OP / ED
Colton’s Corner: Why Southwest Texas is still strong 21 years after name change
For the current generation of Bobcat students, the university that sits on the hill in San Marcos will always be known as Texas State.
But for many, Texas State will always be known as Southwest Texas.
Homecoming week is a special time for many Bobcat alumni in recent years with the university embracing the former Southwest Texas name.
Across stores in San Marcos, shirts, sweaters, hoodies and other various clothing items with the old Sailor Bobcat, SWT and various other throwbacks populate the merchandise shelves.
Even the Bobcat football team has gotten in on the fun by wearing special throwbacks reminiscent of the football uniforms from the 1980s.
The Southwest Texas branding was so strong that even today some alumni still call Texas State by its former name.
When the university decided to move forward with the name change from Southwest Texas to Texas State in 2003, the backlash showed that it was a difficult transition for some folks.
Even the rebrand was a hard reset. Gone was the classic SWT logo in favor of the current Supercat Logo. Athletic Gold was now replaced with a more metallic gold. It was an entire identity shift.
While some alumni might hold ill-will towards the name change, it was needed for the university.
No longer was Texas State becoming a regional university given the school’s location between Austin and San Antonio, which is considered one of the fastest growing areas in the entire United States.
Since Texas State is located in the Austin-San Antonio corridor, which is considered one of the fastest growing areas in the United States, the enrollment rate was growing just as quickly as the local population. The university needed a name that reflected its change in status. It had grown to become the size of Texas Tech and Houston compared to the size of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. Texas State had become something more.
While there have been bumps in the road during the name change, the university has now reached a point where the Texas State brand is standing on its own two feet and no longer shackled to the past.
But that doesn’t mean the past should not be celebrated.
Starting at last year’s homecoming, Texas State has fully embraced honoring its past by celebrating their former name and alumni, kickstarting a new tradition on campus.
Formerly after the name change, Texas State did their best to stay away from the Southwest Texas name. In fact, it took 15 years for the football team to start wearing the throwback SWT uniforms.
While change is necessary, to completely discard the past tradition until enough time has passed is nonsense.
The current leadership at Texas State has now attempted to right the wrongs of the past and has come up with a perfect blend of moving forward as Texas State but still honoring the Southwest Texas name.
Homecoming is about reminiscing about the past. The fact Texas State has dedicated an entire week to honoring Southwest Texas feels appropriate.
But in the end, one thing remains clear: whether you are Southwest Texas alumni or Texas State alumni, we are all Bobcats in the end.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
