A Longhorn Comes Home

New McCombs Dean Brad Staats gets a homecoming welcome — and a pair of spurs to prove it

BPI 260919 3571
Five members of the Silver Spurs present Dean Brad Staats with his own pair of silver spurs. Staats was a member of the organization when he was a student at the University. (Back from left to right) Parker Navarro, senior finance major; Gareth Samberson, senior business foundations minor; Cody Gill, senior business analytics major; and Rowe Allen, senior finance major. (Front from left to right) Stefani Sereboff, chief career and alumni engagement officer, McCombs Dean Brad Staats, and Nathan Blue, economics senior and president of the Silver Spurs. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

Nearly three months into his role as the new dean of the McCombs School of Business, Bradley R. Staats, B.A./B.A./B.S. ’98, joined other alumni for a family-friendly barbecue tailgate during the Texas McCombs Homecoming Weekend.

The event was held at the Thompson Conference Center on Sept. 19, ahead of the match between the Texas Longhorns and the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners. Hosted by the McCombs alumni engagement team, the tailgate was the second part of the homecoming weekend, which kicked off with a reunion reception the day before.

BPI 260919 3507
Dean Brad Staats received this pair of branded silver spurs during the homecoming tailgate. One spur includes Staats’ initials, while the other has the McCombs School of Business initials. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

For Staats, an Austin native and UT alumnus, the event represented more than a chance to connect with alumni. It was also a homecoming for him in the sense that he is returning to his Texas roots after a long stint at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

BPI 260919 3511
The Silver Spurs, caretakers of Bevo, made an appearance ahead of the game between the Longhorns and the UTSA Roadrunners. (From left to right) Parker Navarro, Rowe Allen, Nathan Blue, Gareth Samberson, and Cody Gill. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

During his years at UT, Staats was as active as a student can be. Not only was he a triple major, graduating with a B.S. in electrical engineering and B.A.s in Spanish and Plan II, but he was also president of Delta Chi and a member of the Student Engineering Council, the Texas Blazers, and the Silver Spurs — a student service organization dedicated to the care and handling of the Longhorns’ live mascot, Bevo.

BPI 260919 4552
Dean Brad Staats joined McCombs alumni at the tailgate, including some who belonged to the classes of 1996, 2006, and 2016 and were celebrating milestones. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

Several students from the Silver Spurs made a special appearance at the tailgate to present Staats with a custom gift: his own pair of branded spurs.  

The president of the student organization and senior economics major Nathan Blue, B.A. ’27, was there to personally deliver the gift to the dean. Alongside him were Parker Navarro, BBA ’27; Cody Gill, BBA ’27; Gareth Samberson, B.S. ’27, with a business foundations minor; and Rowe Allen, BBA ’27.

BPI 260919 3495
Among the roughly 250 guests who attended the event, Staats had the unexpected opportunity to reconnect with his college roommate. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

As the celebration drew to a close, the Longhorn Band marched along the street on its way to the stadium for the football match against the Roadrunners.

Story by Raul Flores

Related Posts

Categories
Departments
Topics