Austin, TX

1-on-1 with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte

Published

11 months ago

December 30, 2023

1-on-1 with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte

AUSTIN, Texas — Chris Del Conte was hired as the Texas athletic director back in 2017 with the goal of getting UT sports back on the national stage across the board. Seems pretty easy to say that he has achieved that mission with a volleyball team that just won back-to-back national titles, a football team in the playoff and just about every other sport consistently ranked in the top 25.

What You Need To Know

Chris Del Conte was hired as Texas athletic director in December 2017

The assistant director helped create UT’s first sports Hall of Fame at the football stadium

In 2020, Del Conte made a big move to fire Tom Herman after a 7-3 season. He immediately went out and hired Steve Sarkisian as the next Texas head football coach, a move that wasn’t guaranteed to work but is paying off for the program now

One of the biggest decisions Del Conte has made during his time at Texas was the choice to move UT to the SEC. That move is just a few months away from finally happening

“Potential is a great word, but it’s also a bad word,” Del Conte said. “We’re living up to our potential. We understand what it means to be a Longhorn, and it’s not for everybody. If you understand to harness that energy, great things can happen.”

As much success as almost every sport has had the past few years, things are different when UT football is rolling, and right now UT football is rolling.

“We all know what football brings to the table. They’re the engine that drives all of our emotion,” Del Conte said. “When you have all of us pulling in the right direction — alumni, president, governor, board of trustees, chairman — and when that happens, it’s special.”

In 2020, Del Conte made a big move to fire Tom Herman after a 7-3 season. He immediately went out and hired Steve Sarkisian as the next Texas head football coach, a move that wasn’t guaranteed to work but is paying off for the program now.

“Sport is built on the story of the Bible, David versus. Goliath. Everyone loves a David; Texas can never be a David,” Del Conte said. “We need to find coaches that can operate in that realm and we knew Steve did and could and the fruits of his labor are here.”

One of the biggest decisions Del Conte has made during his time at Texas was the choice to move UT to the SEC. That move is just a few months away from happening.

“I looked at the brand of Texas and who we represent, in the state we represent, and you want to be in the very best conference,” said Del Conte. “We wanted to make sure we maintain our true rivals and put our institution against the greatest brands playing every weekend and it was a regional fit. It’s going to be exciting.”

While CDC has accomplished a lot already in his time on the Forty Acres, college sports are changing rapidly and there is a lot he is monitoring for the future.

“We understand what NIL looks like and I get it, but what’s getting lost to me is that only 2% of our kids go pro and yet they’re going to get a free education. Should we at least recognize that it’s not being recognized?” said Del Conte. “My job is to make sure I put the University of Texas, our 600 student-athletes and our coaches in the best position possible to win championships and graduate. If the land shift changes, we will be prepared for that.”

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Austin, TX

Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans

Austin Empty Bowl Project 2024

Central Texas Food Bank hosted its annual Austin Empty Bowl Project on Sunday where attendees got to enjoy soup from local eateries, all to raise money for a good cause.

AUSTIN, Texas – The 28th annual Austin Empty Bowl Project brought in thousands for a good cause.

“We have over 30 restaurants, over 200 gallons of soup,” said project co-director Deb Dixon.

The event donates all proceeds to Kids Café, a program of the Central Texas Food Bank, and to Meals on Wheels Central Texas.

“The Central Texas Food Bank has school pantries where we have pantries in over five schools. We also have after-school meals and summer meals. And 1 in 4 children go to bed hungry in our service area. So, it’s critical that this event raises as much funds as possible to support those kids,” said CTFB president & CEO Sari Vaske.

Throughout the year, local Austin area potters make more than a thousand soup bowls and donate them to the project.

“We have our communities of potters, our restaurants and our musicians that have all come together and donated time and materials in support of something pretty terrific,” said Dixon.

At the event each year, attendees give a donation, pick out a ceramic bowl, choose from several soups from different restaurants, listen to live music and bid in a silent auction.

After lunch, guests take their bowls home as a reminder that others less fortunate have empty bowls.

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“There’s over 530,000 people that don’t know where their next meal is going to come from throughout 21 counties. So, this event supports those families,” said Vaske.

For Pflugerville resident Kim Hanson, supporting the Empty Bowl Project has become a special tradition. Every year for the past 20 years, she’s celebrated her birthday by attending the event.

This year, for her 40th, she took it up a notch—bringing 40 friends and family along to give back and make her special day even more meaningful.

“I just think it’s really important for the community to help to support each other. And this goes to support people in our community that need food. And it helps with the children who don’t have enough to eat throughout the year. So, I love to come and support this mission,” said Hanson.

Hanson says she hopes to continue the tradition for years to come.

You can find more information about the Austin Empty Bowl Project here.

The Source: Information in this report came from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin’s Jenna King.

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Austin, TX

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

Published

10 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas had a strong showing on OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 Restaurants with 10 establishments making the list.

What You Need To Know

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users

The Lone Star State had the second-most restaurants on the list, tied with Illinois, behind California, which had a whopping 19 restaurants featured.

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list.

Aba – Austin
J Carver’s
Jeffrey’s Restaurant
Red Ash Italia
Sammie’s Italian
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list.

Steak 48 – Houston
Signature – San Antonio
Hudson House – Lovers Lane – Dallas

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users.

According to OpenTable’s website, restaurants with enough reviews are automatically considered and are evaluated by their ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches.

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Austin, TX

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

Published

19 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

AUSTIN — Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald made his mark in the Longhorn secondary on Saturday.

McDonald recorded his first career interception, and it was one for the books.

With five minutes left in the first half as Texas led 14-7, Kentucky had possession. The crowd went wild as McDonald dove for the ball to get possession back to the Longhorn offense. Commentators described the play as a “Superman” performance.

WENT FULL SUPERMAN FOR THIS PICK 👀🤯@TexasFootball x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/ZV5AxOSWo7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 23, 2024
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McDonald’s teammates also had their takes on the play.

“Superman…I mean everybody knows how athletic Jelani is, we’ve been talking about that all season, and even tied back to last season,” Michael Taaffe said. “He’s so athletic. I’m glad he finally got to show that and for you all to see, because we’ve known that forever.”

McDonald has totaled 22 tackles this season, playing in every conference and two non-conference games.

While he’s not a name on everyone’s mouths, like Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Bond, Taaffe or Kelvin Banks Jr., McDonald proved once and for all his impact on the team. McDonald could very much have a breakout season in 2025, and this play, which recorded Texas’ 16th interception of the season taking the national record, opened up the doors for his campaign.

That pick could even be awarded play of the year.

“I’ve been just happy to see him grow and get better as a player,” Anthony Hill Jr., who played with McDonald in the Freshman All-American game, said.

“He was playing corners, so I was like ‘Who’s this guy,’ and then one the game, he’s playing linebackers, and at one game he’s playing safety,” Hill said.

McDonald has one more shot to showcase his talent in the regular season as Texas faces Texas A&M next Saturday. But with two years left of eligibility, the sky is the limit.

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