A month after the 78th Hyundai Sun Bowl media relations director Ana Chavez is still floating on clouds. I asked her for her thoughts now that the excitement has abated. After all, this was her first time handling the incredible demands of the job. Her response:
“ I WAS PLEASANTLY surprised at how smooth this year, being my first, went. Enough credit cannot be given to all our volunteers and the truly phenomenal staff I work with. The media host committee and the volunteers are first class. I’m not the only one that thinks so since we’ve received a lot of compliments from all the media.
“I cannot say enough about our local media. You never hear this but I will put the El Paso sports media up with the best in the nation. They are a hard-working bunch, passionate about what they do and more than a pleasure to work with. They are tested every year with Hyundai Sun Bowl activities and the Bank of the West Don Haskins Invitational and they always step up to the plate!”
THEN SHE ADDED: “These events truly belong to El Paso and it never ceases to amaze me how the community comes together with so much pride to showcase our biggest treasures.
”We couldn’t have asked for better weather or game! Our football committee works so hard to bring in a perfect matchup each year and weeks later we are still hearing from football fans everywhere about what a great game we had. And that is the greatest compliment we can receive.”
TRIVIA QUESTION: In a recent column I asked who was the first golfer to win a career grandslam. Some knew it was Gene Sarazen. Now, can you name the only other four golfers who have accomplished that fete? Answer at end.
THE LEGEND of late Bowie High coach Nemo Herrera lives on. I wondered in a column if Nemo was the only high school coach in Texas to win a state championship in two of the three major sports (baseball, basketball and football).
A sports fan in Canada, Howard B. Lockhart, read the column on the Internet and wrote:
“What he was able to do is remarkable in the history of Texas high school sports. Winning state championships in baseball and basketball is a feat unduplicated. I think, however, that one other coach won state championships in two of the three different major sports. Red Forehand won the state championship at Brackenridge in 1947 in football and won a state championship in basketball at Temple high school early in his career.”
I immediately did some researching and sure enough, it’s true. Forehand also won the state basketball title in 1932.
SO THANKS, Mr. Lockhart. It’s’ good to set the record straight.
Lockhart graduated from Brackenridge High School in 1955 where he was a three sport man and went on to play for Milton Jowers at Southwest Texas where they won the national championship and three of the players, including Lockhart, went to the 1966 Olympic trials. He moved to Canada in 1966 where he coached a national championship team and eventually took up flying and became an airline owner and bush pilot. He is now retired.
GREAT NEWS for the Irish: Joe Shepard of the Cathedral High School alumni association says that Burges High coach John Skelton Sr. will bring his National Football League sons to a meeting of the association on Saturday, March 4, at 9 a.m. at Cathedral High School.
John Skelton Jr. started the latter part of the 2011 season for the Arizona Cardinals at quarterback and did an outstanding job. His brother, Stephen, also plays for the Cardinals as tight end.
ANSWER to trivia question in order of when they did it: Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods