The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. The Longhorn nickname began appearing in Texas newspapers by 1900, taking its name from Longhorn cattle important to the development of Texas and now the state’s official “large animal.” The mascot is a Texas Longhorn steer named Bevo.
The University of Texas began varsity intercollegiate competition in men’s basketball in 1906. The baseball program began competing in 1893. The women's rowing team was established in 1998 as a result of a 1993 Title IX settlement, and the women’s soccer program was also founded in 1993 as part of the same settlement.
The football team is historically strong, with 891 wins as of the end of the 2016 season, second only to the University of Michigan. They won the BCS National Championship Game in 2005. The men’s swimming and diving team has been a dominant force, winning sixteen national championships between 1981 and 2025. The women’s swimming and diving team has also been successful, winning nine national championships between 1981 and 1991. The women’s tennis team won national championships in 1993, 1995, 2021, and 2022.
In March 2019, the men’s tennis head coach, Michael Center, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud as part of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. Despite this, the team went on to win their first NCAA tennis championship that same year. In 1992, seven women athletes sued the university, alleging Title IX violations due to the disparity in men's and women's athletic programs. This lawsuit led to the addition of women's rowing, soccer, and softball.
The football team has claimed four national championships (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005) and nine unclaimed championships. They have won 33 conference championships and 31 bowl games, including victories in the Rose Bowl (2005, 2006), Sugar Bowl (1948, 2019), and Fiesta Bowl (2009). The Longhorns have also won 27 conference championships in men’s basketball and 13 in women’s basketball.
The Longhorns also compete in a variety of other sports, including golf, track and field, volleyball, and tennis. The men’s golf team has produced several successful PGA Tour players, including Jordan Spieth and Justin Leonard. The women's volleyball team won national championships in 1988, 2012, 2022, and 2023. The Longhorns also field a rugby team, which has seen increasing success in recent years.
The University of Texas has established both a Men’s and Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor. For nine straight years (2005–2013), Texas was listed as the number one Collegiate Licensing Company client in regards to the amount of annual trademark royalties received from the sales of its fan merchandise. The Longhorn Network, a 24-hour channel devoted to UT sports, was launched in 2011 as a joint venture with ESPN.
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