Posts Tagged ‘Football’

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.

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.

23 Nov

Here Are Other Former UTEP Football Greats

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

by Ray Sanchez 11.09.14

My selection of Jesse Whittenton as UTEP’s best football player ever drew quite a few comments from readers — and not a singleutep logo one disagreed with the selection.

C.J. Hill, a statistician at UTEP football and basketball games and longtime follower of the Miners, did point out some other outstanding players, however. Here’s what he wrote:

 

“THANKS FOR the article on Jesse Whittenton. I defer to your wisdom about Whittenton being UTEP’s all-time greatest player as I never got to see him play in person. I do remember seeing him play for the Packers in the early 60’s and he was a great player. I can’t say that I remember all that much as I was only 7 or 10 years old at the time.

“UTEP has certainly had its share of great players. Fred Carr was probably the best that I have seen and he was also a gifted basketball player that played for the Bear in the year following the NCAA championship.

“Other great Miners that I have seen were George Daney, Thomas Howard, Seth Joyner, Quintin Demps, Chuck Hughes, Don Maynard, Charlie West, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Bob Wallace, Billy Stevens and many others. I would say that Fred Carr and Charlie West were the best Miners that I have ever seen in person. I didn’t get to see Don Maynard in person but of course I remember his great career with the (New York) Jets.”

 

ANOTHER READER, Alton Setliff, wrote, “He (Whittenton) was an absolute stud!  He had great presence about him as well, but not the arrogant type; he was just a plain ol’ great athlete.”

Jose L. Torres, who inspired my column on Whittenton, wrote, “Ray:  That was a superb story on Mr. Whittenton. The things I learn about El Paso sports from you are great. That is why I always sat next to you while we both were covering Miner games.  I’m so glad you are still writing books.” He added that he rates Chris Jacke as the best field goal kicker the Miners ever had and Tony Tolbert as the best defensive end.

 

THE MOST touching email came from Whittenton’s wife, Barbara:

“I just came across the article you did about Jesse in El Paso Inc. I can’t thank you enough for remembering him.  He was such a special person who I still miss every day.  He always said you were one person who supported him throughout his career.  Again, thank you so very much.”

Jesse Whittenton passed away two years ago.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION: With this year’s World Series just over, this is timely. Can you tell me who was the winning pitcher in the longest World Series game ever? Answer at end.

 

WAYNE KNOX, 76, a well known bowler from El Paso, passed away in Temple, Texas, on October 22 of pancreatic cancer. Wayne was the son of Jo and Leonard Knox and was an outstanding bowler who during his career bowled four perfect games of 300. He is survived by his wife, two sons, five grandchildren and his sister, Evelyn George Seybold of El Paso.

 

GOOD NEWS concerning my latest book, “The Good, the Bad and the Funny of El Paso Sports History.” People still tell me they want to buy a copy, especially with Christmas coming soon. You can still get the book on Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble Booksellers but it’ll take a while.

However, Mesa Publishing, located in El Paso, is now offering to hand deliver an autographed copy to your door anywhere within the El Paso city limits. You can call me at 584-0626 or email me at rayf358@yahoo.com, and I’ll sign it, tell Mesa Publishing and you’ll have it in a day or two.

Now that’s what I call service.

 

ANSWER to trivia question: Believe it or not, it was the immortal Babe Ruth. He pitched a 14-inning complete game for the Boston Red Sox and beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 2-1, in 1916.

23 Nov

Crystal Ball: UTEP Basketball to Make NCAA

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

by Ray Sanchez  11.02.14

Everywhere I go these days, El Pasoans are coming up to me, smiling and saying, “How ‘bout them Miners?”ray's crystal ball

For good reason. The UTEP football team, which many fans expected to do little this season, is off to a stunning start. Not counting the two “money” games they played against Texas Tech and Kansas State, the Miners were 4-1 going into this weekend. (Okay, okay, if you count the “money” games they were really 4-3).

Still, the Miners have been a big surprise to almost everyone – except my crystal ball. It predicted the Miners would win at least six games this football season. I had been hesitating to take my crystal ball out of its drawer and ask it about the upcoming UTEP basketball season because it’s so obnoxious I knew it would start bragging about its football prediction. It always brags when it’s right and makes excuses when it isn’t.

BUT WHAT could I do? The Miners open the basketball campaign in a couple of weeks against Washington State and readers are already asking me for its pick. So I opened the crystal ball’s drawer, held my nose and took it out.

As expected, it jumped out hollering, “I told you so, I told you so. You doubted me about the UTEP football team, didn’t you? Admit, admit it.”

I felt like punching it in the nose – if it only had a nose. I said, “Wait a minute. The Miners haven’t won six games yet. Anything could happen.”

It replied, “Yeah, but you know it’s all but a cinch now, don’t you?”

“Okay, okay,” I said. “I admit I doubted you, but can you just settle down and give me your thoughts about how the Miners will do in basketball this coming season? They open on Nov. 14 against Washington State.”

IT STILL HAD an obnoxious smirk on its fact but it did quiet down a bit. It cleared its throat with that disgusting officious tone it always uses when predicting, and said:

“You think the Miner football team is good? Wait ‘til you see the basketball team. The Miners are not only going to have a winning season, they’re going to the NCAA tournament.

“Coach Tim Floyd is loaded. He not only has two of the best players in Conference USA returning in Julian Washburn and Vince Hunter, both 6 feet 8, but he has 7-1 Matt Wilms, 6-10 Cedric Lang and 6-11 Hooper Vint back to handle the boards.

“Guards? C. J. Cooper will be in his senior year and the Miners have reportedly rounded up some fine young recruits. I don’t put much stock in recruits because one can’t tell how newcomers will do. Some will flop and some will surprise and become stars.

“BUT THE POINT is the Miners have the nucleus of an outstanding team. So-called experts have picked the Miners to finish second behind Louisiana Tech in the conference, but the Miners could very well finish on top. Either way, I’m picking the Miners to make the NCAA tournament.

“Now can I go back to sleep? You make me work so hard and give me so little credit. I don’t know why I even talk to you.”

I scoffed, “Work hard? My God, you’re in your drawer sleeping all year except for the few times I ask for you predictions.”

That got the crystal ball’s dander up. “Sleeping? I’m in there thinking, idiot. Why do you think I give you such good information?”

I laughed, picked it up and put it back in its drawer. “Go back to sleep,” I said, emphasizing the word sleep.

28 Jun

Baffert, ‘Prime Time’ Wow at Sunland Gala

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

by Ray Sanchez 03.30.14
dsanders,jpgTHE SUNLAND Gala, the elegant party held each year on the eve of the $800,000 Grade III Sunland Derby, has had some great public speakers.

This year’s speaker, former Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders, was one of the best. He enthralled the audience March 22 with his lively ways as we learned that:

• He was a four-sport star in school – football, basketball, baseball and track.

• His incentive to succeed was to make a better life for his mother, who worked two jobs while he was growing up. He said his father was a drug addict and his stepfather a drunkard. They both left his mom.

• He has never smoked, tried alcohol or used drugs.

• He got his nickname of “Prime Time” while playing basketball, not football. He averaged more than 20 points a game in high school before the 3-point line was used and could dunk.

• He said the trouble with the Dallas Cowboys these days is that everyone stands around waiting for someone else to make a play.

• As for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, he said that we should all pray for him.

• He said growing up he never dreamed that we would some day have a black president but that he was happy because it shows that anyone can be president in this country, regardless or race or ethnicity – even a woman. That reference to a possible woman president drew huge whoops and cheers from the ladies in the audience.

NEEDLESS to say, Sanders got a standing ovation. In fact, his speech was so well received that items like jerseys and balls with his signature sold at handsome prices in the auction that followed. All of which was much to the delight of United Blood Services, which does do much good for the community and is the main beneficiary of the event.

bbaffertAs for the Sunland Derby last Sunday, it drew one of the biggest and strongest fields – and the largest crowd – in the history of the event.

Since one of our Sunland-based trainers couldn’t win, it was good to see Bob Baffert of California take the first two places with Chitu and Midnight Hawk.

Baffert has been one of the Sunland Derby’s biggest supporters since the Sunland Derby became a big-time affair.

We’ll be rooting for him in the upcoming Kentucky Derby the first Saturday in May!

TRIVIA QUESTION: In what year was the first World Series game played? Answer at end.

IT’S TIME to take out your golf clubs, sharpen your swing and practice your chipping and putting so you can have some fun and help the UTEP men’s golf team. Miner men’s golf coach Scott Lieberwirth writes:

“We cordially invite you to participate in the 2014 Western Refining Miner Day fundraiser. The event will take place on May 12 at El Paso Country Club. We will have morning and afternoon shotgun starts and many great prices to give away!

“The event is the lifeblood of our program, raising a majority of the operating budget for the UTEP men’s golf team. One hundred percent of all funds raised will go toward recruiting, team travel, equipment and other miscellaneous team expenses.”

THERE WILL be two other fundraisers for the team this year. The second will be held Aug. 18 at Coronado Country Club and the third will be at Butterfield Trail Golf Club in October.

I’ve played in some of those tournaments. They’re a lot of fun and you get to mingle with members of the team and some very fine folks. And not only will you be helping the team and can win some nice prizes – but they even feed you!

How can you beat that?

For further information, contact coach Lieberwirth at (915) 747-5396 or email him at smlieberwirth@utep.edu.

ANSWER to trivia question: 1903.

2 Jul

OLD LETTERS SHOW DOBBS’ LOYALTY TO MINERS

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

Mike Dobbs, son of former UTEP football coach Bobby Dobbs, was cleaning out his desk and going through some old boxes at his home in California recently when he found some things that belonged to his late father.

One was his father’s playbook that guided the Miners to some of their greatest victories in the 1960s. Oh, how some coaches would love to get their hands on that.

He also found letters his father wrote when he turned down an offer to coach Army and decided to stay at what was then Texas Western College.

Mike writes, “What struck me so deeply about reading these (3) letters, all dated April 21, 1966, was dad’s profound loyalty to Texas Western College, his sense of moral obligation to TWC and the City of El Paso and his need to have a clear conscious by not leaving Texas Western College.”

MIKE ADDS that he also got chills reading a letter his father wrote to Vince Lombardi explaining his decision to stay with the Miners.

His father wrote, “ … we were in the middle of spring practice, and all my coaches wanted to go with me. The program here (at Texas Western) could have been hurt severely, and for this reason I could not leave with a clear conscious. In any event, I made the decision the way I thought was right.  I feel that my decision will be vindicated, and I will never look back or second guess.”

Bobby Dobbs turned the Miners’ losing program completely around in 1965, going 8-3 and beating TCU in the Sun Bowl. He was 6-4 in 1966 then went 7-2-1 in 1967 with a win over Mississippi in the Sun Bowl. He retired as coach of the Miners in 1972 and never coached again. He passed away in 1986.

The letters that his son found add to the wonderful legacy Bobby Dobbs left at UTEP.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name two players who have hit three homeruns in a World Series game? Answer at end.

SANTA TERESA Country Club members keep wondering what’s to become of their golf course and other facilities. Will the club be sold? Will things get worse or better?

I ran into owner/operator Greg Collins at lunch the other day. He seemed genuinely upbeat. “Things are getting better, things are getting better,” he repeated with a smile but without elaborating.

Members are keeping their fingers crossed that some day the club will be restored to the jewel of a facility it once was.

DAVID LATTIN, to no one’s surprise, has been inducted into the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame along with four other Miner stars. Big and strong, he was the axle of the 1966 Miners team that won the NCAA basketball championship.

I was also especially glad to see Andy Everest among the inductees. He was one of the first football stars I covered after joining the El Paso Herald-Post as a rookie sports writer.

Everest sort of took a back seat to the Miners’ outstanding backs, Fred Wendt and Pug Gabrel, of that highly successful1947-51 era. But like Lattin in basketball, he was the big man of the football team. He played center on offense and opened those big holes for the runners to go through. And he was a fearsome linebacker on defense.

Other inductees this year are Gary Brewster (basketball), James Munyala (track) and Kim Turner (track).

All five will be inducted as the 11th class of the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, at UTEP. For more information contact the Miner Athletic Club at (915) 747-8759 or mac@utep.edu.

ANSWER TO trivia question: Babe Ruth did it twice (in 1926 and 1928) and Reggie Jackson did it once in 1977.