Turn Back the Clock
For decades, Texas Southmost College played intercollegiate athletics as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Conference (NJCAA). TSC had many sports -- including football, boxing, and basketball -- from 1929 until the 1970s. From 1974 to 1997, the Scorpions only fielded intercollegiate athletic teams in baseball and volleyball.

Although TSC's partnership with The University of Texas at Brownsville was established in 1991, the Scorpions continued to participate in the NJCAA. Men's and women's golf programs were added in 1997 at the junior college level.

Decision to Expand Athletics in 2005
The UTB/TSC administration, with the support of the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees, made a bold decision to expand Scorpion athletics. They hired Dan Huntley, the university's first full-time athletic director without coaching responsibilities in August 2005, and sought to apply with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

With Huntley's guidance and experience in the NAIA, the Scorpions were accepted. Soon after, acceptance into the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) was sought, and Huntley's efforts were successful there as well.

One of the stipulations for acceptance into the NAIA and RRAC was that the Scorpions add another men's and women's sport. With the popularity of soccer in the area and the success of the Brownsville ISD high school boys' soccer teams in recent years, it was a no-brainer -- UTB/TSC would add men's and women's soccer.

The Birth of Soccer
With the support of the UTB/TSC administration, Huntley began laying the groundwork to add men's and women's soccer. It would be another year -- until Fall 2007 -- that the Scorpions would begin playing, but plans were soon under way.

Dan Balaguero was hired to build the men's program and Nik Barjaktarevic was hired to build the women's program. Everything from building a schedule, creating a budget, ordering equipment and hiring assistant coaches took place in 2006-07.

The schedule was set up for UTB/TSC to start the season at home against Instituto Tec Superiores de Poza Rica on August 23 for both the men and women, and Angelo State University's women's team would play the Scorpions on August 25. Both ITSPR and ASU cancelled for different reasons, meaning that the women's team would start the season with eight road games and the men's team with seven road games.

The Day Is Here
Both teams have been successful in their road starts. The men's soccer team is 4-2-1 and the women's team is 5-3.

Both Scorpion teams have circled September 20 on the calendars -- the day they would finally play at home. Both will play Huston-Tillotson University in conference games.

A grand opening day is expected, complete with tailgaters, cheerleaders and community of Brownsville supporting Scorpion fύtbol.