Pour, Longhorns: Thanks to Tito's Vodka, Texas receives funding for football, basketball, rowing facilities
Raise a glass of Tito’s Handmade Vodka lately? That purchase likely helped the Texas Longhorns athletic department raise the funds for new football, basketball, and rowing facilities.
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Love, Tito’s, the philanthropic branch of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, announced a $20 million “leadership gift” to the University of Texas athletic department on Monday. The gift will assist with the construction of new practice facilities for men’s and women’s basketball, rowing, and football.
“What a tremendous show of support and Longhorn pride from Tito Beveridge through the philanthropic generosity of Tito’s,” UT vice president and athletics director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “This is such a life-changing commitment and investment in the success of our athletics programs and all of our student-athletes.”
Tito’s, founded by UT alumnus Bert “Tito” Beveridge, has previously donated $7 million to the university through Love, Tito’s. The gifts have helped the College of Natural Sciences and the Charles A. Dana Center.
“I value this education to this day and am forever grateful to the university for enriching my life experience in so many ways,” said Beveridge. “Giving back to student-athletes complements the support we provide to science research at UT. We hope this gift helps Longhorns excel both on and off the field throughout their lives, that they find something they love to do that they are good at, and that they share these passions and talents with their communities.”
Texas previously announced both basketball programs and the 2021 national champion rowing program would receive a new practice facility south of the intersection of Robert Dedman Drive and 20th St. as part of the Moody Center project. The basketball programs’ current facilities, the Erwin Center and Cooley Pavilion, are set to be torn down to create room for additional Dell Medical School projects.
Dave O’Neill’s rowing program currently utilizes the Texas Rowing Center on the shores of Lady Bird Lake just east of Loop 1. The program practices outdoors on the Colorado River.
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The structure is scheduled for completion this summer.
No details about the football practice facility were included in the university release. Texas recently finished enclosing Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium with a south end zone renovation that updated the Moncreif-Neuhaus Athletic Center and added premium seating.
The Longhorn football program has used the Indoor Practice Facility, a.k.a. “The Bubble,” since 2002. Though the structure located at the corner of Dean Keaton and Red River Sts. provides a climate-controlled environment for football practice, many Power 5 and some Group of 5 athletic departments around the state have constructed far cushier practice facilities.
No matter what happens to The Bubble, Texas can toast Tito’s for helping to achieve several of its facility goals for some of the school’s most successful athletic ventures.
“Tito and his team at Love, Tito’s have been incredible supporters of the university,” said UT president Jay Hartzell. “Whether they are helping our Population Health faculty improve outcomes for the community, investing in opportunities to serve and protect our community from COVID, or advancing student opportunities across the Forty Acres, they have helped fuel our vision to be the country’s highest impact public university. They understand the special role that athletics play in the fabric of our university, and I’m deeply grateful for this investment that will support our student-athletes in their pursuit of college degrees and championships.”
