William Raleigh, Director of Athletics, Schreiner University

by William Raleigh, Director of Athletics, Schreiner University

What an exciting time for Schreiner University! After coming off its centennial celebration that highlighted the school’s history and its connection to the Kerrville area, the University announced that it will be fielding a football team in 2026.

As we know, football in the state of Texas is part of the culture. The University’s decision to bring back football (last time we fielded a college football team was in the 1950’s) is exciting and will impact Schreiner University, Kerrville, and the entire the Hill Country.

Schreiner University is planning on playing its home games at Antler Stadium and is very excited about the partnership with Kerrville ISD and the city of Kerrville. The obvious impacts will include college football being played in Kerrville, the expansion of Schreiner University’s student population, expanded academic opportunities, expanded athletic facilities, and finally, a higher profile for Schreiner University and the surrounding area, as football will bring an influx of new visitors and notoriety. All of this is great news, and I suspect that it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Schreiner University is committed to using football as the catalyst to make every student’s experience so much better. This is not a new concept to the campus as it has celebrated the student-athlete model for many years. Schreiner University has always been about educating students and has used athletics as one of the tools to achieve that goal. A great example is that in 2023-2024 academic year 15 of its 17 athletic programs had team GPAs of over 3.0. The student-athletes are sprinkled across the curriculum from engineering to nursing. They also hold a variety of leadership positions on campus like AHOC, Student Government, Student Activities board, and Resident Associates. The commitment to the student-athlete model is what has made Schreiner successful to this point and it will propel it to a new level with the addition of a football program.

One of the major aspects of the decision to start a football program was to ensure that the whole University benefits. The most visible enhancement will be the facilities that will be built to support the new program. The University is in the process of renovating the Edington Sports complex. A new 5,000-square-foot weight room, equipment storage, athletic training facility for all of athletics, and renovated locker room for football is the first step. There are plans for other renovations and an athletic master plan for all facilities.

Furthermore, the addition of football will bring two new athletic trainers for a total of four for all of athletics, an athletic department strength and conditioning coach, an equipment manager for all of athletics, an athletic department administrative assistant as well as four full time football coaches, including the head coach and part-time assistants.

As another tangible impact of the addition of football, the University has signed an agreement with VIP Sports travel to transport all our athletic programs. This is a major improvement for our programs and will make student-athlete travel so much better. With 17 athletic programs and more than 430 student-athletes in a big state like Texas, transporting our athletes is a major undertaking. This decision is a big win for our athletes and coaches as it will enhance safety and maximize the student-athlete experience. Over the next couple of years, Schreiner University will grow and transform with the addition of football as well as engineering, aviation, criminal justice and nursing. These enhancements will change the University for the better.

The building process has already started with the hiring of head football coach Kenny Treschitta. After an exhaustive national search, Coach Treschitta emerged as the choice to lead the program. His hiring was the first step in the process. He was clearly an accomplished football coach, but more importantly, Coach Treschitta is an educator and leader. This year, Coach Treschitta will be out visiting high schools and watching practices and games as he puts together our inaugural football class. In 2025, Schreiner University will run a developmental program where we will slowly ramp up our program through practices and developmental games to be ready to launch a full varsity, competitive program in Fall of 2026.

These are exciting times for Schreiner University, the city of Kerrville, and the entire Hill Country! As we grow and develop our football program as well as possibly women’s sports like swimming and flag football, it will impact our community in many positive ways. We are excited about this journey and invite all of Kerrville and Central Texas to support and enjoy it with us.