To the freshman class of 2011 – welcome to UTSA. Whether you are here for a year or four or six, you are part of a historic class.

You are the first class to experience an entire college career with football at UTSA. For those of us who can remember UTSA without football (I came here in 2008, left in 2009 and came back in 2010), it is exciting to see the sport starting up.

On the other hand, we old-timers are going to be sad to see the end of the “UTSA Football: Still Undefeated” T-shirts. Yes, we are probably going to lose a game or two on the gridiron.

As the first UTSA class to have football during your entire college career, you have the honor of being a part of the creation of traditions that will endure, so make them good traditions.

In addition to seeing the beginning of football, you are entering UTSA at a time of transition. On July 1, 2012, we will leave the Southland Conference, our home since 1991, and make our way into the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

By joining the WAC, UTSA will move into the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of Division I, although we will not become bowl eligible until 2014.

In addition to a new sport and a new conference, our athletic teams are coming off the best year in UTSA history. You are coming to a school with five defending Southland Conference Champions – remember that when you go back to visit your hometown.

For those who are not from San Antonio, there is a lot to do in this town for less than the price of gas to drive to Austin every weekend. From April to September, every Thursday home game of the San Antonio Missions baseball team is dollar night. For five bucks, you can get bleacher seats and then everything at the concession stand is one dollar. Parking is five dollars, but it is always worth the price if you have a few friends with you.

If baseball isn’t your sport, there is the Rampage hockey team. They play in the AT&T Center from November to April, and they also offer dollar nights periodically.

Another team that plays in the AT&T Center is the city’s NBA team, the Spurs. Whether or not you are a Spurs fan, the team usually has deals that allow you to attend the games at a reasonable price.

If going to see people get paid to play games is not your thing, there are countless parks all over San Antonio that can offer an escape from the dorm/apartment.

Wherever you go, always be proud that you are a Roadrunner. We may not be Longhorns or Aggies, but in four or six years when you get a diploma that says The University of Texas at San Antonio, it will be worth just as much as one your friends receive at any other school.

And get involved on campus.

The Paisano is always looking for people to write, draw, sell ads or take photos. Sports is always looking for new writers with new ideas.

If you like sports and/or like writing about sports, come by one of our weekly meetings this fall. We have them every Thursday afternoon, and attending is a great way to meet people.

Good Luck and Go Roadrunners!