Wednesday, June 12, 2019
  Student Life, Announcements, Community, Alumni, Around Campus, Athletics

By Amanda Alaniz

UTRGV Vaquero Mascot
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley revealed the look of its new mascot – the Vaquero. The search for a design that would resonate as a symbol of the university and of the Rio Grande Valley began in 2015 with UTRGV Student Activities. The final looks of the mascot costume were voted on - and created - by UTRGV students. A 3-D version of the mascot is slated to be unveiled in fall 2019.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley today unveiled the look of its new mascot – the Vaquero.

The costumed version of the mascot, which will be portrayed by a UTRGV student, is slated to be revealed fall 2019. The mascot will serve as a university ambassador and entertainer at campus and off-campus community events.

Cindy Mata, director of UTRGV Student Activities, said talks among a committee of faculty, staff and students to decide on the Vaquero mascot had been in the works since 2015.

The committee searched for a design that would resonate as a symbol of the university and of the Valley. The looks of the mascot costume were voted on – and created – by UTRGV students.

“Student designers from the theater department helped design the outfit the mascot will wear,” Mata said. “They based the look on our region and did research about real vaqueros. All the costume pieces were designed by our students. And our students also voted for the symbols included on the outfit.”

In April 2018, two options for a mascot look were unveiled, and a poll was created, with more than 2,800 student votes being submitted. The winning look was revealed at a UTRGV Baseball game the following month.

“We really want this mascot to embody school spirit,” Mata said. “It has strong ties to our Valley legacies, too – some pieces the mascot will be wearing link back to our legacies. Everything that was chosen and designed by students ties back into the region.”

For more information about the UTRGV Mascot Team, visit the Student Activities page or email spirit@utrgv.edu.



ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.