A&M doesn't claim to be the oldest in the state. They just claim to be older than UT (which they are, considering the campus opened and had classes first).
Maybe oldest "University" but Austin College is older: Founded in 1849 by Princeton-educated Presbyterian missionary Dr. Daniel Baker, Austin College enjoys a place in early Texas history and remains a recognized leader in higher education for innovative programs, a strong faculty, and dedicated students. Austin College was granted a charter signed by Texas Governor George Wood in November of 1849. Modeled after those of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, that charter remains in use today, making Austin College the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under its original name and charter, as recognized by the State Historical Survey Committee.
As a SU alumn, I'm excited about these prospects .. Couple of points... 1) info I heard is that Red played football at Southwestern.. 2) Southwestern was a charter member of the Southwest Conference .. 3) The school was originally named The University of Texas (board is autocorrecting this to UT .. It wasn't ever called that.. It was t u), but gave up the name so another school (state school) could have the name.. Go Bucs and Hook 'em. Best of both worlds... mG PS: Our mascot is the Pirates... Would be hysterical (and highly unlikely) if Mike Leach became the coach ... ;-)
Eh, not sure it will be a success there. Don't have the type of student body that cares about football and I'm not sure they have enough alumni who do to justify it. Hope I'm wrong.
