Matthew McConaughey Gives University of Texas Students a Ride: Why He's a One-of-a-Kind Alumnus

This is a guy the school will never want to lose

When these college students noticed who was behind the wheel, they were probably a little dazed and confused. 

That's because Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey was in the driver's seat at his alma mater, University of Texas at Austin. 

"Longhorns take care of each other, and it's 'safe' to say Matthew McConaughey agrees," the student government's Facebook page read. "Don't forget to use SURE Walk when traveling home late at night; you never know who might pick you up! #BeSafe #SafeChats."

The Dallas Buyers Club star looked laid back as he drove four fellow Longhorns home as a part of the university's SURE Walk service, which gives students people to travel home with late at night for protection and peace of mind. 

The Texas native is familiar with the the campus—he graduated from the college in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in radio, television and film.

While he has since gone on to make serious use of radio, television and film, McConaughey never lost sight of the place that launched his young adult years. 

He returned to the classroom two decades after to teach a class in filmmaking in the school's Moody College of Communication and the university later announced that he would return to teach another session in the fall of 2016. 

Then, of course, there's the Oscar-worthy speech he delivered to the Longhorns football team at a practice in 2014. 

"I just wanted to come, not come preach anything, not come tell you anything, I just wanted to kind of have a conversation with you, see how y'all are doing, look some of you in the eye," the star said. "I always ask myself this question all the time, 'Why do I do what I do? Why am I an actor?' I was gonna ask y'all, why do you play football? Again, no right answer. Ask yourself, man, when you look in the mirror tonight, 'Why am I playing this game?'"

"Some of you may play because you love football, some of you may play for your grandmother, some of you may play for your older brother, your dad, some of you may play for the coaches, some of you may play for the university. At the end of the day, every single one of you has really only gotta be playing for one person," he continued. 

"When you do well, you feel it and you can look in the mirror and you go, 'That's right. I earned that. I did that.'"

Whether he's giving fellow students a helpful ride or words of wisdom, McConaughey is a guy the University of Texas will never want to lose.