UT History

Bluebonnet Chain Signified Passing of Leadership On Campus

By Jim Nicar

For almost half a century, springtime on campus was heralded by a sea of bluebonnets and dotted with poppies, yellow daisies, and the bright red blossoms of the...

How the MLK Statue Came to the East Mall

By Jim Nicar

In September 1999, a bronze statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. was unveiled on the East Mall. Created by a husband-and-wife team, Jeffrey Varilla and Anna Koh-Varilla...

UT’s First Portrait

By Jim Nicar

The earliest known photograph of the University of Texas, which opened in 1883. At the time, UT inhabited a 40-acre tract of land just north of Austin, bounded...

The First Basketball Games on the Forty Acres

By Jim Nicar

Women played the first basketball games on the UT campus. Starting in 1902, half-court scrimmages were held in the basement gymnasium of the Woman’s Building,...

UT Myths and Legends, Debunked

By Jim Nicar

From Bevo to Burdine to the Battle Oaks, here are the real stories behind the legends you thought you knew. They’re staples at every college, as common as...

Marching for the President

By Jim Nicar

Today marks an auspicious day in Longhorn Band history: the first of many marches in presidential inauguration parades. On January 20, 1961, the Longhorn Band made...

The First Snow Day

By Jim Nicar

Snow days in Austin? They’re rare. They happen only once in a blue moon. Some put the odds at a snowball’s chance in, well, you get the idea. When Old Man Winter...

The Last of the Legends

By Bill Little

Julian Garrett, who passed away on Saturday, was the last surviving member of arguably the greatest team in the first half-century of Texas football. Chances are,...

Feature

Time to Remember Pig

By Jim Nicar

It’s early January, a time for resolutions, bowl games, and, when thinking of University of Texas history, a time to recall a favorite canine that once prowled...

Feature

Campus Mischief: B. Hall’s Bell Tolls for Thee

By Jim Nicar

One hundred years ago, on the final day of the month in November 1911, a cool, peaceful, lazy Thanksgiving morning dawned on the University of Texas campus. During...