UTEP’s 2026 Homecoming culminates Saturday, Sept. 26, when the Miners play Oregon State at 7 p.m. at Sun Bowl Stadium. UTEP Athletics identifies the matchup as the school’s 94th annual Homecoming football game, and individual tickets are available. Before kickoff, the Homecoming Pregame Party is scheduled for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Kidd Field, with food, drinks, family activities and an appearance by Paydirt Pete; tickets include food and drinks, according to KTSM 9 News.
The game arrives as UTEP reports its largest enrollment on record. The university’s official Fall 2026 census counted 27,368 students, compared with 26,297 the previous fall, an increase of more than 4%. UTEP says the gain reflects five straight years of record freshman classes, according to its enrollment release.
Alumni events anchor the week
A Sept. 24-26 Golden Grads Reunion will bring together alumni from the Class of 1976 and earlier. The Class of 1976 is marking 50 years since graduation with activities that include a welcome breakfast, campus tour, the Homecoming Pep Rally, a Golden Grads luncheon and the pregame party, according to KTSM 9 News.
The UTEP Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Awards Dinner is set for Friday. The 75th annual program will recognize one distinguished alumnus and nine Gold Nugget recipients. UTEP has named business executive Mike Brochu, a 1974 graduate with an accounting degree from the Woody L. Hunt College of Business, its 2026 Distinguished Alumnus, according to the UTEP Alumni Association.
Selected Homecoming activities
The formal Homecoming schedule runs Sept. 20-26, following the Sept. 18 Homecoming Court Pageant. KTSM’s schedule report lists Sunday’s Miner Kickoff at Sun Bowl Stadium from 6 to 9 p.m.; Monday’s Miner Morning Mania at Centennial Plaza from 5:30 to 7 a.m.; and Thursday’s public Pep Rally at Centennial Plaza from noon to 1:30 p.m. The rally includes live judging for a Homecoming Mum Competition and awards for office and door decorating, according to KTSM 9 News.
