Odessa born and raised, few are as passionate about UT Permian Basin Athletics as Kevin Slater is.  One of the Falcons biggest supporters, Slater can't wait to see the day others support his alma mater as much as he does. 
 
"I'd go to my lake house and see stuff for UT Austin, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, and all these other schools all the time," said Slater. "So I needed to one up them.  I had a chimney cover build with the Falcon logo, so it's always at the top of my house and everyone else can see it."
 

Slater has seen the growth of the university over the years.  He attended UTPB in the 80s, when few people even knew there was a university in Odessa.  Now more and more when he goes out in the public, he sees Falcon gear or people showing their support for the Falcons.
 
"I can remember in the 90s that maybe 10 people and myself wore UTPB gear around campus," said Slater.  "Fast forward to the first football game and they ran out of shirts, hats, jerseys and all that stuff.  It thrills me to no end to walk into a store, restaurant, anywhere in the community and see someone wearing UTPB gear.  It's thrilling to see people are more enthusiastic about the University.  A lot of it has to do with the growth of athletics, but we still have to give credit to our past Presidents in making UTPB a top notch academic institution."
 
He knows the importance UTPB has on the Permian Basin.  It continues to do its part in keeping students here and attracting student-athletes to the area in hopes they stay and continue to build the community.
 
"West Texas is a tough place to find quality employees and business people and keep the area thriving," said Slater.  "We've been doing something right in the Permian Basin to retain those people and UTPB has been a big part in that."
 
A major factor in that growth is the growth of the footprint of the Athletics Department at UTPB.  The growth stems from the increase in support from the local community and more people are involved than ever in the Champions Fund or in other ways.
 
"We've been adding a lot more long time followers recently," said Slater.  "I recently was at a football game for my grandson and was wearing a UTPB shirt.  Someone from Ft. Stockton approached me who has season tickets and was telling me how excited he was for this season before COVID struck.  So we're making an impact not just in Midland-Odessa, but elsewhere in the Permian Basin."
 
 
Slater loves the opportunity to go out to tailgates on Saturdays.  A staple in the parking lot on game day, he welcomes everyone looking for a good time and the opportunity to become Falcon fans for life.
 
"You don't have to go to these big schools to have a great Saturday," said Slater. "You can come here, tailgate, and then enjoy the football game as you would anywhere else.  It's the same quality you'll find anywhere just on a smaller scale.  It's not just a football game, but a whole Saturday event.  The potential is there to have big crowds when you see the numbers the high schools draw.  When people realize what's going on out here, just think of the potential of the university."
 
Even if you aren't a UTPB alum like Slater, he understands the importance of the school to the Permian Basin as a whole. 
 
"At the end of the day it's our University," said Slater. "No matter where you went, you live here.  We talk all the time about supporting local.  You live here, your kids live here, your grandkids live here, so support your local university.  You can continue to give to your alma mater, but give what you can locally and enhance the community as whole."

If you would like to donate to the Champions Fund or want additional information on how to get involved with Falcon Athletics you can click here or contact Lynn Andress at andress_l@utpb.edu.  All Champions Fund donations go towards student-athlete scholarships.