Texas AD Announces 68 Scholarships for Rowing

University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte recently announced plans to increase the number of scholarships Texas offers in rowing to 68, up from 20.

“This is the University of Texas,” Del Conte said at his annual town hall meeting. “We’re good at everything. We are going to fully fund every single one of our sports.”

“Sixty-eight scholarships is certainly an eye-popping number, and our athletic director has clearly stated a goal of increasing scholarships across all sports at Texas,” said Dave O’Neill, head coach of the defending NCAA national champion Longhorns. “This will be a multi-year process. Like all athletic departments, our budget office is working hard to figure out how to handle the new world of collegiate athletics, and next year’s funding for athlete support will be largely the same as this year. Fingers crossed for the years ahead.”

The Austin American Statesmen reported that Del Conte has a three-year plan for his athletic department to bring in $13 million in new revenue while reducing costs by $6 million. Season tickets for football will go up $80. Total scholarships for Texas’ 19 sports will increase from 266.2 to 466.

“That’s insane,” exclaimed one women’s college rowing coach, off the record.

What, exactly, constitutes a scholarship can vary widely.

At the high end, it can include tuition, books, room and board, additional cost of attendance, and Alston awards—up to $5,980 in additional funding, named after Shawne Alston, the football player who successfully sued the NCAA for violating antitrust law.

At the low end, a scholarship might only cover in-state tuition for residents at a public university.

“I’m confident everything will be done and our team will be supported to keep us competing for national championships year after year,” said O’Neill.

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