AUSTIN, Texas — Emmanuel Acho, who played football for the University of Texas and in the NFL, has been named UT's 139th spring commencement speaker, the university announced Thursday.
Since retiring from the NFL, Acho has become a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-winning host and TV analyst. He gained wide recognition for his online video series, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.” The video series has been viewed more than 90 million times since Acho started it in June 2020.
“Emmanuel Acho embodies the best of our university,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “He is a Longhorn who exemplifies impact through excellence, bravery, perseverance and resilience. The challenges and opportunities our graduates will face call for his valuable perspectives on the need for conversations with each other about difficult or uncomfortable issues, and how one can live in a world of possibility rather than a world of limits.”
Acho grew up in the Dallas area as a son of Nigerian immigrants and received a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a master’s in sports psychology from UT Austin.
For the commencement speech, Acho will return to a venue he's very familiar with: a crowd inside Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including nearly 12,000 graduates.
“The opportunity to go back to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and speak to the graduates this spring is extremely gratifying, especially because it’s the 10-year anniversary of my graduation,” Acho said. “My time at The University of Texas, the people I met and the lessons learned shaped me into who I am today. My education there exposed me to new perspectives and gave me the confidence to confront challenges without fear and to initiate tough but necessary conversations and change.”
The ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. It will celebrate students who graduated in August 2021, December 2021 and those who will graduate in May 2022.
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