Ready for More Football?

New FXFL minor league football is coming to Austin this fall

Soon, Austin will have another option to sustain its gridiron cravings. The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) announced that Austin will be the home of a franchise when the league kicks off this fall. The owners of the new Austin team will be former professional football players Tommie Harris and Eric Bassey.

Harris, a native of Killeen, Texas, played college football at the University of Oklahoma and played eight seasons in the NFL, becoming a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears. Bassey is a Garland, Texas native who also played at Oklahoma and spent four years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams.

The FXFL, headquartered in New York City, plans to play six games in October and November of this year in a six cities: sights are set on teams in the New York City and Boston areas, as well as Omaha, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and a yet-to-be-named Florida city.

Austin is no stranger to semi-pro football leagues, such as the Xclusive Football League, but the FXFL is looking to set itself apart from other minor football leagues by establishing itself as a developmental league. According to a press release, the league says it will only be open to players less than two years removed from college, acting as a stepping stone to the NFL for players, coaches and even referees.

“With the increasing number of underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft each year and signs of change looming within the NCAA landscape, the case for a developmental league is overwhelming,” FXFL Founder Brian Woods said in the release. “I think the current sentiment among professional football executives and college administrators is that a developmental football league is absolutely needed; the FXFL can fill this void.”

The “experimental” also refers to the league acting as a testing ground for new rule changes, such as excluding punts or the point after touchdown attempt.

Other than its owners, no other coaching staff has been named for the Austin team. No local venue is yet confirmed, but games will take place on Wednesday nights so as not to conflict with collegiate and NFL games. The league’s draft will take place in September after the end of the NFL’s training camps.

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Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT game day stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon in empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

whiskey university of texas longhorns