WT’s ‘Wild West Texas’ Homecoming Week Set for Sept. 26 to Oct. 4

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University alumni and students will rope up a good time as the University celebrates Homecoming 2025.

Themed “Wild West Texas,” Homecoming events run Sept. 26 to Oct. 3, culminating Oct. 4 with the annual parade and the WT Football matchup against the Sul Ross State Lobos.

“There is nothing like the excitement of Homecoming Week at WT,” said Ronnie Hall, executive director of the WT Alumni Association. “We are excited to welcome back WT alumni and friends to celebrate a Wild West Texas weekend with our students. We hope you will join us to celebrate WT.”

Highlights will include:

• The Phoenix: This celebration of WT’s Distinguished Alumni Class of 2025, set for 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 2, will include a dinner and program, followed by jazz music and desserts. Dinner will be held in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, with the after-party scheduled to be held around Buffalo Fountain on the Charles K. and Barbara Kerr Vaughan Pedestrian Mall. Tickets are $75; tables are $600 to $1,500. Honorees are Kody Carson, an Olton farmer who’s an international figure in agriculture; Sonja Clark, a leader for one of the country’s major aerospace companies; and Judge Elisha Demerson, a trailblazing Black politician and retired Pantex engineer.
• WT Women’s Soccer Community Night: The Lady Buffs will battle St. Mary’s University in a special game at Happy State Bank Stadium, 2800 N. 23rd St. High schools in Canyon Independent School District can take part in a spirit challenge to raise funds for their schools. Tickets are $11.50. Call 806-651-1400.
• Hall of Champions: The newest inductees into the WT Athletic Hall of Champions will be celebrated at a 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 reception in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center. Legacy Award recipients are BritKare Home Medical and Ed and Jeanne Wright. Inductees include Fatim Affessi (track & field), Don Carthel (football), Joe Corbett (baseball), Brett Hall (tennis), Kristen Jacobson (equestrian), Duke Kicinski (track & field), Ryan Quaid (men’s basketball) and Eva Rogers (women’s golf). Tickets are $51.50. Call 806-651-1400.
• “Listen to the Music”: Amarillo rock all-stars Flashback! will reunite to perform hits from the 1970s and ’80s in a pops concert with the WT Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. Tickets may be purchased at cur8.com/22281/project/133321.
• Homecoming Parade: The “Wild West Texas”-themed parade will begin at 1 p.m. Oct. 4 and will follow a route from the First United Bank Center to the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex along Russell Long Boulevard. For entry information, call 806-651-2051. The parade—which will be hosted by NewsChannel 10’s Ali Allison and Kelsey Davis—will be broadcast on KFDA’s MeTV (digital channel 10.4 and cable channel 127) and will stream on WT’s home page and social media platforms and KFDA’s NewsChannel 10 Plus streaming services.
• Party on 26th Street: Tailgating activities will begin immediately after the parade along 26th Street across from Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on campus. The Alumni Association will host an open house, as well.
• WT Football: The Buffs will take on the Sul Ross State Lobos at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium. For tickets, visit gobuffsgo.com.

Student activities will include Paint the Town Maroon on Sept. 26, with students decorating windows and vehicles around the community; a “Tunes at Noon” karaoke party Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in the JBK Commons and the Alumni Banquet Hall, respectively; Thunder Games 2.0 on Sept. 30 along 26th Street; Homecoming King and Queen elections; a dodgeball tournament Oct. 1 in the Virgil Henson Activities Center; and Pigskin Revue, the annual spirit rally at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 on Citizens Bank Plaza at Buffalo Stadium.

For a complete list of activities, visit wtamu.edu/homecoming.

Maintaining strong community ties is a component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—