Chris Del Conte: Restoring Texas A&M Rivalry Is 'The Most Important Thing We Can Do'

Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte spoke about the importance of reviving the historic rivalry that is the Lonestar Showdown on Thursday, as both teams announced Cotton Holdings as the matchup sponsor.

Nov 24, 2011; College Station, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Desmond Jackson (99) celebrates sacking Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) during the second half at Kyle Field. Texas won 27-25. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US Presswire / Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

A rivalry matchup that has been dormant for 13 years is finally being revived thanks to Texas' introduction into the Southeastern Conference, allowing the Longhorns to finally put the Texas A&M Aggies back on their football schedule.

As if the hype surrounding the game set to be held in College Station on Nov. 30 wasn't already apparent, as ticket prices soared past those of a Dallas Cowboys game, Texas Athletics director Chris Del Conte revealed that he's been eager to see the return of the Lonestar Showdown.

"I think everyone knew when I became the director of athletics at the University of Texas, they asked the first question, 'How about the A&M rivalry?'" Del Conte said on Thursday. "I said it then and I'll say it now. The most important thing we can do is restore this rivalry."

Nov 24, 2011; College Station, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Desmond Jackson (99) celebrates sacking Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) during the second half at Kyle Field. Texas won 27-25. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US Presswire / Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Del Conte became the athletics director for Texas back in 2017, a lofty six years after the Aggies and the Longhorns last saw each other on the field. Since then, Del Conte has taken notice of the amount of passion both sides have toward this rivalry and wanted to make its return as special as possible.

With that being said, Thursday marked an iconic moment for the two schools as they announced that Cotton Holdings would be the corporate sponsor for the Lonestar Showdown. Del Conte made it clear how this would not have been possible without the teamwork and relationships created by the alumni of both universities. He mentioned that as some rivalries begin to fade in the always-evolving world of college football, fans look to these historic games as a way to bring back the hype.

"College athletics are built on great rivalries. It's what separates us from everyone else," Del Conte said. "We think about the passion, the history, A&M's culture. It's what they stand for, it's who they are as an institution, it's the University of Texas and who we are as an institution playing on the field."

"The last time we played this game was 2011. Being back here today, it's critical for this state, it's critical for college football. I'm so excited for both alumni bases. It's awesome when you think about the restoration and the reclamation of this rivalry. It is going to be fantastic."

Both Texas and Texas A&M have described how much it means to have this rivalry back in full swing, with quarterback Quinn Ewers looking forward to a tough crowd at Kyle Field in November. The Aggies will be the final opponent of the regular season for the Longhorns and will bode as one last road test for Ewers and his team before potential post-game madness.