The origin of Rowdy dates back to 1977, when the Student Representative Assembly (SRA, the forerunner to the modern Student Government Association) was openly debating the university's mascot.

[2] An original vote, which favored "Armadillos" and "Stars" was declared null and void by the SRA, making way for a second campus-wide poll.

[2] The second election was hotly contested between "Roadrunners" and "Armadillos"—with vigorous support on either side.

[2] Supporters of "Roadrunner" made t-shirts depicting the cartoon road runner from Warner Bros.[3] After the final vote, the roadrunner was announced as the official mascot of UTSA at a bonfire celebration later that year.

Many students and administrators at UTSA thought the previous Rowdy bore too much resemblance to the Kansas Jayhawk.