MinerAlert
MinerAlert
Did you know that we earned the nickname "Miners" at the very first football game on October 15, 1914?
Guess it goes without saying that the name was a catchy one!
Over 106 years later, we Miners are stronger than ever. In fact, we number more than 120,000. That's a pretty big number, and one we can all be very proud of.
 |
Loyal Forever we're standing together
Onward to victory, Orange and Blue!
WE WILL BE TRUE!
 |
Out in the west Texas town of El Paso
Home of the River they call Rio Grande
Down on the border, the town of El Paso
Home of the Miners the best in the land.
Thanks to private support from UTEP alumni and friends, UTEP leads as a place for academic achievement and research excellence.
UTEP’s legal name when it was founded in 1913 was the State School of Mines and Metallurgy? Faculty added Texas to the name for marketing purposes. Texas would not legally be added to the name until 1919, when the institution became the School of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas.
Former dean of the College of Mines, John “Cap” Kidd, did not get his nickname for the dangerous practice of carrying blasting caps in his pocket? He was known to family and friends as Captain Kidd, the notorious pirate, long before he ever picked up a stick of dynamite.
Two of the largest legacy donations to UTEP—the Cotton and Schellenberg estates—came from individuals who intended their estates to go to other causes? Frank Cotton died before UTEP was even founded.
UTEP is the only component in the UT System that has its own unique seal and motto. All other academic or health units share the same design and motto. Know what the motto is? Scientia and Humanitas, “Science and Humanities.” It has been a part of our seal since 1932.
UTEP did not adopt the iconic pickaxe “T” as part of its logo until 1999. However, the first use of a pickaxe as a “T” can be found along the roofline frieze of the Library-Administration building, originally built in the 1930s, and which is now part of the Geological Sciences Building. Etched in stone is “UT” for University of Texas, with the T taking the shape of a rudimentary pickaxe.
The first football game took place on October 15, 1914. It was at this game that the nickname “Miners” was first used. The Miners lost to Ft. Bliss Infantry, 9-0.
Remember what song was top of the charts when you graduated? We do, and we’ve put together a decade of favorites just for you… with a special bonus track that highlights a moment in music history!
On Sept. 1, 2019, El Paso’s own Khalid performed in the Don Haskins Center, donating all proceeds to help the victims of the Aug 3, 2019, mass shooting. "Khalid & Friends: A Night for Suncity" was organized by Khalid’s The Great Khalid Foundation and his record label’s Right Hand Foundation, and was sold out within minutes of tickets being released Aug. 14. More than $500,000 was raised to support victims and their families.
Did you know that in 2009, Britney Spears held her first and only concert in El Paso. The concert had a cast of nearly 50 dancers, magicians, clowns and acrobats. The tour was a $50 million extravaganza that traveled with an unprecedented 60 tons of equipment in 34 trunks and a staff of more than 200.
What is one of the most iconic songs to close out the 20th century? Of course, it’s Prince’s 1999. Prince never played El Paso, but he did perform in Las Cruces at the Pan Am Center. How many of you are still partying like it’s 1999?
Did you know that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played the Special Events Center (now the Don Haskins Center) in El Paso only once? We you among the lucky to see him perform on January 24, 1983?
Did you know that Special Events Center (now called The Don Haskins Center) opened its doors on March 4, 1977. That night, the venerable Lawrence Welk claimed the honor of becoming the venue’s very first performer. How many of you remember his take on Duke Ellington’s, “Take the A Train?”
