RIO GRANDE VALLEY – After spending hours celebrating, cooking, cheering the Vaqueros on their pregame walk, and enjoying an afternoon pep rally, thousands of fans make their way from the H-E-B Tailgate Zone into Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium through the Dan Martinez East Concourse, which serves as a reminder of how higher education can change the lives of those it serves.
 
Before helping unite generations of Broncs and Vaqueros, Dan Martinez grew up in San Benito, a proud town of nearly 25,000 people that has always remained close to his heart.
 
Martinez stayed in the Rio Grande Valley to pursue higher education, enrolling as a full-time student at Pan American University (PAU) while juggling a full-time job.
 
"I didn't make the best grades…I worked full-time, and I went to school full-time," Martinez said. "I tried to go into several fields that I didn't make it in. I finally met with this guy, and I went into the accounting field. Then, I started to do better in school."
 
Martinez's hard work paid off in 1978 when he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting before leaving the Rio Grande Valley to begin his career as a State Auditor for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
 
During his time as a State Auditor, Martinez developed skills that would eventually help him establish Dan Martinez & Associates LP in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1991.
 
"I went to work for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, which paid a little less," Martinez said. "But, from that, I learned some very good traits that I use to this day."
 
Martinez's firm reached another level in 1997 after he moved the company to Sugar Land, Texas. At the time, Dan Martinez & Associates LP started working with Fortune 500 companies, including Exxon Mobil Co. and Shell USA.
 
Martinez's career found its footing outside the Rio Grande Valley, but his roots remained strong. Martinez finds time to visit his mom, who still lives in his hometown of San Benito.
 
Then, during a routine trip to a mall in the Houston area in 2014, Martinez stumbled across something truly unexpected, a table donning the iconic orange and green that reminded him of his life decades earlier.
 
"I went over there, and I saw a table. By that point, it had already changed to UT Pan American (UTPA)," Martinez said. "They said, 'We're an alumni organization,' and I said, 'You know what? I'd like to join.'"
 
Martinez didn't just join the alumni association; he became an active part of the organization, eventually moving its Houston-area meetings to the offices of Dan Martinez & Associates and helping grow its reach. Martinez later became president of the regional organization.
 
Martinez's work with the alumni association eventually introduced him to UTRGV Athletics, the beginning of a relationship with the department that would continue to grow over the coming years.
 
"I said, 'Hey, you know what? I'm in, man,'" Martinez said. "Tell me, what do you need? What's on your wish list?"
 
Martinez went all-in, helping UTRGV Athletics with its wish list. Among his numerous donations, Martinez pledged the first-ever $1 million gift in UTRGV Athletics history. For his generosity, he was inducted into the UTRGV Athletics Hall of Honor in 2018.
 
"Dan has been 'all-in' from the start," UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "He has a tremendous appreciation for the Rio Grande Valley and has been such a significant part of our growth. Dan's support, which spans many years, has helped propel UTRGV Athletics to what it is today. We are most grateful for his loyalty, commitment, and generosity, which will leave a lasting impact on the Vaqueros and the Valley."
 

Martinez's $1 million commitment included a legacy gift to UTRGV Athletics, but he also wanted to make an impact during his lifetime. That desire led to a significant six-figure gift and the naming of the Dan Martinez East Concourse at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium.
 
Now, when Dan comes to visit the Rio Grande Valley, he makes two stops. The first takes him home to San Benito for his regular visit with his mom. The second is reserved for Saturday night as the Vaqueros take the field at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium.
 
"Every time I go [to the Valley], I do try to go and see what's going on [at UTRGV]," Martinez said. "I mean, it's amazing…the amount of growth, and I think it's great. The Valley needed that."
 
Martinez roots for all the Vaqueros, but two of the student-athletes hit especially close to home for him last season, then-sophomore Fabian Garcia and then-junior Frank Medina.
 
The two Vaqueros traded in the purple and gold on Friday nights for the orange and white on Saturday nights. Martinez may not personally know both student-athletes or the two joining them next season, but he knows firsthand the community that helped shape them.
 
"There's two kids [in 2025] from San Benito," Martinez said. "So, that was, for me, pretty special [to watch them play]."
 

Nearly five decades after crossing the stage at Pan American, Martinez now has an opportunity to leave his mark on the university that helped shape his life.
 
Now, Martinez hopes that, as thousands of fans pass through the Dan Martinez East Concourse on game day, they feel compelled to join him in supporting UTRGV, the place that helped him become the man he is today and inspired a connection that has lasted a lifetime.
 
"What's important for me is to leave my name [at UTRGV]," Martinez said. "Because the money is going to a great cause, and if I leave it there at the university, maybe it will encourage others [to support]."
 

 
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