By Stephen Sherwood, Staff Writer

UMHB is hosting their ninth annual Touchdowns football game honoring the special needs community Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. 

Touchdowns is an annual event at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor taking place in October, which is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Sarah Harborth, the sports information athletic director explained the history behind the event. “In 2016 there was a girl named Brielle DiFrancesca and Brielle had Down syndrome,” Harborth said. “Our football team… really kind of took to her and they would go visit her in the hospital and she would come out to practice”

After a lackluster 2016 season, UMHB President Dr. Randy O’Rear challenged the athletic department to honor DiFrancesca and others with Down syndrome by bringing awareness and celebrating those individuals.

Before the following season, Harborth and the athletic department came up with the idea of Touchdowns, incorporating it into the football schedule for the first time in 2017. The event became somewhat of a tradition according to Harborth, “It was just a great market for us and it was really good for our athletes to interact with athletes with special needs.” 

Touchdowns has since evolved to serve as a celebration of all individuals with special needs, “They have all kinds of abilities, and just because mentally or physically they might have certain limitations, they are still worthy of being celebrated,” Harborth said. The first Touchdowns event garnered a total of 68 participants and has continued to grow every year. At the time of this interview, more than  120 participants had registered for 2026.

Prior to the game on Oct. 3 there will be a tailgate that will contain games, face painting and hair coloring. All of which is organized by the university and assisted by the athletes of other sports to help and make it possible. “They’re operating games that kids can play. They can try and kick a field goal, make a basketball in the hoop, [hit] throwing targets, cornhole…” Harborth said. 

Participants in Touchdowns have a bigger role in the game itself, Harborth continued. In the second quarter of the game, participants will cheer with the UMHB cheer leaders on the sidelines. During the third quarter some of the participants will dance with the Sader Bells dance team. “Almost every year there’s a guy named Ray Bottoms who always finds his way to the top of the band directors podium and directs the band.” During the halftime break, the participants will line up at varying places on the field and run into the endzone to score a touchdown. 

A majority of the participants of Touchdowns come from the local community though there are people who are driving in from College Station, Arlington, Brownwood and even as far as South Dakota.

Graphic by Hailey Weldon, The Bells