I’ve met a lot of courageous people during my many years as a sports writer, sports editor and sports columnist. Steve Hill ranks with the best. Steve, as you probably know, graced the airwaves for many years as an El Paso sportscaster. His strong, clear voice and great knowledge of sports were a delight to hear. At one time or another he covered just about every sport imaginable. He also became a member of the crew that keeps statistics at UTEP football and basketball games. A few years ago, Hill began to feel the effects of diabetes. It got so bad that one of his legs was amputated. It saved his life but his illness continued to
get worse. He’s been on heavy medication for some time now.
HILL HAS HAD to give up some of his work, but despite the medication and being confined to a wheelchair, this amazing man continues to do what he’s been doing for 42 years: work as a member of the UTEP statistics crew. What’s more, he continues keeping statistics on such things as high school
coaches’ records and keeps up with other local and national sports so well he’s
a fountain of information. His life story is also one of brotherly love. His brother, former school teacher
Charles, is his constant companion and wheels him around to the various games.
Seeing them together is a scene to behold. It was good, then, to see Steve Hill, 60, honored at halftime of last week’s Miners-Rice game. He was introduced to the crowd, shown on the Don Haskins
Center TV screen and presented a plaque. He received a rousing ovation.
TRIVIA QUESTION: When the National and American Football Leagues merged three
teams moved from the National to the American conference. Which teams were they?
Answer at end.
GOOD SPORTS news keeps pouring in like El Paso sunshine. No sooner had we learned we have our first starting quarterback from El Paso in the National Football League than we found we have a No. 1 draft choice in Major League Soccer. He’s 17-year-old Omar Salgado. The 6 feet 4, 170 pound forward on the U.S. under-20 team was picked by the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps. He made quite an impression on that team when he was loaned to Vancouver for three months last summer when the team competed in
the U.S. Soccer Federation Division 2. Amazing.
CONFLICT HAS popped up over the naming of the new baseball field at El Paso High School. Some wanted it named for a popular teacher there, Toby Tovar. However, some alumni pointed out that Tovar taught at El Paso High but graduated from bitter rival Austin High. They want the field named after Ken Moorhead, who
coached the Tigers baseball team from 1956 through 1977. El Paso High graduate and former star amateur golfer Sandy Aaronson has a simple solution: Name the field “Tiger Field” or “Field of Dreams” and name one dugout for Tovar and the other for Moorhead. Or, she says, name the baseball field for Moorhead and the softball field for Tovar.
AND HERE’S a note that might be of interest to the Hyundai Sun Bowl. El Pasoan
Barry Coleman writes: “Do any players (besides Ken Heineman) from the first (Sun Bowl) game still
live? I know of one who, while at lunch, talked about the high school game and
the second game. He’s Hal Gambrel, who was about 15 then and is now 92. He can
describe what happened and who played.
“They (Sun Bowl officials) should put out a public request and find if any other
players are still alive who saw the first three games. Their comments should be
taped for posterity.”
ANSWER to trivia question: Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.