GEORGETOWN – When Southwestern University resurrected its football program in 2013 it meant the end of a 63-year gap without college football for the oldest public university in the State of Texas. Today (September 3) will mark the 10th season for Coach Joe Austin’s Pirates since that return as Southwestern hosts Cal Lutheran from Birkelbach Field in Georgetown – and VYPE will broadcast all the action.
“We’re excited to see the guys back on campus and are ready to open the new season,” Austin stated at the Pirates’ media availability day. “We’re also really excited to welcome all the students out to our first annual Pep Rally Friday… and to announce the details of our new stadium.”
That stadium, set to open in 2025, fulfills a long-standing goal to bring the Pirates’ home games back onto the idyllic Southwestern campus. The Pirates currently play their home games off-campus on Birkelbach Field at the Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex, a high-end high school stadium shared by Georgetown and East View high schools.
Southwestern officially began play in 1908 and, along with such powers as Baylor and the University of Texas, was a charter member of the Southwest Conference. The Pirates played in two Sun Bowls during the War years, but the program was cut due to budgetary constraints after the 1950 season.Two years after school administration made the decision to reinstate Pirates football as a NCAA DivisionIII program, Austin led a team comprised of all freshmen plus one sophomore, onto the field in 2013. The modern-era Pirates played in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference from 2013-16 and were crowned the final SCAC Champions in 2016. While the rest of the school’s athletic programs continue to compete in the SCAC, Pirate Football joined the American Southwest Conference in 2017. This year will mark the Pirates’ final season in the ASC before moving to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) in2023.
The Pirates return nine defensive and six offensive starters from a 2021 club that won its final three games to finish the season 4-6.VYPE Live will broadcast all nine in-state Pirate games, as well as the SU Football Weekly coaches show every Monday evening. All broadcasts can be found here: https://www.vype.com/c/southwestern-university