Vincent R. DiNino Longhorn Band Presidential Scholarship

The Vincent R. DiNino Longhorn Band Presidential Scholarship was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on January 29, 2015, to benefit the Butler School of Music. Gift funds were provided by the Estate of Vincent R. DiNino.

UT Football would not be the same without the sounds of the mighty Longhorn Band. For 30 years, Vincent R. DiNino was a fixture at the stadium on game day as the director of the Longhorn Band. Mr. D, as he was affectionately known to band members, officially retired in 1985 but that didn’t keep him away. For another 29 years, into his nineties, Mr. D made Texans sing as he directed “The Eyes of Texas”. He was a living legend and through his generosity he will continue to be remembered by future generations.

Mr. D changed the landscape of band music at The University of Texas at Austin. He grew the Longhorn Band, now known as the Showband of the Southwest, from under 100 members to more than 400. With his wife Jane, he rounded up former band members and assembled the Longhorn Alumni Band, which now numbers 800 members and is the largest alumni band in the nation. The first Longhorn Band Director to be granted faculty status, he was elected to the Longhorn Hall of Honor and an honorary member of the T Association, the Silver Spurs and the Texas Cowboys.

Although he guided hundreds of students during his career, Mr. D had astonishing powers of recall. He was known to remember names and reel off stories of long-ago former players and band members, a testament to his sincere personal investment in the students he referred to as his children. The Vincent R. DiNino Longhorn Band Presidential Scholarship is one of five he began funding in his lifetime. His Longhorn pride was boundless. Students, alumni, friends, and fans for years to come will be inspired by the music that is his legacy and his finest gift to UT.