If you’re a real El Paso sports fan, you’ve probably heard of Bruce Reichman. He’s one of the finest high school coaches ever to bless our city.
He coached Del Valle High School to state boys soccer championships in 2005 and 2008, took them to the Final Four four other times, won 64 various championships and has been named El Paso High School Coach of the Year six times.
A UTEP graduate, he has also earned honors as a teacher, including being named to Who’s Who of American Teachers. He is now serving as department head of the Physical and Health Department.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, Reichman has been inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. More than that, he is going to serve that organization as president this year. Yes, he became a member of the board of directors and, not surprisingly, quickly rose to the head of the table.
Now listen here. I’m a member of the board of directors, too. In fact, I’m a charter member, and I say let’s make our new prexy’s tenure a great one. The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame is open to the public and anyone – anyone – can make a nomination. If you think someone should be inducted, get up a resume and show up at the nomination meetings. The more the merrier.
The nomination meetings will be held Feb. 6, Feb. 20 and March 5 at 5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Street. All three of those dates are Mondays.
For more information, call Mr. Reichman at 584-4187, vice-president Bernard Polk at 533-6364 or secretary Dennis Devine at 562-5831. They’ll be happy to help you.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first golfer to win all four Majors during his career? Answer at end.
A RECENT COLUMN about UTEP’s last-play victory over Utah in 1965 called “The Turning Point” brought back fond memories to Eddie Mullens, who was sports information director of the Miners at the time. UTEP was known as Texas Western College then. Mullens was at the game and tells some things I didn’t know. He writes:
“I can still remember sitting between Don Haskins (who was in Salt Lake to discuss Utah’s Jack Gardner’s motion-offense) and El Paso Times sports writer Roger McKown at that game. Don whispered to me when TWC got the ball with nine seconds left ‘we’ve got a chance’. He and Roger damn near beat me to the floor when Bullet Bob (Wallace) crossed the goal line.
“Moments later Cliff Speagle (whose offense the Miners had installed that season) and other coaches came storming down from the floor above where they had charted the game. I still remember, the normally reserved Cliff giving a war whoop on his way down the stairs to the press row.
“ANOTHER SIDEBAR to that story. I was talking to John Mooney, the excellent sports editor of the Salt Lake Tribune, about the play when his photographer came up to us and overhearing our discussion said something like ‘was that important?’ After John recovered from such a question, he said yes, and the photographer said, ‘Well, I have it all on film.’
“That’s where I acquired the sequence of photos on that play. Ah, yes, great memories.”
Those photos became a historical gem and have been printed in many publications, including the book “The Miners. The History of Sports at University of Texas at El Paso.”
The photos also helped world famous artist Tom Lea recreate the play in a painting.
ANSWER TO trivia question. Gene Sarazen. He won the U.S. Open and PGA in 1922, the British Open in 1932 and the Masters in 1935.