TribBlog: TxDOT in the Paint

Offices at the Texas Department of Transportation are filled with engineers from the state's flagship universities, but recently they set aside their love of burnt orange and Aggie maroon for ... Duke blue? 

The employees have a tradition of painting a concrete "spirit pole" behind the agency's Austin headquarters the color of the team that wins the annual Aggie-Longhorn rivalry football game. But someone recently repainted the poll blue and white, in honor of the Blue Devils' fourth national basketball championship. You see, Deidire Delisi, who chairs the board that oversees the agency, has a bachelor's degree from Duke. 

A departure from the orange-maroon tradition isn't unprecedented. Years ago, when David Laney sat on the commission, the pole got painted Stanford red to celebrate his alma matter's victory over UT, says agency spokesman Chris Lippincott. (Delisi, by the way, also has a master's degree from Stanford).

Congrats to Duke and Delisi on the victory. If you're not a fan, just pretend the pole is painted for the Cowboys.