Today, UTRGV formally announced that their newly acquired stadium would be renamed the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium and, by God, they couldn’t even give “UTRGV Stadium” or even “Vaqueros Stadium” a fucking month before they let companies jizz their name all over it.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey made the surprise announcement Thursday morning in a press conference with Robert and Janet Vackar in attendance after a $20 million donation was made in their name to the athletic department.
The Vackars are known throughout the Valley as the co-owners of the Bert Ogden Auto Group and have donated millions to the university over the years, so much so that UTRGV’s business school is actually named after Robert Vackar.
Incredibly, your friends at The Bench Wire weren’t far off when we predicted this nearly 8 years ago.
By 2019, local business owners, King and Bailey will break ground on the brand new “Vackar/Cantu Fuck-a-thon Stadium” with all the bells and whistles $50 million will bring including a giant “Dale Gas” mega-tron, godzillatron scoreboard.
What’s kind of hilarious is that people will probably still call it “Vaquero Stadium” and given that Vackar and Vaquero are so closely pronounced that it’ll invite all sorts of misspellings and confusion that will lead to different variations like “Vackero Stadium” or “Vaquer Stadium” with no one ever getting it right.
Don’t get me wrong; is it great that the Vackars have donated as much as they have to the university? Absolutely. But universities, and especially their athletic facilities, are public trusts where communities are built on the stories of their athletic achievements and contributions to a particular sport.
Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium, Kyle Field, Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Would it have taken years for that to happen? Absolutely (the state of UTRGV athletics is dismal to say it lightly) and maybe after several hard years of futility, sure, they may as well accept that naming the stadium to the largest bidder would be the best option, IE: McLane Stadium, Boone Pickens Stadium, Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
But less than one month from acquiring the stadium? 2 years before the first meaningful snap?
At least give the program a chance to produce someone worthy to name the stadium after; even if they’re not from the Valley.
