On the Move, 1981
With the acquisition of the San Marcos Baptist Academy property in 1979, the University began to expand towards West Campus. Along with the construction of new buildings, the Quad itself was remodeled to accommodate more students walking to classes. The redesigned path was referred to as the "student mall" in a press release - but the new terminology didn't stick and it continued to be known as the Quad.
After 29 years on the original base designed by Buck Winn and landscaped by Homer Fry, the Stallions were removed from the Quad and put in storage to protect them during construction. They were then moved to their current location on a new base after the Math/Computer Science (MCS) building was completed in the fall of 1981.
A University News & Information Service press release dated August 11, 1981 briefly documents the statue's history and notes the imminent change in its location:
Since 1952, the fighting stallions rested upon a base of Texas granite in the open area near SWT's Evans Academic Center and the Fine Arts Building.
The student mall, being built ... as part of a ... mathematics and computer center building near Derrick Hall, is scheduled to be finished Nov. 1. The statue is to be moved to its new location on a concrete terrace in front of Derrick Hall at the focal point of the mall about two weeks before the end of the mall construction.
Meanwhile the aluminum statue has been placed out of the way of construction just outside the main entrance to Derrick Hall. [transcription]