UTSA welcomes Jeff Traylor as third head coach of the football program
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The southeast corner of the Alamodome was buzzing on Tuesday afternoon as about 100 fans, media members and UTSA football players gathered to welcome Jeff Traylor, formerly of Arkansas and a long time Texas high school football coach, as the next head coach of the Roadrunners.
There were the usual speeches for an introductory press conference. President Eighmy, Athletic Director Lisa Campos, UT Board of Regent member James "Rad" Weaver and Texas high school football coaching legend D.W. Rutledge all spoke of Traylor and what he would bring to UTSA. Campos and Eighmy also spoke on the process of finding the next head coach and how Traylors name kept popping up.
Eventually it came time for Campos to introduce Jeff Traylor as the next head coach of the Roadrunners. Traylor walked onto the stage that had been set up for the occasion and Campos handed him a UTSA jersey with "TRAYLOR" and the number one on it. The two held up the jersey as cameras flashed and then Traylor donned a UTSA hat for the first time. More photos were taken and then Traylor stepped to the podium to give his opening remarks.
"I'm gonna go off script here," Traylor said to begin his speech. What followed was about 10 minutes of Traylor laying out his expectations for the program, explaining why he had come to UTSA and that he was ready to embrace the San Antonio culture and bring a little East Texas to the Alamo City.
""I'm going to embrace the culture of San Antonio," Traylor said. "When I got here there was chips and salsa in my room. I went straight country, no bowl just straight out of the jar,"
Traylor also spoke of getting involved in the community and having his players be involved in the community.
One thing that stood out in his speech was Traylor's emphasis on the players and on developing players on and off the field.
"I've coached thousands of boys but how many of those became men," Traylor said. "That's the record I care about. Not wins or losses but how many boys did I help become men."
Traylor will be bringing a new battle cry for the Roadrunners that fits in along the same lines as the "Come and Take It" slogan. Traylor's wanting the new slogan, "Draw the Line" to rally the people of San Antonio behind him. His slogan is not new in the Alamo City. It comes from the battle of the Alamo when Colonel William B. Travis drew a line in the sand and according to the legend 179 of the 180 defenders crossed the line to join him in defending the Alamo.
"I watched the Alamo several times to make sure I got the term right," Traylor said when asked about it later by the media in the UTSA locker room. Though he didn't specify whether it was the John Wayne version of the Alamo or the more recent 2004 version that starred Billy Bob Thornton.
Traylor continued along the lines of drawing the line by asking Roadrunner fans to join him in his efforts to carry the program to new heights.
"I need all of you to cross the line," Traylor said to the crowd. "I need your time, your money, your support. Even if it's just a dollar, even if its just a minute, even if its just a letter to a player, even if its a follow on twitter or a like. I need it."
Traylor also looked around at the sea of blue and gray seats in the Alamodome and spoke of the excitement he had for trying to fill it up.
"Who wouldn't want to try and fill this place," Traylor said. "We need you. It matters. We need you in every seat. We need you loud when we're on defense and quiet when we're on offense."
Following the press conference portion there was a Q-and-A session with Coach Traylor hosted by Voice of the Roadrunners Andy Everett. The highlight of that was when Everett asked Traylor what his offense would look like.
"Expect the unexpected," Traylor said. "We are going to play to win the game. What do my players do well. That is what we will do. What we do well let us maximize and what we don't do so well let's minimize."
Following the Q-and-A Traylor met with the fans who had attended and took photos with anyone who wanted one. From there it was into the locker room where the media both local and a few from out of town were able to interview both the athletic director and the newest leader of the Roadrunner football team.
It was during this portion that Traylor spoke of the number of coaches joining him but not who they were.
"I have five coming down here today and two coming direct from high school. I won't say who they are so they can have the chance to tell their own players. It's tough, we move around sure but we're in this for the kids and it can be tough having to say goodbye."
Traylor closed out his day with one on ones with the local TV stations. Then it was away from the Alamodome and onto the recruiting trail to bring in potential Roadrunners who want to "win the day", another mantra of Traylor's.
"Win today, Go 1-0 today. Be better tomorrow than you are today," Traylor said during the public portion of the press conference. "If you can string those together where you are getting better each day the wins will come."
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way
