The Way Back: Living the Dream

The grand tradition of the Texas Exes home game tailgate, also known as the biggest tailgate in Texas (we can’t prove this, but it’s true), wasn’t built in a day. The location for the first permanent home of the Alumni Association was selected in 1962 with proximity to the stadium in mind—early fundraising efforts described the building as “about the distance of an Ernie Koy punt from Memorial Stadium.” (Koy, BA ’66, Life Member, was a legendary running back and punter under Coach Darrell K Royal, for whom the stadium would eventually be renamed.)  

Gameday celebrations began as soon as the Alumni Center opened in 1965, with barbecue catered from Cooper’s, and only grew in size and splendor. By the 1983 season, the festivities had spilled onto the front porch, with refreshments available under orange-and-white striped tents. The attire was decidedly more formal than modern tailgaters may be used to, but that didn’t stop anyone from reclining on the grass with a Miller Lite. 

“I was in Tallahassee, Florida, last week with my girlfriend,” one fan told the Texas Exes at a 2008 tailgate. “Someone handed me a hot dog and a beer, and the beer was an O’Doul’s, and the hot dog was a veggie dog. And I said, ‘You know what, this is ridiculous. You’re coming with me next week to Austin to see how it’s really done.’”  

The debut of Bevo Blvd. in 2018 only upped the ante. San Jacinto Boulevard transforms into a block party, featuring a zip line, a giant beer truck called “Big Beertha” with 15 taps, and the iconic Stadium Stampede—when the Longhorn Band and Texas Cheer & Pom lead the football team right in front of the Alumni Center.  

“This is a little slice of heaven in Central Texas,” another tailgater remarked in 2008. “You really can’t ask for anything better than this. We are, as they say, living the dream.”