118 years and finished?

Dead forever? Texas A&M & Texas game may never return — Kevin Sumlin seesOklahoma-Nebraska repeat

New Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin would not be surprised if no one ever sees A&Mand the University of Texas ever square off again.
Kevin Sumlin

All those who assume that Texas A&M and the University of Texas will resume the best rivalry in college football after a few year cooling-off period could be in for a huge surprise.

Kevin Sumlin — Texas A&M's new coach — is not sure it will ever return.

"I grew up watching, on the same day, Michigan and Ohio State and Nebraska-Oklahoma," Sumlin said while in Houston for the Bear Bryant Awards, benefitting the American Heart Association. "Now there's no Nebraska-Oklahoma and nobody even talks about it anymore.

"It's almost been forgotten."

Sumlin could see the same thing happening to Texas-Texas A&M, as crazy as it might sound to anyone whose family has grown up around the game, generation after generation. The former University of Houston coach knows the game is "good for the state of Texas."

"It's good for the people of Texas. It's good for the state of Texas," Sumlin said of A&M-UT. "You'd hope that everybody would want it to continue."

It sounds like Sumlin — like his athletic director Bill Byrne — would love for the 118-year-old rivalry to continue. But he knows wishes don't always come true.

"It's not up to me," Sumlin said. "It's good for the people of Texas. It's good for the state of Texas.

"You'd hope that everybody would want it to continue. But I don't have anything to do with that. I have my hands full with a full SEC schedule."

Byrne always expected Texas-Texas A&M to continue after the Aggies fled the Big 12 and the Longhorn Network for the SEC. But Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds informed Byrne that Texas simply doesn't have "room" on its non-conference schedule for A&M until at least 2018.

Sumlin wonders if everyone should be so sure that room will ever open up. After all, when Nebraska bolted the Big 12 for the Big Ten, Nebraska-Oklahoma — a rivalry that dates back to 1912 and included several historic Top 10 games — effectively died. A few years later, there is still no talk of reviving it. In some ways, it's almost already fading from memory.

Why will Texas-Texas A&M be any different?

After his interview session is over, Sumlin turns back to make one more point on this.

"I never thought I'd see the day where there's no Nebraska-Oklahoma (game)," he said.

Sumlin shook his head once more and walked out. These days in college football, it's insane to assume anything.

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rock on

Native Houstonian brings Austin-based climbing gym to the East End

Photo courtesy of Crux Climbing Center

One of the many climbing walls at Crux.

Crux Climbing Center, one of Austin's best indoor bouldering and climbing gyms, opened its first Houston location in September and is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend.

"As a native Houstonian, bringing Crux to the Bayou City has always been a part of the long-term vision," said native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder Kevin Goradia. "Crux is a community-oriented climbing gym, and our decision to open our first out-of-market location at The Plant was largely inspired by Concept Neighborhood’s plans to create a walkable neighborhood that truly integrates the local community.”

Goradia — the son of Houston petrochemical billionaire Vijay Goradia — co-founded the first Crux in South Austin in 2016 after being dissatisfied with the offerings at other climbing gyms. Crux has almost everything a climber could want, including bouldering, training boards, a spray wall, strength training, fitness and yoga classes, saunas, locker rooms, a Kids Cave, lounge space and a retail shop.

The gym flourished in the post-COVID physical activity boom as more people looked for both exercise and social interaction following the lockdowns. The community aspect of Crux is very important to Goradia. When he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, he credits the support he had through the climbing scene in Austin as a major factor in his eventual recovery.

Now, he's bringing that to Houston, a city where indoor-climbing is booming. The exceptional flat city has few natural climbing spots, which would be arduous even if they existed thanks to the heat. Instead, the last twenty years have seen an explosion of massive, indoor facilities like inSPIRE, Momentum, and now Crux.

The grand opening event will take place at the 21,000-square-foot gym space located at The Plant (3100 Canal St.) on Saturday, October 10 from 2-8 pm. This is more than just a few grab bags and a chance to do some climbing. Native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder, Kevin Goradia is pulling out all the stops with a full vendor fair offering art, jewelry, and vintage items.

The climbing will be a great way to work off the calories from some of the food partners. Cheaters Creamery and Sinfull Bakery will both be handing out treats, and Miguelitos Grill will be serving fresh-off-the-grill quesadillas that can be washed down with beer from St. Arnold's Brewery for the 21-and-up crowd. There will even be free tattoos from 13 Goats.

And, of course, there will be climbing. Throughout the event Crux is offering BOGO deals and raffles. The event itself is free, so this is a great opportunity to get a look at what made Crux stand out in Austin.