Archive for the ‘Ray Sanchez’ Category

19 Jun

EL Paso Hall of Fame to Shine Again

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 04.26.15

Sports Halls of Fame have been very much in the news lately. The Texas Sports Hall of Famebpolphoto finally inducted our Nolan Richardson, the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame held its induction banquet not so long ago and is already taking nominations for next year, the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame has started planning for its fall induction banquet and is also already taking nominations.

And now comes the biggie so far as El Pasoans are concerned: The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

I call it the “biggie” because the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame doesn’t involve just one sport or one organization but all of them. Being inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame means you’ll be among the best of the best in all-around sports in El Paso.

This year’s induction banquet will be held this coming Wednesday, April 29, in the glamorous Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

 

I’VE BEEN involved with many of the local athletic halls of fame and I’ve been amazed at how many outstanding El Pasoans are willing to chip in and help. Barnard Polk, who has served as president of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame on two different occasions, including the last two years, is a perfect example.

A graduate of Austin High School and UTEP, he has worked in banking, as director of a center that aided transients, was named Austin High’s Outstanding Ex in 2012, has been a a pastoral assistant at First Christian Church and has been active in Jaycees, Sertoma Club and the UTEP Heritage Commission.

He’s added such a touch of class to the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame that it seems to have shined even more under his leadership.

 

LOOK AT WHAT you can expect at this year’s induction banquet Wednesday:

  • Mingling with eight very special inductees.
  • The introduction of special guests Marina Lee, the daughter of one of the Hall’s first inductees (Andy Cohen) in 1955 and Judy Phelan O’Connor, the daughter of the Hall’s first president, John Phelan.
  • A silent auction of some very valuable historical items.
  • A chance to thank Mr. Polk for his invaluable service to the Hall. He’ll be stepping down as president this year.
  • And, of course, a delicious meal.

Officially, the festivities will start at 4 p.m. with a press conference for inductees. There will be a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. You can start bidding for some of the auction items as early as 4 p.m. Kevin Lovell will again serves as Master of Ceremonies. Admission is only $30 per person.

 

INDUCTEES this year as reported before are long distance runner Ruben Dominguez, official Bob Geske, photographer Brian Kanof, Coronado High School tennis coach Jerry Pippin, long distance runner Paul Pearson, former UTEP football coach Mike Price and all-around athlete Ed Stansbury.

The programs at the banquet will have full resumes and photos of their accomplishments.

It’s going to be a whingdinger of a party. You really should be there.

 

LET ME ADD a bit about the two aforementioned El Paso sports halls of fame. They, too, have dedicated and accomplished leaders.

El Paso businessman Fernie Grado did a whale of a job as president of the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame last year and has passed the baton this year to another dedicated and hard-working gentleman, longtime and highly successful Montwood High baseball coach Tom Carrillo. He’s already set the dates for accepting nominations for this year.

And then there’s Jeff Darby, who handles the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame. One can only imagine what a difficult job he has as sports information director at the school but he is busy now taking nominations and setting up a meeting of the board of directors for the fall induction banquet.

El Paso has so much talent in sports that I’m forever in awe.

 

19 Jun

Richardson Accepts Texas Hall Honor With Grace

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 04.19.15

Nolan Richardson could have been upset. He could have been unhappy. He could have been bitter. After nolanjayall, even the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him before the Texas Sports Hall of Fame got around to it.

Instead, he was gracious.

And so were Texas Sports Hall of Fame officials. They welcomed Richardson at the reception and induction banquet with open arms and apologized in one way or another for not inducting him sooner. Jay Black, vice president of the Hall, told me he was sorry it took so long. President Jared Mosley and master of ceremonies Brad Shram expressed regret that sometimes it takes a “long” time to induct someone.

For his part, Richardson thanked the Hall for inducting him and mentioned the delay only in passing. He said he had been inducted into 12 previous Halls of Fame which was like having a large cake and now it would have “icing” on it.

 

AND SUPER public speaker that he is, Richardson gave an acceptance speech that those at the induction banquet will long remember. He had the crowd in stitches with jokes one moment, listening with sheer rapture other times.

He introduced those at his table, which included KVIA-TV general manager Kevin Lovell, who was so instrumental in getting him inducted.

I was at his table, too, and Richardson introduced me as the one who gave him his first writeup when he was nine years old and hit a homerun in Little League.

“At first, Ray reported that the homerun went 257 feet,” Richardson said. “But (the distance) grew through the years. It became 300 feet, then 400 feet. Today (at the reception before the banquet), I asked Ray the distance again. He said it was 500 feet.”

The crowd burst into laughter.

 

IN MORE serious moments, he told of how he lost his mother at age 3 and was raised by his grandmother. He called her “the captain of the ship” and said that she told him achieving success would be up to him and him alone. He lived by that philosophy and imparted it to his players.

He praised El Paso, saying that he couldn’t have had the opportunities he had anywhere else in the country. Segregation was still rampant in the country in the 1950s but, he said, the principal at Bowie High School at the time, Frank Pollitt, opened the door for him by hiring him to teach seventh grade.

That’s all he needed, he said, just a crack in the door to success. He went on to coach the Bowie High basketball team with great success, win a junior college championship with Western Texas, win a NIT title with Tulsa and win a NCAA championship at University of Arkansas. He is the only coach in the country to win all three of those national titles at the college level.

 

OTHERS INDUCTED into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame with Richardson were Prairie View A&M and NBA star Zelmo Beaty (deceased), former Dallas Cowboys vice president of Player Personnel Gil Brandt, BYU Heisman Trophy quarterback Ty Detmer, Dallas Cowboys All Pro safety Cliff Harris, former University of Texas swim coach Richard Quick (deceased), Dallas Cowboys All Pro defensive back Everson Walls and Baylor  NCAA and Olympic 400 meter champion Jeremy Wariner.

Richardson was highly sought for interviews by the media and autograph seekers. Perhaps it was because of the long time it took to induct him or because it was the first chance for most of the media in the eastern part of the state to interview him or because of his outgoing personality.

Whatever, it’s no exaggeration to say he was the center of attraction.

 

OH, YES. A special note of thanks to Brad Shram, the legendary sportscaster of Dallas Cowboys games. He is one of the people Lovell contacted for help to get Richardson inducted and, Lovell says, Shram quickly got to work spreading the word throughout the state.

What is that saying? Better late than never?

19 Jun

Albers: A Titan in El Paso Sports Media

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 04.12.15

I’ve always believed that anyone who lives and works in El Paso should contribute in other ways than their job to albersphototheir hometown.

That includes members of the media.

I have tried to live up to that belief. I’ve helped start several organizations and have served on so many boards that I like to kid that I’ve got splinters in my behind.

Three past examples of those who became an integral part of El Paso and helped it grow are El Paso Herald-Post sports editor Bob Ingram, El Paso Times sports editor Chuck Whitlock and KTSM sportscaster John Phelan. They’re deceased now but they set the standard for what I’m talking about.

I call them The Titans of the El Paso Sports Media.

They were everywhere helping, encouraging, suggesting and attending meetings that made things happen in the city, like the building of the Sun Bowl, the growth of UTEP, keeping professional baseball alive, helping build organizations like the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

ADD A NEW name to that list of Titans: Former KTSM-TV sports director Fred Albers.

Like the other Titans he wasn’t just great at his craft but he got deeply involved in the community. It seems like every meeting I attended, every board I sat on, every organizational program I was in on, there he was. And what a presence he made. One could feel his genius fill the room. He was articulate, knowledgeable and full of ideas.

Albers, a native of St. Louis and a journalism graduate of the University of Missouri, came to El Paso in 1980 as a sportscaster at KVIA-TV. He was an immediate hit with his strong, clear, insightful delivery and in 1992 he became sports director at KTSM-TV.

 

HOW GOOD a sportscaster was he? So good that a few years ago he put El Paso on the world map by becoming a play by play announcer for the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour Network on Sirius XM radio. He became one of the sport’s best-known announcers, traveling throughout the world while still working as KTSM-TV sport director.

The PGA position eventually cost him his job at KTSM-TV. His PGA work took him away from El Paso as much as 25 weeks out of the year. There was a change of ownership at KTSM-TV recently and his absence was just too much. The station let him go last month.

Albers took the decision well. “I understand,” he says without rancor.

 

HIS ABSENCE will leave quite a hole in local TV sportscasting but not to worry. Albers is well paid by his PGA job and says he will continue to make El Paso his home. “I love El Paso and its people,” he says. “I’ll keep doing PGA radio and maybe I can find an administrative job at some local station when I’m not on the PGA Tour.”

If I owned a local station, I’d jump at hiring him.

Until then, we can keep enjoying Albers’ great PGA coverage on Sirius Radio station 202.

And keep enjoying just having him, his wife Kristi and their son living here.

Kristi, like Fred, is an icon in El Paso sports. She’s the only El Paso woman to win an LPGA Tour event and started the First Tee program for El Paso youths.

One can only wish them the best.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name the player who won the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL Most Valuable Player three years in a row? Answer at end of column.

 

HAVE YOU purchased your tickets to the induction banquet of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame? It’ll be held April 29 in the Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

Don’t be left out. It’s going to be a dandy event with seven outstanding El Pasoans honored.

For tickets, call 915-490-8156.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Earl Campbell of Houston in 1978, 1979 and 1980-.

 

19 Jun

22 Wins Not Enough For Miners’ Fans?

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 03.29.15

One would think that 22 wins and a second place in Conference USA would be considered a good timflorydbasketball season.

Not in El Paso. For a lot of UTEP fans, anything short of a NCAA bid is considered a failure. You should hear the complaints about the players this year. They had no heart, they gave up, they’re terrible shooters, one player complained too much and on and on.

Coach Tim Floyd had plenty of detractors, too. His handling of the players, his strategy, even his demeanor were questioned.

This is not meant as an argument with fans. Heck, I love hearing from them – both the good and the bad. It shows they care.

But, boy, are we spoiled.

 

IN DEFENSE of the players, I go back to when I was covering the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry was the coach then. I loved the man. He was the same when he won as when he lost.

After a key game, I asked him why the Cowboys were beaten. Without changing expression, he simply said, “The other team was better.”

That’s what happened with the Miners in basketball this season. They lost a few games to lesser teams but that happens. However, at the end the only team that finished ahead of the Miners in conference, Louisiana Tech, was simply better.

 

AS FOR COACH Floyd, I’ll let Charles Hill, a statistician at UTEP games and a member of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors, do the talking. I quote, in part:

“Quit blaming coach Floyd and the other coaches for the disappointing season … Coach Floyd doesn’t need anyone to defend him … He is one of the best coaches in NCAA basketball and certainly one of the best defensive minds in the game.

“Who do you suggest that UTEP should hire? Please don’t say Nolan Richardson. He is 70 years old. James Forbes might be a popular candidate but he is in his 60s and has never had to recruit players. Stop and think about what you are saying. The Miners will be just fine under the leadership of Coach Floyd and his staff.”

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first high school runner to break the 4-minute mile? Answer at end.

 

WHAT A THRILL watching greatness. Firing Line was a marvel of effortless speed as he left six good horses 14 1/4 lengths behind in the $800,000 Sunland Derby last Sunday. “Breathtaking,” one spectator remarked. We now have someone to root for in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. The Sunland victory made Firing Line, ridden by Gary Stevens and trained by Simon Callaghan, eligible.

There were other outstanding races on the card. The favorite in the Sunland Oaks, Callback, trained by Bob Baffert, was disqualified and placed fourth. “Bridge jumpers” (people who like to bet heavily on favorites — one Sunland patron bet $2000 to win on Callback), were devastated but Baffert still came up with an entry for the Kentucky Oaks. His other entry, Maybellene, finished second and was moved up to first.

 

 

ALL IN ALL, it was quite a weekend at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Thousands of spectators overflowed the stands and the parking lot was so packed people had to park on side streets.

Another big winner was United Blood Services. The exotic Sunland Park Gala that’s held the night before the Sunland Derby benefits that organization, and is that heart-warming or what?. United Blood Services has saved countless lives through the years.

One particular example presented last Saturday included a young girl who was born premature and weighed only a little over two pounds at birth. Thanks to United Blood Services she survived and there she was on the Sunland Gala stage last Saturday – pretty as a picture, fully grown and celebrating her 16th birthday.

It brought a tear of joy to more than one attendee.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Jim Ryun.

19 Jun

UTEP Coach Price Nominated for Athletic Hall

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

by Ray Sanchez 03.08.15

Mike Price, who won the hearts of El Paso with his coaching and engaging personality, is mpriceamong nine new nominees for induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

Price took over the football reins at UTEP in 2004 and immediately turned the Miners’ fortunes around. Taking over a team that had gone 2-11 the year before, he led the Miners to an 8-4 record and an invitation to the Houston Bowl. He repeated the 8-4 record in 2005 and received another bowl bid, this time to the GMAC Bowl.

All in all, he won 48 games during his nine year career with the Miners and took the team to three bowl games. His 48 victories rank second only to the 66 by coach Mack Saxon, who coached the Miners in their infancy, and his three bowl games ties Mike Brumbelow’s record for most bowls by a UTEP coach.

 

BUT THERE’S more to Mike Price than coaching. His warm, friendly disposition fit in nicely with the El Paso population. I like to refer to him as “everybody’s favorite uncle.”

What’s more, he was an innovative type. El Pasoans will forever remember his coming onto the field at football games holding up a real miner’s pick. The pick soon became a symbol of the school and can now be seen on lapels and autos and billboards.

El Pasoans love Mike Price, and he loves us back. Although he had gained national prominence as national Coach of the Year at Washington State University in 1997, he decided to make El Paso his permanent home after giving up coaching in 2012.

 

THE NINE new nominees bring the total this year to 17. Voting for induction by the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors will be held March 16 at First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Avenue. The induction banquet will be held April 29 in the Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

Following are the eight nominees besides Price who were presented at the final nominations meeting last Monday, in alphabetical order:

 

RUBEN DOMINGUEZ, former cross country and mile high school state champion at Austin High who later was an alternate member of the 1975 UTEP national champion cross country team.

 

BRIAN KANOF, professional photographer who has captured some of El Paso’s greatest sports moments, including one of long-jump world record setting Bob Beamon that appeared in Sports Illustrated and one of Don Haskins that led to Haskins being known as “The Bear.”

 

KARL KIELICH, a member of the United State Bowling Congress who is credited with helping to bring the organization’s national tournament to El Paso this year. He has been involved as a bowling official 30 years.

 

JOE OVERTON, former Coronado High School baseball coach who produced some of El Paso’s outstanding college players and won the district title with a perfect 14-0 record in 1984. He also coached the offense of the Coronado football team that won six consecutive district titles from 1977 through 1982.

 

PAUL PEARSON, a long distance runner who was so outstanding he was inducted into the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 along with other members of the 1974 indoor NCAA championship team. He had multiple high finishes in national meets.

 

JERRY PIPPINS, Coronado High tennis coach whose players have won 16 straight district titles. His record at Coronado is 156-0 for fall tennis and 354-43 overall.

 

ED STANSBURY, one of the greatest all-around athletes at Irvin High School. He starred in track, football and basketball. He later played football as a starter at UCLA and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2002 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2004.

 

RUSS VANDENBURG, who played football for UTEP during its golden decade (the 1960s) and later coached at Burges High School where his track teams won district titles. Among other positions, he currently holds a seat on the UTEP development board.

 

NOMINATED previously were Ray Adauto, Eric Alwan, Roy Culberson, Bob Geske, Shawn Lehigh, Matt Simon, Scott Stein and Brian Young.

19 Jun

Young, Five Others Nominated for Athletic Hall

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez.

by Ray Sanchez 03.01.15

Brian Young, a former UTEP football star who went on to play in the National Football League, is among six new nominees for induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

Young, an all-city, all-district and honorable mention all-state lineman at Andress High School in El Paso, was recruited by UTEP in 1996 and immediately made an impact. In his first year, he made 13 tackles (three for a loss) and recorded a sack and assisted in another.

He just kept getting better. He ended his UTEP career with a total of 214 tackles (34 for losses) and 16 sacks.

Rated the strongest player on the team with a 435-pound bench press and 675-pound squat, he was named All-Western Athletic Conference his junior year and WAC Defensive Player of the Year his senior season.

 

NEEDLESS to say, the NFL came knocking. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round in 2000. He played for the Rams from 2000 through 20002 and then for the New Orleans Saints from 2004 through 2008.

The Saints signed Young, 6 feet 2 and weighing 298 pounds, to a four-year $10 million free agent contract in 2004. That year, as a starter, he had 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In 2005, he had 51 tackles then, in 2006, when the Saints were the “Cinderella Team” in the NFL, he recorded 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks,

A knee injury ended his playing career but the Saints hired him as a defensive coach in 2011.

The other five nominees to the El Paso Athletic Hall include the following, in alphabetical order:

 

RAY ADAUTO, longtime radio talk show host, sports announcer and executive who is perhaps best known for his public address announcing at UTEP. A graduate of Cathedral High School, he is widely known as “Uncle Ray” by his many fans.

 

ERIC ALWAN, media relations director for Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino and a rising star as a race caller in New Mexico. He began bringing national recognition to El Paso even as a youth, thanks to his handicapping skills, and appeared on national television and in national publications.

 

ROY CULBERSON, a former football and basketball star at Bel Air High School who went on to coach at Andress and Eastwood High Schools, UTEP, North Texas and work in the athletic departments at North Texas, Montevallo in Alabama and Jackson State University.

 

MATT SIMON, a football, track and wrestling star at Burges High School who later reached the pinnacle of coaching as an assistant .He is one of only 10 coaches to have won both a national college championship (Washington in 1991) and a Super Bowl (Baltimore in 2000). In 1997 he was inducted into the University of Washington Hall of Fame.

 

Dr. SCOTT STEIN, an El Paso dentist and award-winning body builder who has dedicated much of his time to the dental welfare of local sports organizations. Dr. Stein placed first in the Texas State Body Building Championships not only in his class but overall in 1997 and has been consistently in the Top Five in body building competition throughout the United States.

 

FORMERLY nominated were sports officials Shawn Lehigh and Bob Geske, bringing the total of nominees to eight this year.

There will be one more meeting where nominations for induction this year will be accepted. That will be this coming Monday, March 2, at 5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Avenue. The meeting is open to the public.

Voting by the board of directors will be held March 16 at the same time and place.

The induction banquet is scheduled for April 29 in the Signature Room at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

8 Feb

Book About Bowie Coach Buryl Baty Available

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , .

by Ray Sanchez 02.01.15

bbatybookThe long-awaited book by the son of Buryl Baty, the beloved Bowie High School football coach who died in a tragic accident in 1954, is now available for purchase. It was written by his son, R. Gaines Baty, and is titled “Champion of the Barrio. The Legacy of Coach Buryl Baty.”

He truly was a champion. Buryl Baty, a tall, handsome former Texas A&M star quarterback, took over the football reins of the southside school and turned the Bears into proud champions. His teams finished first in the district in two of the four years he was at the helm and was favored to make it three of five the year of his death.

He and assistant Jerry Simmang were killed when a young driver of a big truck fell asleep and crashed into their car head on. Another assistant, Fred Rosas, who was asleep in the rear seat, suffered horrendous injuries but survived.

HERE’S HOW the book is described by the publisher, Texas A&M University Press:

“Buryl Baty was a winning athlete, coach, builder of men and an early pioneer against bigotry. “In 1950, after serving in the second world war and then quarterbacking the Texas Aggies during the glory days of the old Southwest Conference, Baty became head football coach at Bowie High School in El Paso. He quickly inspired his athletes, all Mexican Americans from the south side ghetto, the Segundo Barrio, with his winning ways and his personal stand against the era’s extreme, deep-seated prejudice to which they were subjected.

“However, just as the team was poised to win a third championship, an unthinkable tragedy turned their world upside down. Years later, these former players formally recognized Coach Baty’s lasting inspiration and influence by dedicating La Bowie’s stadium in his name and inducting him into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.

“IN THIS POIGNANT memoir, R. Gaines Baty also describes his own journey to get to know his father. Coach Baty’s life story is portrayed from the perspectives of nearly one hundred individuals who knew him in addition to many documented facts and news reports. NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry provides a heartfelt and relevant foreword, and Gene Stallings, Ray Sanchez, Alexander Wolff, Roger Staubach, Kent Hance, Nolan Richardson and others have endorsed the book.

”A university professor labeled this an important and historic piece of work. It is an inspiring true story of leadership and triumph.”

THE BOOK is available now for pre-purchase at www.Amazon.com and www.Barnesandnoble.com, or at a physical Barnes & Noble location, for delivery in mid-to-late February, 2015. Supply is limited. For more information, see www.ChampionoftheBarrio.com.

Gaines Baty sent me an advanced manuscript of the book and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I lived through those sorrowful days of the accident. I was a young sports writer at the El Paso Herald-Post and in charge of covering high school sports. I wept when I heard the news of the accident. So did other El Pasoans. Buryl Baty was a friendly, highly intelligent, polite man one couldn’t help but like.

I have a special memory of him. He’s the one who nicknamed me “Ray.”  My byline in those days read “By Ramon Sanchez.” Ramon is pronounced rah-mon. Coach Baty was new in town and not too versed on Spanish pronunciation so when he called for me at the office in 1950 he pronounced rah-mon as ray-mon.”

The sports editor at the time, Bob Ingram, smiled, tuned to me and said, “It’s for you, Ray,” emphasizing the word Ray.

The nickname quickly caught on, especially with the non-Spanish speaking population of El Paso, and I was forever more to be known as Ray.

I like it and it makes me remember this extraordinary coach and wonderful human being.

8 Feb

Super Stardom Just Not Ordained For Romo

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , .

by Ray Sanchez 01.25.15

bryantcatchSheer thievery.

The more I watch replays of Dez Bryant’s catch against the Green Bay Packers that would have set up a winning touchdown by the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 11 the more I’m convinced the Cowboys were robbed of a victory by the officials.

Bryant had taken three steps and had full control of the ball as he reached for the end zone. The ball hit the ground and popped out. First of all, the rules say a receiver has possession if he takes two steps with the ball secured. Secondly, the ground cannot cause a fumble — or a bobble.

The officials on the field ruled the play a catch but were overruled by the officials in the booth. The latter ruled Bryant had “bobbled” the ball and thus it was an incomplete pass.

“Bobble’ my foot. It was a catch all the way.

 

I FEEL SORRY for all the Cowboys and their fans, but especially for quarterback Tony Romo. He’s had such hard luck throughout his career. For example.

  • In his first year as a starter Romo fumbled a snap on a field goal attempt that would have sent the Cowboys into the playoffs. He shouldn’t have been put in that position.
  • A couple of years later, in the playoffs, Romo hit receiver Terrance Williams right in the breadbasket with a pass that would have resulted in a touchdown late in the game and advanced the team to the next round and maybe on to the Super Bowl. Williams dropped the pass.
  • In 2013, Romo was hurt so badly in the next to the last game of the season that he needed immediate surgery. Without him, the Cowboys lost the finale and missed the playoffs.
  • And this season there was the overruling of the catch by Bryant. It was a beautiful pass and it would have been immortalized in NFL history. It was nullified.

I guess super stardom just wasn’t ordained from above for Tony Romo.

STILL, IT WAS a great season for the Cowboys, who finished 13-5. I venture to say that at least 95 percent of the “experts” didn’t predict such a good outcome.

Which brings me to my crystal ball. You’ll have to excuse my bragging about it but it certainly deserves some kind of award. Not only did it predict that the Cowboys would win at least nine games but that the UTEP Miners would win at least six. Even fewer experts expected the Miners to do that.

I took my crystal ball out of its drawer and gave it a pat on the back and a lollipop. It smiled.

TRIVIA QUESTION: There are two boxers who knocked out the great Joe Louis. Can you name them? Answer at end.

FINALLY, Nolan Richardson will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

It wasn’t easy getting him in but a small group of El Pasoans, headed by KVIA-TV general manager Kevin Lovell, never gave up. They kept pushing and pushing. Lovell, who has become a strong force for good in El Paso sports, even made calls and wrote letters to other members of the Texas Hall. Another major backer was El Paso sportscaster Tom Ciaburri.

It seems incredible that it took this long to get Richardson, the only coach to win all three major national basketball championships (NCAA, NIT and Junior College), inducted. Richardson was even inducted into the national Naismith Memorial Basketball of Fame before the Texas Hall.

 

BUT ALL’S WELL that ends well.

Others who will be inducted to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, April 9 include Prairie View A&M and NBA star Zelmo Beaty (deceased), former Dallas Cowboys Vice president of Player Personnel Gil Brandt, BYU Heisman Trophy QB Ty Detmer, Dallas Cowboys All Pro safety Cliff Harris, former University of Texas swim coach Richard Quick (deceased), Dallas Cowboys All Pro DB Everson Wall and Baylor  NCAA & Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner.

 

ANSWER to trivia question; Max Schmeling and Rocky Marciano.

8 Feb

FORMER UTEP GOLFER IS NOW A MILLIONAIRE

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , .

by Ray Sanchez 01.11.15

Several years ago, some of my golfing buddies and I were on the No. 5 tee on the Yucca Course at Santa Teresa Country Club waiting to hit our drives when a pretty young lady and her male partner asked if their gerinamendozapillertwosome could play through. Of course, we said yes.

My jaw dropped when I saw the young lady hit the ball so far it almost went out of sight. I turned to one of my buddies and asked, “Who is that?” I was informed that it was Gerina Mendoza, a member of the UTEP women’s golf team. Needless to say, I sought her out and have written several columns about her.

She won four tournaments with the Miners, including the 2007 Conference USA championship, and was named conference Player of the Year.

GERINA GOT off to a slow start on the LPGA tour in 2011, but she made the cut in nine tournaments, finished 10th in one meet, averaged 72.75 strokes and earned $103,322. She kept improving. The next year she made the cut in 17 tournaments, tied for sixth in one meet, averaged 71.41 strokes and earned $258,395. Then in 2013, she had her best season. She made the cut in 23 tournaments, was in the top 10 in eight meets, was second in one, averaged 71.22 strokes and earned $572, 690.

On top of all that, Gerina, who ranked seventh in driving distance at 266.5 yards, was picked on the prestigious Solheim Cup team.

Wow.

IN THE 2014 season, she made the cut in 22 meets, finished in the top 10 five times, tied for third once, averaged 71.38 strokes  and took home $466,497.

She’s now a millionaire with career earnings of $1,400,904.

I’m beaming with pride for her. She was born in Roswell, N.M., and married fellow professional golfer Martin Piller in 2011. They live in Plano, Texas, but as a former Miner, El Pasoans can claim Gerina Mendoza Piller as our own.

We’ll be keeping an eye on her this year. The 2015 LPGA Tour will begin Jan. 28 in Flrorida

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name two movies about sports that won Academy Awards? Answer at end of column.

THE EL PASO High School Alumni Association isn’t wasting time getting ready to celebrate the school’s 100th anniversary next year. And they need our help. The following is from alumni president Michael Montes:

“Who should I ask to help sponsor the Central School Bell project? I’m not sure if you know or not but for Homecoming we got the bell that hung in the school back in 1885 when EPHS opened on the second floor of Central School back to EPHS. Our next goal is to mount it on a trailer so we can take it all over the city to games, the Thanksgiving Day parade, etc. Amada Flores, (1963). has donated a trailer and will do most of the work on it but now we need about $5000 for the trailer and a display room in the cafeteria.  I want to start working on this this month.

“Our current building is 99 years old but the school itself is 130.  Our first graduates from 1887, Kate Moore and George P. Robinson, walked underneath this bell to class. That’s the amazing history and significance of this artifact; it ties directly to our roots, our history, our Tiger tradition that is unmatched.”

Sounds like a great project and one worthy of some major company. Any ideas?

ANSWER to trivia question: Rocky in 1976 and Chariots of Fire in 1981.

8 Feb

Some Happy Doings at Sunland Racetrack

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez, Sunland Park Racetrack. Tagged: , , .

by Ray Sanchez 01.18.15

jackrownfamily 001There have been some happy doings at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino lately.jockeybrown

Jack Brown, the very first leading jockey when the upper valley track opened in 1959, was honored with a race last Saturday.

Brown became a legend in the sport throughout the Southwest. He not only was a leading jockey at Sunland through its early years but won titles at Bay Meadows in California, Las Vegas, La Mesa Park and various other tracks.

He passed away last May at the age of 80 and it was good to see him remembered at Sunland. Present in the winner’s circle at his race last Saturday were members of his family, which are identified in the accompanying photo.

A SECOND happy doing was the visit of several of this season’s top Sunland jockeys decked out in full uniforms at the El Paso Children’s Hospital last week. They included Larry Gamez, Casey Lambert, D.R. Shepherd, Ry Eikleberry and Lisa Love.

They brought gifts for the children. More than that, they brought smiles to their faces.

Sunland’s new chaplain, Donald Stover, organized and led the operation.

 

A THIRD happy doing is that El Paso’s Henry Dominguez, one of New Mexico’s most successful trainers, will be back in action at Sunland this week.

Dominguez, a graduate of El Paso’s Austin High School, had quite a year in 2014. He won 110 races, finished second 103 times and third 97 times out of 581 starts and earned $2,316,798. Along the way he also got married.

The year could have been even better but he was suspended for 60 days by the New Mexico Racing Commission. The suspension began on Nov. 22 but will end on Jan. 20. Dominguez appealed the ruling, which was for TCO2, or total carbon dioxide overage. He says a horse from a 2013 Sunland Park race had the overage.

“I ran 400 horses last year (2013), and all of a sudden only one comes up with [an overage] with it,” Dominguez said in a statement. “The limit is 37 [millimoles]. Mine was 37.2. You can’t send (a split) to another lab and have them test because it dissipates.”

Whatever, I know quite a few El Paso fans will be eager to see him back in action.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Which heavyweight fighter won the Olympic Gold medal three times? Answer at end of column.

HARRISON KOHL holds a special place in El Paso sports lore. He was a key figure in getting the Sun Bowl on national television.

Before coming to El Paso he was quite an athlete at Mason City High School in Iowa and later at Drake University. Just the other day I got a long distance call from Lynn Lee, an old friend of Kohl’s. Seems he wants to nominate Kohl for induction into the Mason City Athletic Hall of Fame and wanted to get more information about Kohl. He found that I had included Kohl in one of my books, “El Paso’s Greatest Sports Heroes,” which was published way back in 1989, and wanted to buy one. Luckily I still have some copies in print and gladly obliged. Kohl certainly deserves the new honor.

SPEAKING OF Halls of Fame, start thinking of who you’re going to nominate for induction into the El Paso Athletes Hall of Fame this year. Meeting of the board of directors begin this month. This year’s meeting will be held in the Carroll Hall of First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Avenue at 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 19, Feb. 2 and 16 and March 2 and 16. To nominate someone you must present a resume and photos at the time of nomination. And please, don’t ask someone on the board to do it for you. If you truly believe someone is worthy, show up at one or more of the meetings and do it yourself.

ANSWER to trivia question: Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba in 1972, 1976 and 1980. 

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »