into groups and rotate through five stations: Recruiting ... Weight Room ... Training Room ... Locker Room & Equipment Room ... Player Panel

HALFTIME: Group photo at midfield of DKR
SECOND HALF (optional): Participants (encouraged to wear athletic gear) can take the field for position specific drills while being coached by the current staff and team. — Chip Brown

***
NUMBERS SHOW DEL CONTE FUND-RAISING BLOWS AWAY PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS COMBINED

Listening to Chris Del Conte trying to explain how the facilities at one of the superpowers of college athletics could possibly need such a massive overhaul can be comical at times. (It will total nearly $560 million the next two-plus years, including a new, $338 million basketball arena being built by third-party investors.) “We’ve got to refresh these great bones that have been built,” Del Conte said, sounding more like a plastic surgeon talking to a prospective patient. “Our football stadium was built for the heyday of Darrell Royal and renovated for John Mackovic. Our basketball arena was built for the heyday of Abe Lemons. Eddie Reese, our 14-time national championship swim coach, asked then-athletic director Darrell Royal, when Eddie was hired in 1978, for an outdoor pool. That will happen this year. Eddie’s only been waiting since 1978.”

What’s nearly as staggering as the dire need for UT's facility overhaul is the ride-or-die, no-turning-back pace Del Conte is on to raise at least $200 million to pay up front as much as possible. Del Conte wants to avoid adding to UT athletics’ current tab of $190 million in low-interest debt — 70 percent of which is from the last football renovation (the north end of DKR in 2008). The other 30 percent is from projects dating as far back as Disch-Falk Field’s renovation in 1998.

According to dollar figures of the Longhorn Foundation obtained by Horns247, the fund-raising in Del Conte’s first full year on the job (2018) — excluding contributions to the Longhorn Foundation to maintain football season tickets — totaled $95.7 million. That’s more than double the four previous years of related fund-raising by the Foundation combined ($38.7 million). “Chris’ message to us is '10 meaningful visits per week,'” said Andrew Hamor, senior associate athletic director in the Longhorn Foundation. “He’s not going out and closing every gift. But our staff knows if they’re close and need his help, he’s more than willing to help us close gifts. He prioritizes fund-raising for sure.”

In less than two months in 2019, the Foundation’s fund-raising efforts, led by Del Conte (excluding contributions to the Foundation to maintain football season tickets), have totaled $58.2 million with 10 months to go — a record-setting pace. "I'm sure everyone realizes what we're doing is really ambitious and probably far from any kind of norm at any school," Hamor said. "But the biggest difference from the last several years here is Chris (Del Conte) is connected to our fans and listens to them. He's laid out a vision for Texas athletics, and everyone has bought into it — literally — with their hard-earned dollars."

Foundation fund-raising, including contributions to maintain football season tickets (that total is listed first), the last six years:

2014 … $41.2 million … $5.6 million (Steve Patterson AD)

2015 … $42.7 million … $8.0 million (Patterson/Mike Perrin AD)

2016 … $43.9 million … $8.3 million (Perrin AD)

2017 … $53.2 million … $16.8 million (Perrin AD)

2018 … $137.1 million … $95.7 million (Chris Del Conte AD)

2019 … $68 million* … $58.2 million* (Del Conte AD)

* year to date

Former athletic director Steve Patterson was dismissed 22 months into a six-year contract in September 2015 by school president Greg Fenves. Fenves replaced Patterson with longtime Texas booster, former UT football player and Houston attorney Mike Perrin, who served as athletic director until December 2017, when Del Conte was hired. Jon Payne, the chief financial officer of Texas athletics, was hired by then-athletic director DeLoss Dodds in 2012.

“I was fortunate to get one year with DeLoss,” Payne said. “Then, it was tough with the performance of the football team and the coaching turnover. “That’s stress from a financial perspective. We’re really moving beyond that right now, and the future looks as good as it has since I’ve been here. All this ambition is warranted. Right now, we can support it financially. The fund-raising, too, has put us in a really good position.”

Fenves said when he hired Del Conte, he trusted him implicitly as athletic director, because Fenves watched Del Conte raise $300 million in advance at TCU to pay for a complete football stadium renovation, new hoops arena as well as upgrades for baseball and other sports. “Chris (Del Conte) has incredible vision and passion, and there’s great alignment here between athletics and the president’s office,” said former Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst, who serves as Del Conte’s internal affairs lieutenant at Texas.

“Chris gets the big picture. He’s committed. He’s done this before. He’s been in the arena a long time. He gets the financial part of it. He gets the sustainability part of it. He’s able to articulate it. He connects well with everybody, whether it’s the janitors, the ushers, the ticket takers, the parking attendants, the student-athletes. It’s been fun to be a part of, and it’s very much a team effort with a lot of transparency.”

Del Conte is so transparent, he held a “first-annual Town Hall” on Feb. 7 in the auditorium of the LBJ Presidential Library, where he announced there would be no increase in football season ticket prices for the fourth straight year. “We have not earned the right,” Del Conte said. “I think some may look at it and say, ‘We won! We need to increase now.’ I look at it the other way. ‘Because we won, we need your continued support in buying season tickets.’”

Del Conte revealed at the Town Hall meeting Texas is still 10,000 season tickets under UT’s “high-water mark under Mack Brown” of 63,000 in 2010. Del Conte doesn’t hold back. He said next year’s Town Hall might be focused on his plans to reseat the new basketball arena (expected to be completed in 2021) to make room for 2,000 student seats surrounding the court. “Good, bad or indifferent, we always want to have an open dialogue about the things going on around here,” Del Conte said. “That way, everyone stays invested.”

At one point during the Town Hall, you thought Del Conte was doing bathroom humor standup — until you realized he was telling a true story. He said athletics will have to come up with at least $11 million this summer to finally get rid of the 1920s’ cast-iron pipes on the west side of DKR that burst in the middle of last season’s USC game, emptying “grey matter” into a long-time booster’s suite, Del Conte said, and leaving the upper deck with no toilets.

“When they built the stadium in the 1920s, it was cast iron pipes,” Del Conte said. “Instead of tearing it out at some point and updating the pipes, we just kept adding cast-iron connectors to the original system. More connectors and more connectors. And then a long-time donor who has been very good to us had grey matter come splattering into the bathroom in his suite. A guy in a hazmat suit came and told him to evacuate, and the donor grabbed a bottle of whiskey and said, ‘I’m not going anywhere. We’re winning!’

“So, we have an $11 million problem, and we’re addressing it this summer. We’re fixing it. We have plenty of toilets for the upper deck. We just need to make sure they work.” — Chip Brown


***
DEL CONTE'S CABINET

Drew Martin, External Services

Del Conte's right-hand man at TCU and now at Texas. Martin is a force of nature, who gets more done in a day than most get done in a week. Martin helped oversee the development of Bevo Blvd, Longhorn City Limits and the in-game improvements at UT football games this past season and pushes Del Conte's credo of transparency at every turn.

Shawn Eichorst, Internal Services

When Eichorst was let go as athletic director at Nebraska, Del Conte turned to his longtime friend and respected colleague and brought him to Texas to help oversee the internal affairs of UT athletics and how each area of the department could work better together and maximize output. Eichorst oversees the business operations of UT athletics along with chief financial officer Jon Payne.

Chris Plonsky, Chief of Staff

Considering Plonsky basically used to run the UT athletic department, Del Conte has done a great job of including Plonsky's input in all of his "cabinet" meetings while having Martin and Eichorst basically take over what Plonsky used to do. Del Conte has given Plonsky, whose contract runs out in August 2020, a large role in helping determine what will be on display in the new Longhorns Athletics Hall Of Fame as well as several jersey retirements about to happen among former UT women's athletes.

Arthur Johnson, Operations

Del Conte basically counts on Johnson to find a way to put into operation all of the ideas that are coming out of the cabinet meetings, which are often logistical nightmares. Johnson has become one of Del Conte's top problem solvers.

Amy Folan, Longhorn Foundation

Folan has found new life under Del Conte after the ever-changing leadership of UT athletics from 2013 to 2017 left Folan's role as the head of the Longhorn Foundation, the fund-raising arm of UT athletics, in doubt. But Folan and her top executive Andrew Hamor have done well in latching on to Del Conte's fund-raising vision and making sure the 18 staffers in the Foundation are carrying out his mandate of "10 meaningful visits per week." The record-setting results speak for themselves.

Jon Payne, Chief Financial Officer

Payne is finding life much more enjoyable under Del Conte than the ever-changing direction/leadership of the department the previous four years. From 2013-16, a poor, on-field football product resulted in poor fund-raising as well as an even-harder-to-decipher long-term vision for UT athletics from former athletic director Steve Patterson and his successor Mike Perrin. Payne and Eichorst work very closely in handling UT's $219 million athletics' budget. — Chip Brown

***
DEL CONTE: DID YOU KNOW?

When Texas suddenly had an opening for a home-and-home football series in 2022-23 because Ohio State wanted to reschedule, Del Conte contacted Texas A&M to see if the Aggies wanted resume their 100-year rivalry in those windows. A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said the Aggies already had non-conference games scheduled in 2022-23 with the Miami Hurricanes and didn’t want to change.

Del Conte is working on a home-and-home football series with the Florida Gators for 2029-30. For the next two football seasons, during the renovation of the south end of DKR, the roughly 4,000 student bleacher seats behind the south end zone will be eliminated and moved back to the northeast corner of DKR in Sections 18 and 19. There might also be a construction fence that could partially obstruct the south end zone view of those seated in the first dozen or so rows of Sections 1 and 32.

UT athletics told regents it would raise $125 million of a $175 million budgeted for the renovation of the south end of DKR, which will begin this summer and be completed before the 2021 season. Del Conte said athletics already has more than $125 million in pledges from donors. In addition to roughly $10 million in cash given by UT athletics to the central university (the money paid annually to Texas by ESPN as part of a 20-year, $300 million agreement for the Longhorn Network), Texas gives another $44 million annually to the central university for everything from scholarship costs, room and board and electricity to library fees. — Chip Brown

***
UT FACILITIES' UPGRADE TIMELINE

But even before announcing the $175 million south end renovation of DKR, Chris Del Conte was busy raising $46 million for the following projects:

Baseball: A new indoor pitching and hitting lab located outside right field. Already under construction. Cost/Raised: $9 million - fully raised Completion date: August

Longhorns Athletics Hall Of Fame: A new, 30,000-square-foot Hall Of Fame honoring the complete history of UT athletics located in the north end of DKR. Already under construction. Cost/Raised: $10 million - fully funded Completion date: August

Swimming and Diving: A new outdoor swimming and diving pool. Cost/Raised: $9 million - $2 million raised so far Completion date: November

Softball: A new indoor hitting/pitching lab on third-base side of McCombs Field as well as new locker room, players lounge, hydrotherapy and coaches’ offices. Cost/Raised: $9 million - just started raising money Completion date: December

Soccer/Track: New locker rooms, players’ lounge and workout area (hydrotherapy) in Mike A. Myers Stadium. Cost/Raised: $9 million - $2 million raised so far Completion date: 2020

Basketball: A new arena located just south of Mike A. Myers Stadium to be built by the Oak View Group, a collection of investors that also includes C3/Live Nation and Oscar-winning actor/UT alum Matthew McConaughey, who has anointed himself UT’s “Minister Of Culture.” Construction will start late this year or early next year, depending on when UT can get approval from the city to shut down Red River between Manor and MLK to make room for the arena, which will extend to the access road of I-35. Cost:  The $338 million cost will be funded by the Oak View Group in a lease-back agreement with the university. Completion date: Beginning of the 2021-22 basketball season — Chip Brown

***
OJOMO TO GET A LOOK AT NOSE

Talked to a team source Wednesday who said Moro Ojomo, explosive as a defensive end in Todd Orlando's 3-4 scheme (and certainly more of a 4i technique than Charles Omenihu or Breckyn Hager), will also get a look at nose tackle in addition to Gerald Wilbon, Keondre Coburn and D'Andre Christmas. The source said Ojomo has become even more powerful this off-season at 6-foot-2 and closer to 300 pounds than his listed 285 from last season's Sugar Bowl.

"His ball get-off is the real deal," the source said. "Moro's going to be on the field somewhere this season. A lot. There's a bold prediction for you." I'm very excited to see Ojomo work this spring. I had a high school coach in Ojomo's district compare his play and work ethic to former Texas DT Roy Miller, which I think most Longhorns' fans would take in an instant. I know I would. — Chip Brown

***
NEW FOR TEXAS BASEBALL GAMEDAY

Left-field scoreboard

Make sure to check out the new left field scoreboard, which is really a new, LED videoboard, which allows the right field board to be a permanent scoreboard, providing more stats and information than in years' past.

Fan-Friendly Concession Prices

Chris Del Conte led the charge for Texas' concession partner - Sodexo - to reduce prices by an average of 30 percent on 10 of the most popular concession items. French fries, for example, have gone from $4 to $3, and the Earl Campbell Sausage Wrap has gone from $6 to $5.

Pregame Happy Hour

From the time gates open until 15 minutes before the first pitch, domestic beers are $5/premium beer $6.

Longhorn Moments/Experiences

Texas is offering fans the chance to purchase upgraded experiences at Disch-Falk Field such as access to batting practice, upgraded seats and video board messages, etc. To receive the upgraded offers, you have to do a one-time signup for text alerts: Sign up at TexasSports.com/LonghornMoments. Opt in on your mobile phone with a "YES" reply to receive the text alerts when upgrades go on sale.

Burnt Orange Yeti Rambler

Texas has partnered with YETI to introduce a new, burnt orange 20 oz. Rambler, available for purchase ($40 includes beverage of your choice) starting Friday, Feb. 22 at the Home Plate Bar at the Disch. — Chip Brown

Thanks for posting.  Great read from Brown. 

This sums it up:  "(Del Conte) connects well with everybody, whether it’s the janitors, the ushers, the ticket takers, the parking attendants, the student-athletes." You get a guy like that, and you have a guy that will get it done. 

Other big takeaway is that Polonsky is done next summer.  Del Conte has effectively neutered him which is obviously fantastic.   But as long as Polonsky is associated with Texas athletics in any capacity it won't be soon enough that the devil is gone. 

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