AUSTIN -- Before Longhorns fans made it to Pasadena, they had to make sure they had the hottest ticket town. KVUE News has learned those tickets are a lot easier to get if you're a member of the Texas Legislature.
Camille Barton was ready to catch her flight to Southern California on Wednesday morning. She explained her tickets were a gift from her boss and that he got them in the same way many other fans did.
"He’s a season ticket holder, and he donates money to the university and has supported the Longhorns all of his life,” she said.
State lawmakers have another route to the championship.
At KVUE’s request, the UT System released the names of 30 lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, from all over the state, who reserved their tickets directly through UT.
State Sen. Kirk Watson and State Rep. Dawnna Dukes of Austin and State Rep. Diana Maldonado of Round Rock will have tickets waiting for them in Pasadena, according to the UT System.
VIPs don't get their tickets for free.
They'll still have to pay the hefty face value of the ticket, but fans like Jey Ellwanger say it's a big savings they wish they could have taken advantage of too.
"We got online went to the BCS website did our ticket reservation at $500 per ticket to get to reserve the right to buy a ticket at face value for $275 more,” Ellwanger said. "It certainly wasn't a perk afforded to me as a graduate of UT -- sure would have been nice."
The UT System declined KVUE’s request for an on camera interview to talk about their policy of reserving tickets for lawmakers.
We contacted the offices of the lawmakers mentioned in the story; none of them provided reaction either.
TEXAS SENATE
Carlos Uresti; Craig Estes; Florence Shapiro; John Whitmire; Juan Hinojosa; Kel Seliger; Kip Averitt; Kirk Watson; Royce West; and Judith Zaffirini.
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Aaron Pena; Charlie Green; Charlie Howard; Dan Branch; Dawnna Dukes; Diana Maldonado; Edmund Kuempel; Geanie Morrison; Jim Pitts; John Smithee; Kristi Thibaut; Mike Hamilton; Myra Crownover; Norma Chavez; Richard Raymond; Roberto Alonzo; Todd Smith; Tom Craddick; Tommy Merritt; and Veronica Gonzales.
