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Pretty impressive hire imho

ARLINGTON – The University of Texas at Arlington has selected Jon Fagg to serve as its next director of athletics. Fagg, currently deputy athletics director at the University of Arkansas, will join UTA on Aug. 1, one month after the University joins the Western Athletic Conference. At Arkansas, Fagg assisted the vice chancellor and director of athletics in the daily administration of the department and provided direct oversight of its NCAA compliance program; academic support; student-athlete development; and name, image and likeness units. He also oversaw other administrative units, including mental health and performance, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and major gift development. He most recently served as the sports administrator for the football and swimming and diving programs and had oversight of the women's soccer and men's basketball programs. UTA officially will introduce Fagg at a news conference inside the College Park Center on UTA's campus on Monday, June 20, at 1 p.m. "Jon will provide strategic leadership for our intercollegiate athletics department and collaborate across campus and the community to promote the academic and athletic achievements of our student-athletes," UTA President Jennifer Cowley said. "I am confident his experience will prove to be an asset as we move into the Western Athletic Conference and work to advance the success of our 15 NCAA Division I athletic programs." During his tenure in Fayetteville, Fagg was an instrumental team member of the University's capital campaign, Campaign Arkansas, which raised approximately $220 million for the department of athletics through annual and philanthropic giving to enhance the Arkansas student-athlete experience. Since the conclusion of the campaign in the summer of 2020, the Razorbacks have claimed an impressive 18 Southeastern Conference Championships—10 in 2020-21 and eight more in 2021-22—almost double any other SEC member. This year, Arkansas was one of only three schools in the nation to have NCAA Tournament appearances or a bowl game in football, men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, softball and baseball. Fagg was instrumental in the hiring of current Arkansas men's basketball coach Eric Musselman, who guided the Razorbacks to their second straight Elite Eight trip this past March. Beyond athletic competitions, Fagg has overseen Arkansas student-athletes collectively earning at least a 3.0 GPA for 25 straight semesters, and 16 consecutive semesters of at least a 3.2—including in spring 2022 (3.25). Those student-athletes helped the Razorbacks achieve a school-record 85% Graduation Success Rate, which has increased 15% during Fagg's time at Arkansas. Prior to joining Arkansas in 2008, Fagg spent seven years at North Carolina State, first as an assistant athletics director and then as associate athletics director. He also spent three years as assistant athletics director for compliance at Fresno State and a year as director of compliance for the Big South Conference. "UT Arlington has both a strong tradition of success and tremendous potential for growth, especially as it moves to a new conference," Fagg said. "It's an exciting time to join the Maverick family, and I'm looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of leading the athletics program to even greater heights." Shelby Boseman, UTA chief legal officer, led UTA's national search as chairman of the athletics director search committee and said Fagg maintained high athletic and academic standards in his previous roles. "Jon brings comprehensive experience to this role, with a proven record of overseeing compliance, sports administration and development efforts at different universities," Boseman said. Fagg replaces Jim Baker, who served as UTA athletics director from 2012-22. During that time, Baker added women's golf as UTA's 15th intercollegiate sport, led the department's dedicated focus on community service and witnessed the Mavericks win 24 conference championships and make 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. "Under Jim's leadership, UTA established a winning formula in competition, in the classroom and in the community," Cowley said. "He maintained high standards for compliance and fiscal responsibility, ensuring that UTA remains positioned for success." UTA Athletics has won 129 conference championships in its history, participated in 77 NCAA tournaments, produced more than 150 All-Americans and claimed three national champions. With more than 48,000 students, UTA is the fourth-largest institution in Texas and one of 137 universities nationwide to receive the R-1: Doctoral Universities—Very High Research Activity designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In 2021, UTA received the Texas Tier One designation reserved for the state's top institutions for academic and research excellence. The University has 18 National Academy of Inventors fellows, the most of any institution in Texas. UTA ranks No. 1 nationally in the Military Times annual "Best for Vets: Colleges" list, is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and has approximately 250,000 alumni making an impact across Texas and beyond. FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at the new UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs. Print Friendly Version LINK: https://utamavs.com/news/2022/6/14/general-jon-fagg-selected-as-next-ut-arlington-athletics-director.aspx

For the first time in 14 years, UT-Arlington is seriously considering the revival of its dormant football program. UTA president Vistasp Karbhari and athletic director Jim Baker have examined the costs of adding a football team within the next 10 years, according to documents obtained through an open records request. In addition to football, the Mavericks have also looked at adding women's soccer and beach volleyball. In 1985, the university disbanded its football program because of budget constraints. In a statement provided Thursday, Baker said the university is seeking an additional feasibility study from a third party. Baker also said the football program "must be exclusively funded by private, philanthropic resources" and exclude any additional money from student fees. Through school spokespersons, Baker and Karbhari declined interview requests Thursday. Karbhari also cited Baker's statement when asked for a comment. In September, the state's attorney general ruled UTA had to release selected emails and documents about UTA's football program. Those materials were released earlier this week after The News filed a complaint to the state's attorney general office. According to an internal budget projection, adding those three sports could cost UTA $146.7 million over 10 years. During the 2017 fiscal year, UTA reported $530,067 in athletic donations and $14.1 million in total operating athletic revenue. Adding women's soccer and beach volleyball brings an estimated combined cost of $10 million over 10 years, with volleyball starting in Year 2 and soccer in Year 3. The two sports would have 20 combined full scholarships, which would help UTA fulfill the Title IX obligations that come with adding 85 football scholarships. In April, Baker and Karbhari reviewed a document that featured a 10-year projection for the football program. By the sixth year, the Mavericks would have a team competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA's highest level. Read more: https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2018/10/25/exclusive-ut-arlington-considering-reviving-football-program-30-years-after-disbanded

The idea seems to make sense and it’s something that UT Arlington coach Scott Cross has been advocating for the past few years. Why not have all four Metroplex teams play against each other in a round-robin format every year? It could help create more interest in college basketball during the football season and draw bigger crowds for nonconference games with the area schools — TCU, SMU, North Texas and UTA — playing against each other. Something like the “Metroplex 4” could help keep the college basketball buzz going after the Final Four arrives in Arlington in April. “I just think it would be an outstanding event,” Cross said. “Any time you have two local schools playing against each other, you have the biggest crowds. They are just natural rivalries.” Philadelphia area teams already do something along those lines with the city’s “Big 5” — Penn, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/12/20/5435755/tcu-smu-uta-unt-in-metroplex-4.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/12/20/5435755/tcu-smu-uta-unt-in-metroplex-4.html#storylink=cpy

Johnny Quinn, Olympic bobsledder and former player in the National Football League, said throughout college, his biggest goal was to play professional football. Once that goal was reached, it came to an end a few years later and Quinn took a surprising turn to bobsledding. Though his career changed unexpectedly, he took on the challenge headfirst. “When an unexpected opportunity presents itself, I was ready,” Quinn said. “It sets into motion a new dream and new goals.” Quinn said he started playing football as a kid and his love for football was only strengthened by the fact that he grew up in Texas, where football is a big sport. During his time as a student at the University of North Texas, he played football and had dreams of becoming a professional football player. “I was a little undersized for my position as a wide receiver,” Quinn said. “If I even had a chance, I couldn’t take it for granted. I would see my goal daily, and I knew there was a bigger picture.” He reached his goal of going pro at age 22 with the Buffalo Bills , but after four years in the NFL, he had been cut from three different teams, lost $2.6 million and blew out his knee playing. “At 26 years old, my career was a train wreck,” Quinn said. “Unfortunately, my NFL career didn’t go the way I wanted, but I knew I still had more to give athletically.” A month before Quinn was supposed to go to his next football training camp, his agent called and told him there was an opportunity to compete as a bobsledder for the United States bobsledding team in the U.S. Olympic team trials. Quinn had never really given bobsledding much thought, but wanted to take advantage of a new athletic opportunity. His first time on ice was at that trial, and his team placed third. “My whole life changed after that, and I put my focus onto this new adventure I was in,” Quinn said. “I was now a part of the United States Olympic team for bobsledding. I got to compete in The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which was an amazing experience.” Throughout his athletic career, Quinn said hard work, determination and his faith kept him afloat. “Sometimes you can work your tail off and things just don’t work out,” Quinn said. “Instead of living there, use failure as something different. Use it as a way to start a new set of goals.” read more: http://www.theshorthorn.com/life_and_entertainment/start-year-off-right-by-making-goals-sticking-to-them/article_7cebae16-bbc6-11e5-a1a9-271d1164ae56.html

So I noticed on UTA's athletic site that they have UNT scheduled for a game this coming December 3rd at 7:00PM. Looks like the rivalry is back on track?

Read more: http://www.arlingtonvoice.com/story/education/11/21/2013/uta-veteran-set-be-next-unt-president

It looks like the UNT-UTA basketball series might be interrupted next season. We covered what was said last night, when I talked to Tony Benford and Rick Villarreal. Villarreal said that UNT would like the series to continue. The problem is that UNT has locked itself into a nonconference game at Texas A&M and the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, starting with a game at Oklahoma and then continuing in Portland. Benford and Villarreal don’t want to play more games on the road than at home. UNT has not played more true road games (not counting neural site games) since playing 14 at home and 15 on the road back in the 2009-10 season (ironically, it was the last year UNT went to the NCAA tournament). A game at UTA could push UNT to a road-game heavy schedule. Despite the potential for that to happen, Villarreal said that the situation is still fluid. UTA wants to play on a specific date, but UNT is already playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament that day. UNT and UTA officials are in discussions about moving the game. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/04/thoughts-on-unt-uta-series-debate.html/

Terry Mclennan is a public relations senior and guest columnist Andy Williams’ classic song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” may have been in reference to Christmas, but in Texas, that time is college football season, and it is in full swing. The hitting is hard, the competition is tough and the debates are fierce as people all over the state are embracing the return of football with open arms — well, almost everyone. This will be the 26th season that UTA will be absent from these conversations as the last time a football team represented the school was in 1985. For a lot of people, that is far too long to go without a football program, and the arguments are stronger and more legitimate than ever; UTA is coming off very successful seasons in men’s basketball and baseball, College Park Center is in full operation, UTA has begun it’s first season of athletic competition in the Western Athletic Conference which would love to add an eighth football team to its roster. Plus, UTA already has a 15,000-seat stadium on campus, as well as access to quite possibly the greatest arena ever built — Cowboys Stadium. When you look at those facts, it really does not make any sense why athletic director Jim Baker is not on the phone trying to hire a head coach and scheduling a press conference. There are plenty of other football programs in Texas that would love to be in the position that UTA is in right now. UTA is in a prime position to rejuvenate its program and capitalize on both the excitement and opportunities that a football team would bring. However, if it did, it would be the biggest mistake this program has ever made. I understand that college football is different from college basketball from a financial standpoint, but that is also just the beginning of the investments that UTA will have to make in order to build a somewhat respectable program. Finding a high-quality coach who would be fully dedicated to rebuilding this program from the ground up would be almost impossible without writing a six-figure check. That is what fellow WAC Conference member UT-San Antonio had to do when they signed Larry Coker to take over their upstart program. According to the Texas Tribune, Coker made $220,000 in the school’s first football season. He was the lowest-paid football coach in the conference, but that’s still almost double what the Texas Tribune website said head coach Scott Cross made last year. In addition to finding a coach, a decision would need to be made in regards to Maverick Stadium. According to the NCAA guidelines, a Division I football program must maintain an average attendance of 15,000 people per game. Maverick Stadium only holds 12,500, meaning the university will have to pay to have renovations done to the stadium to be up to par. The Idaho Vandals, who are also in the WAC, are undergoing a $52 million renovation project, so imagine how much will need to go into Maverick Stadium. That is unless you decide to lease out Cowboys Stadium, which would be very difficult to do with so many other games and events that also take place there. We haven’t even discussed the most important and most expensive investment of all, recruiting young men to be a part of the program Recruiting these days has now become a sport in its own, and it takes a heavy investment in both time and money — especially when it comes to recruiting in the most football talent-rich state in the country. Thirty-nine of ESPN’s Top 300 high school prospects are from Texas and colleges from all over the nation are trying to grab them. When a coach is trying to convince these guys to play for the new UTA program as opposed to Texas Christian University, University of North Texas, Baylor University, Texas A&M and Texas State University, you’d better be prepared to bring something to the table. Without even discussing where they are going to live, scholarships, scheduling, travel and other ancillary charges that I can’t even think of right now, you are looking at the very least a two-year, $60-million project. A project that no one has the time, energy or money to devote to it. Although there would be some very excited Mavericks to see those players step on to the field, that excitement would soon fade when they realize that their program has turned into the new Savannah State of football: the sacrificial lamb of other major football programs as they get beat by 70 while collecting a check to cover the expenses for the remaining athletic programs. I’m sure it would be great for UTA to once again be included in the Texas college-football debate, but please do everyone a favor and let the dream die. The program was dismantled 26 years ago, and that is where it needs to stay. Read more: http://www.theshorthorn.com/opinion/columnists/columnist_your_view/column-uta-football-program-would-be-too-costly/article_74d3447c-01f8-11e2-8a9d-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm

Read more: http://www.thenewsst...TES02/120523018 This post has been promoted to an article

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/21/3976625/uta-packing-bags-for-sun-belt.html#storylink=cpy'>http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/21/3976625/uta-packing-bags-for-sun-belt.html#storylink=cpy read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/21/3976625/uta-packing-bags-for-sun-belt.html

This is directly from the UT System Board agenda: 1. U. T. Arlington: Authorization to accept invitation from the Sun Belt Conference and to negotiate and finalize terms for athletic conference membership Also noticed this for UTSA: U. T. San Antonio: Request for approval for athletic fee increases effective for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014 Will be interesting to see what the new athletic fee for UTSA is and how it compares to ours. Im sure UTEP will be interested to know too! http://www.utsystem.edu/sites/utsfiles/offices/board-of-regents/board-meetings/agenda-book-full/5-24-2012AB.pdf

Texas Arlington plans to accept an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, pending the approval of the school's board of regents, a source said. The Mavericks, coming from the Southland Conference, will join Texas State and Georgia State as new members of the Sun Belt, which lost North Texas and Florida International to Conference USA this week. UT Arlington does not play football, although the school intends to explore building a football program after completing an upgrade of the baseball and softball facilities. Read more: http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/id/7891047/texas-arlington-mavericks-moving-sun-belt-source-says

Looks like they see the writing on the wall. Maybe Benson will throw them a bone from the Belt? http://www.theshorthorn.com/index.php/sports/uta-athletics/30259-universities-consider-drop-from-western-athletic-conference http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=451&f=2368&t=8954145