The year 2010 will go down as one of the most memorable in the annals of sports
in El Paso.
UTEP won the Conference USA championship in basketball. The school hired Tim
Floyd as basketball coach. The Miners were invited to a bowl game. The Hyundai
Sun Bowl got Notre Dame. J. P. Hayes and Steve Haskins qualified for the PGA
Tour and Champions Tour respectively
And El Paso had a hometown boy become a starting quarterback in the National
Football League.
As Ralph Kramden used to say on The Honeymooners, “How sweet it is.”
JOHN SKELTON, a former Burges High School all-star born in El Paso who later set
records at Fordham University, took over the signal calling reins of the Arizona
Cardinals two weeks ago. And oh, what promise he’s shown.
It’s not only that this 6 feet 5, 245 pound specimen won both his starts for the
Cardinals. It’s the way he won last week. He drove the Cardinals to a last
minute victory over, of all people, the Dallas Cowboys by handling the ticking
clock with the skills of a veteran and passing with the accuracy of a Joe
Montana.
And he’s only 22.
TRIVIA QUESTION: A famous Washington Redskins quarterback/tailback better known
for his offense once led the National Football League in interceptions. Who was
he and how many passes did he intercept? Answer at end.
TOM CIABURRI, also known as radio and TV sportscaster “Joe Fan,” says he knew
there was no way the Arizona Cardinals were going to lose when he heard the
voice of Bill Macatee doing the CBS TV play-by-play of the game in which El
Paso’s John Skelton got his first start for the Cardinals against Carolina. Tom
writes:
“Macatee is also an El Paso Burges High School graduate and a 1987 El Paso
Athletic Hall of Fame inductee …
“I interviewed Macatee at the airport when he arrived in El Paso in 1987 and he
gave me a BIG scoop since I was working for NBC affiliate KTSM-TV and radio. He
told me he was going to co-host a new weekend edition of the NBC-TV “Today Show”
that would be announced by NBC-TV a couple of days later.”
AN APOLOGY is in order. I’ve written several articles about El Paso Times sports
editor Margaret Gallardo. I misspelled her first name in one of them in the
haste of holiday early deadlines. Sorry. But by any name, she’s become a fine
addition to the El Paso sports scene.
“FLIP” LYLE, who will take over as president of the El Paso Athletic Hall of
Fame this year, has been elected to the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.
He’s a long time El Pasoan but grew up in that area of Tennessee. The induction
banquet will be held Jan. 11 in the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Lyle is one of El Paso’s greatest runners and is still piling up trophies. He’s
the 2010 champion in the Southwest Challenge Series, a decathlon and triathlon,
in the 65-69 age category. He has been an age champion 16 of the 21 years of the
Southwest Challenge Series.
He has won 10 multi-sports titles this past year in his age category and overall
has now competed in 289 triathlon events and 96 decathlon events.
Congratulations are in order. Needless to say, he’s already been inducted into
our El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.
(Hmmm. I wonder if he’ll ride the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. That’s the title of one
of my favorite songs growing up.)