UT Arlington Mavericks football

{{see also|List of UT Arlington Mavericks head football coaches}}

File:Carlisle Military Academy first football team, the Cravens, in uniform (10000360).jpg football team, circa 1906-1907]]

The UT Arlington football team traces its roots to 1919 when the program was established at Grubbs Vocational College.{{cite news| last =Rychlik| first =Michael| title = UTA had some football success until the program died in 1985| work =Arlington Morning News|url=http://arlingtonnow.com/sports/collegiate/11598_utafoot.html| date =December 29, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000525052143/http://arlingtonnow.com/sports/collegiate/11598_utafoot.html|archive-date=May 25, 2000|access-date=July 12, 2018}} Published in print as {{cite news|title=Rise & Fall: Plight of UTA football still hard for some to swallow|work=The Dallas Morning News|date=December 29, 1999|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0D0CB57AB53DF815&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3DBF765D05903|page=1B|access-date=September 12, 2020|via=Newsbank}} By 1923, Grubbs was renamed as the North Texas Agricultural College with the football team then playing as the Junior Aggies competing in the Central Texas Conference. As the Aggies, the program captured four conference championships through the 1948 season. The 1943 North Texas Aggies football team was ranked at No. 69 among the nation's college and military service teams in the final 1943 Litkenhous Ratings.{{cite news|title=Litkenhouse Selects U.S. Grid Leaders: Notre Dame Named Top Team for 1943; Minnesota Does Fadeout|author=E. E. Litkenhous|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=December 17, 1943|page=18|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune/122968858/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 26, 2023|archive-date=April 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420091830/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune/122968858/|url-status=live}}

By 1949, the school changed its name and mascot again, competing as the Arlington State Blue Riders through the 1950 season only to once more change the mascot to the Rebels for the 1951 season. Arlington would reach their zenith as a junior college program in capturing both the 1956 and 1957 Junior Rose Bowls as national junior college champions.[http://utamagazine.uta.edu/fall_2002/sports/gilstrap.html UTA Magazine Online, Legendary Coach and Athletic Director Dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230124800/http://utamagazine.uta.edu/fall_2002/sports/gilstrap.html |date=2006-12-30 }} Following the 1958 season, Arlington State became a four-year school and begin competition as a College Division school.

After founding the Southland Conference as a charter member for the 1964 season, by 1966, the school officially became the University of Texas at Arlington. UTA won conference championships in 1966, 1967 and 1981 seasons in addition to winning their lone bowl game, the 1967 Pecan Bowl. The program would be officially disbanded after an announcement by then university president Wendell Nedderman on November 25, 1985, citing financial loss and low attendance as the primary impetus for its abandonment.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/10/Former-congressman-Tommy-Vandergriff-who-was-willing-to-contribute/6319503038800/|title=Former congressman Tommy Vandergriff, who was willing to contribute...|publisher=UPI|date=December 10, 1985|access-date=July 12, 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CPDB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ED3CDC4786EC956&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420&p_openurl=NewsBank|title=UTA eliminates football because of program costs|last=McNabb|first=David|date=November 26, 1985|page=1A|work=The Dallas Morning News|access-date=July 12, 2018}}

Despite the team's disbandment, the UTA Maverick Marching Band was determined to stay intact. They shifted focus to performing at various contests and events around the state and remain one of the only college marching bands in the United States to stand alone without a football program.{{Cite web |last=Lawson |first=Mike |date=2002-08-01 |title=UPFRONT: TACKLING MARCHING BAND WITHOUT A FOOTBALL TEAM |url=https://sbomagazine.com/76upfront-tackling-marching-band-without-a-football-team/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=SBO Plus!}}{{Cite web |title=Maverick Marching Band |url=https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/liberal-arts/departments/music/ensembles/bands/marching-band |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Maverick Marching Band - Department of Music - The University of Texas at Arlington |language=en}}

In 2023, the UTA students voted on a non-binding referendum which gauged student support for the return of football resulting in increased student fees. The referendum passed 1,004 in favor to 625 opposed. It was noted at the time that the school would need to add a women's sport to go with football to comply with Title IX regulations along with needing to raise money to build a new stadium and annual operating expenses of at least $3 million per year.{{Cite web |last=Appelt |first=Isaac |title=Students, alumni react as football referendum passes in Student Government election |url=https://www.theshorthorn.com/news/students-alumni-react-as-football-referendum-passes-in-student-government-election/article_1a300f78-d361-11ed-bee5-d3b0c3a1d668.html |website=The Shorthorn |date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=October 16, 2023 }}https://www.theshorthorn.com/sports/a-year-later-where-does-football-stand/article_eeb47f5a-01bd-11ef-a639-234c8b5e3b3e.html

This listing includes only the seasons UTA competed as a four-year college beginning with the 1959 season.

• Memorial Stadium, 1959–1969
• Turnpike Stadium, 1970–1976
• Cravens Field, 1977–1979
• Maverick Stadium, 1980–1985

{{Reflist}}

{{UT Arlington Mavericks football navbox}}

{{University of Texas at Arlington}}

Category:American football teams established in 1919

Category:American football teams disestablished in 1985

Category:1919 establishments in Texas

Category:1985 disestablishments in Texas