You need to be a good person if you want to raise hell.
That’s true of College of Education student David Ramos, a member of the Longhorn Hellraisers at The University of Texas at Austin. On game days, Ramos is seen—and heard—with his face and body painted (he’s the “e” in “Texas” you may have seen on TV) cheering loudly alongside his fellow Hellraisers at various UT sporting events.
Five people get to have the letters of ‘Texas’ on their chest,
Ramos explains, referring to a select group from the larger Hellraisers student organization, which supports all UT athletics. Since 1988, the letters have been passed down member to member.
When it was time for the prior “e” to graduate, he chose Ramos. Letters go to a Hellraiser who is always there early when we line up for games, always loud, and always supporting people,
Ramos says. Because the letters get the most screen time, we want to make sure they’re good people who put us in a good light. The letter got passed to me, and I have the honor of being the ‘e’ this year.
Ramos is a senior in the physical culture and sports program at COE. He’s also earned championship rings as a student manager for UT softball.
To learn more, we recently spoke to Ramos.
For someone who isn’t already familiar, how would you describe the Hellraisers?
We’re a really big group of super fans. We go to games, no matter what sport it is—football, basketball, volleyball, soccer—paint our faces and support UT athletics, rain or shine, win or lose. We’re there all the time.
We have 124 members. Our general members make us look big, so it’s important that they show up to games. A group of members paints the letters. When you’re watching a game and see us spell out “Texas,” the people who sit directly behind us painted each letter.
Before you joined, how did you learn about the Hellraisers?
I’m originally from El Paso, Texas, and I transferred here from the University of Texas at El Paso. I was in the Coordinated Admission Program, where you spend a year at another UT satellite school and then transfer to UT Austin if your grades and extracurriculars are good enough. I knew I wanted to do something in sports; I saw the College of Education was the school for that, so I applied and got in.
When I arrived on campus in the fall of ’24, I saw the Hellraisers tabling. I’d seen them on TV before and decided to talk to them. Moving away from El Paso, I didn’t know anybody in Austin. So, I thought, Well, you’ve got to meet people. It might as well be through sports, which I hold near and dear to my heart.
What’s it like being a member of the Hellraisers?
Really fun. We’re like a big family, because all of us have different personalities and we mesh well together. It’s made Austin feel like a second home and a place I want to stay, even after college, to be around these people.
We’re happy to hear that. What’s your favorite sport to cheer for with the Hellraisers?
Besides football—because that’s the obvious one—I really like going to basketball games. Indoors, the conditions are always the same and it’s a little more intimate than DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Basketball really gets us going!
Do the Hellraisers have any traditions?
Before football games, we pick one of our members’ houses, meet up there and when we have enough numbers we’ll walk through West Campus. Since we were founded, it’s been a tradition that before every football game, the Hellraisers run through the University Co-Op. Then we run down the hill on 21st Street, circle around the stadium and go to the gate.
You’re also involved with UT softball, the NCAA champions for two straight years. What’s your role on that team?
I’m a student manager for softball. That involves setting up and tearing down practice, loading buses and planes and traveling with the team. The managers are always the first ones off the bus and the last ones on, making sure the players have all their equipment. I help the players get ready for games by warming up the starting pitcher or a reliever in the middle of the game.
What are the best parts of being a student manager?
Softball offers a lot of travel opportunities. I’ve been on both trips to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The team members are all super down to earth, great people. There’s a little group of managers, and they make us feel like we’re part of the team. When it’s glove day—each year, the team members select a fully customized glove, and glove day is when they are delivered—we also get a glove. When they each got a ring for the championship, so did we. I’m supposed to get another ring in December.
That’s incredible. Turning to academics, as a student in the physical culture and sports program, how do your studies support your other activities?
I’ve learned a lot about the history of sport and physical culture. As it applies to watching a game, we can explain a certain stat or event, because we’ve learned the history of that sport.
Career wise, I want to work in sport administration at Texas Athletics. My end goal is to become an athletic director, preferably here, but at any big school. So, my classes help a lot with learning and applying topics like revenue and budgeting, the ethics of sport and sport communication.
Do you have a favorite COE class?
Sport industry in America with Emalee Nelson has been my favorite so far, because you go through the history of operations for the MLB, NFL and NBA up through how they look today.
Returning to the Hellraisers, this year you were designated the “e” in Texas. How did that feel?
It felt like a great reward and a really nice surprise to be entrusted with that honor.
Do you know who you’re going to pass the “e” on to next?
I’m still thinking. People have asked me so many times because I’m graduating in the spring. We have a lot of good candidates, and I want to make sure I choose the right one.
As you head toward graduation, what Hellraiser memories stand out to you?
When men’s basketball played Texas A&M here and had a 22-point comeback we went crazy. It was such a good time.
And lettering for the football game against Ohio State for that 20-point comeback. The guys I letter with are all good friends of mine and two are my roommates. Seeing that happen in front of us was an experience!
