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The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame has selected the 2022 Ray Sanchez High School Student-Athletes of the Year.

The awards will be presented at 3 p.m. June 21 at the Airport Radisson Hotel. The awards are named after Sanchez, who died Jan. 12 at the age of 94 after a distinguished career as a sportswriter, author and sports historian. He was a founding committee member of the Hall of Fame in 1955.
The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame has selected the 2022 Ray Sanchez High School Student-Athletes of the Year.

2022 Ray Sanchez HS Athletes of the Year EPAHOF 3 The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame and presenting sponsor the El Paso Sports Commission are pleased to announce the 2022 Ray Sanchez High School Student- Athl...

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1.16.21
Willie Cager’s book has been published, and it’s fascinating. He debunks many of the theories that was in the movie “Glory Road,” and other publications.
He coauthored the book with Don Park Shulte, who was born in El Paso and had a long career in education. He, too, graduated from Texas Western College.
Some pertinent points in the book:
• Some people think Willie Cager changed his name because of basketball. Actually, he got his name from his father, so he’s actually a “Jr.”
• Willie Cager Jr. was born in New York. He didn’t play basketball in high school.
• He was thrown out of high school because he beat up his teacher, something he regretted all his life.
• He was recruited not by Texas Western College coach Don Haskins, but by an unnamed El Paso banker who recommended him to Haskins after watching him in recreational basketball.
• Coming from New York City on his first flight on an airplane, he was surprised to see so much spaces and desert.
• He was surprised at how discrimination was rampant in the 1960s. He went to a barbershop and was denied service. He says he walked all the way to Alameda Street to get his hair cut.
• He was on the freshman team his first year along with David Lattin, Willie Worsley, David Palacio and a few others.
• Coach Haskins told them that he didn’t care personally but downtown people might object if they dated white girls. White girls nevertheless dated black athletes, including Caager.
• The Texas Western College players soon discovered Juarez, Mexico, and they would go there and have a good time.
• One day Bobby Joe Hill came back with a cut in his stomach. Cager: “Legendary trainer Ross Moore sewed him up.”
• Cager was the sixth man on the Texas Western College basketball team that won the national championship in 1966.
• After sitting on the bench for some minutes digesting what the opposition was doing, Coach Haskins often told him “to go get something happening,” which he did.
• He remembers the Jo Jo White of the Kansas Jayhawks vividly in one of the playoffs in the march to the Final Four. It went into overtime.
• Cager: “Jo Jo White launched a 35-shot with only seconds to go. Nothing but net.” But Jo Jo had his foot out of bounds, and the Miners won.
• The Miners lost only one game that season. That was in a frigid gym, 74-72.
• On to the Final Four. Haskins told Lattin to dunk the basket at the first opportunity as hard as he could. It worked. That rattled the Wildcats.
• Before the championship game Haskins caught Bobby Joe Hill, loose as ever, taking a nap. Haskins: “I was so angry, I took an eraser and beaned him with it.”
• But that didn’t keep Bobby Joe from stealing two balls and scoring four points.
• Cager went into the game a few minutes later and, like Haskins had told him, he did something happen. He pulled down six rebounds.
• After beating Kentucky in the championship game, 72-65, the Miners returned to a big reception in El Paso. The police guessed the crowd at 10,000 waiting at the El Paso airport.
• The Miners were toasted and revered far and wide. The movie “Glory Road” was filmed and the Miners and Haskins were inducted into the national Hall of Fame.
• Willie Cager was delighted that his family was present at the Final Four, his mother included (his father had died a few years before).

Willie Cager Endowed Basketball Scholarship For more information, visit www.MinerAthleticClub.com today!

Dad is someone I admired and got to know these last 3.6 years as a caregiver for Mom.
He was humble and didn't brag and I didn't know much of his accomplishments throughout the years. He joked to a friend who told me, "I am on so many boards I have splinters on my butt!" Dad put El Paso Sports on the map!

https://t.co/kZhIWYVkXs

Dad's Memorial Service I told an untold story about Dad. Something I found out about as recently as November 2021!

https://kvia.com/top-stories/2022/01/21/el-paso-hall-of-famer-ray-sanchez-laid-to-rest/

El Paso Hall of Famer, Ray Sanchez laid to rest - KVIA EL PASO, Texas – Longtime El Paso sports journalist Ray Sanchez has been laid to rest. Sanchez died on Jan. 12 at the age of 94. A mass was held at St. Matthews Catholic Church on Sunset Friday morning at 10 a.m. He was laid to rest at Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Santa Teresa, New

I covered Ruidoso Downs and other southwest as a sports writer, which was my regular beat.
• It was a delight to get back to horse racing. But that’s fodder for another Facebook. When Dick Alwan retired or changed beats, I was there to take over his job. He was doing a graded handicap, and doing a heck of a job. I filled in as well as I could.
• It was fun at first but eventually, after doing it for six long years, it became drudgery. I gave it up. I can brag that I beat the opposition every year.
• But it was fun for a while. It was great to get to a change of jobs. And when Sunland Park Racetrack opened it became even more fun.
• I was there in the glory days of Winsham Lad ridden by jockey Gale Mowers. The ladies in his barn used to hang up panties when they used to win a race. It was all in fun, of course. They even built a museum for him.
• I was also there when Bob Baffert won four Sunland Park Derbies. He was always ready to bring his horses from California where he ran at different races track.
• I was also there when Bold Ego took me to the Triple Crown races. That was a
lot of fun what with Churchill Downs ladies wear glamorous clothes and big hats.
I chose to break my oath to not bet more than a $100 bill, I was so excited. But it was worth it. My hundred dollars returned $11 and $10, so I doubled my money.
• P.S. – This is from Ray Sanchez, the former sports writer who wrote for the El Paso Herald-Post, the El Paso Times and the El Paso Inc.
• Stupid me! I fell and broke my hip bone. I have recovered from my injury and feeling well. I just wanted to let you know.

El Paso Sports Columns by Ray Sanchez

Hi Anita, I hope you and your family are doing well, this picture was March 16th at ascarate golf course #11 165yrs a hole-in-one, Ray saw me make one at Santa Teresa yrs ago take care and stay safe 😷👍

There’s much hope for many of El Paso’s sports.

Hope spring eternal, so here are my hopes for the new 2020 year:
• That UTEP ends its three-year funk in football. The Miners have won only two games in the last three years. Now that’s what I call an exercise in futility. Not even a change in athletic director nor a change in football coach could change the Miners’ woes. When a malaise like that sets in it’s hard to change. It perhaps becomes psychological. Maybe what the Miners need is a psychiatrist.
• That goes for UTEP basketball, too. The Miners have trouble winning road games. Julius Lowenberg, one of El Paso’s greatest high school coaches, used to tell his players, “It doesn’t matter where you are, it’s still 20 feet to the basket either on offense or defense.” Maybe the Miners will heed such advice.
• That the Sun Bowl keeps getting us good teams. Under the direction of executive director Bernie Olivas, the Sun Bowl has blossomed. He even got us Notre Dame in 2010, for gosh sakes.
• That El l Paso’s Chihuahuas continue their extraordinary success in baseball. They won the Triple A Pacific Coast League title in only their third year in the league and have been strong contenders ever since.
• That Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino keeps giving us great horse racing. Golly, the Sunland Derby, with its big purse, has put the track on the map. Now, horsemen from all over the country are interested. I was surprised at the opening of the 2019-2020 season. The place was packed with fans.
• That Locomotive FC, El Paso’s new entry in the nation-wide United Soccer League, which made the playoffs in its inaugural season, continues to make the post season. You can bet MountainStar Sports Group, which sponsors the team, will continue to strengthen the team.
• That our high schools keep turning out great athletes. There are so many athletes playing in colleges all over the country it’s hard to keep up with them.
• That our Athlete Halls of Fame keep existing. The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame is the main one, but we have halls of fame for baseball, golf, boxing and karate and even softball. Getting into either hall is a badge of honor.

TRIVIA QUESTION: When was the last times UTEP had a winning season in football? Answer at end of column.

SPEAKING OF HALLS of Fame, nominations for the class of 2020 for the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame are now open.
Check its web site at elpasobaseballhalloffame.org for details.
Larry Hernandez, El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame president and 1999 inductee, says, “Baseball is ramping up this month and by April our coaches, umpires and baseball enthusiasts are in full swing with the season. The availability to submit starting now offers an opportunity to nominate a candidate before the baseball season gets hectic. We can help you with information or assistance before it gets to crunch time. Our deadlines and criteria remain firm so don't delay.”

TRIVIA ANSWER: The Miners went 7-6 in 2014 under coach Sean Kugler.

Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at (915) 584-0626, by email at [email protected] or online at raysanchezbooks.com.

Ray Sanchez Here you will find the true and detailed story of the Miners' march to the 1966 NCAA basketball championship. Coach Don Haskins

Ray Sanchez Legend of the Sun Bowl 2020

Thank you, Sun Bowl, for picking me as ‘Legend’ I’ll always be thankful to Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas and his staff for picking me as the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl.

LOCAL EL PASOAN NAMED 2019 SUN BOWL LEGEND - Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | December 31, 2019 | El Paso, Texas EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association announced on Monday, Nov. 11 that local sports writer, Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl puts game info at fingertips Edward Morelos is one of the best things ever to happen to the Sun Bowl Association.

d Ray Sanchez books.com EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Sun Bowl Association announced on Monday that local sports writer, Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Sanchez, who currently works for El Paso Inc., began attending and covering the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in 1950. The graduate of El Paso High School and UTEP also served in the U.S. [ 487 more words ]
https://elpasosports.wordpress.com/2019/11/12/ray-sanchez-is-the-2019-legend-of-the-sun-bowl-for-the-86th-annual-tony-the-tiger-sun-bowl/

Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. d Ray Sanchez books.com EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Sun Bowl Association announced on Monday that local sports writer, Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony…

https://cbs4local.com/sports/sports-headlines/el-paso-sports-writer-veteran-named-2019-sun-bowl-legend

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Sun Bowl Association announced on Monday that local sports writer, Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

Sanchez, who currently works for El Paso Inc., began attending and covering the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in 1950. The graduate of El Paso High School and UTEP also served in the U.S. Army from 1945-47 and achieved the rank of Sergeant. Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas was elated to be able to honor a local El Pasoan, who will be covering his 60th Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, as this year’s Legend of the Sun Bowl.

“Ray [Sanchez] has helped us in so many ways to tell the great story of the Sun Bowl,” Olivas said. “He helped put together our 75th-Annivesary team while also writing game stories for more than 50 Sun Bowl football games. He is a true historian and hall-of-fame writer.”
Sanchez was the sports editor at the El Paso Herald-Post from 1950 to 1990. He covered everything from high school sports, to golf, racing and bowling. He was also the first Hispanic sports editor ever in El Paso. Once Sanchez retired from the El Paso Herald-Post, he would go on to write columns for the El Paso Times and is currently writing columns for the El Paso Inc.
“The thing I like most about the Sun Bowl is to have seen it grow steadily from a high school game to one of the best games in the country,” Sanchez said. “What a thrill!”
He has written and published seven books on sports and written for numerous national publications, while also covering many major events such as the Dallas Cowboys, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Triple Crown races and the U.S. Open (golf). Sanchez has interviewed many nationally known figures such as Tom Landry, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Larry Bird, etc., as well as El Paso’s most famous local sports stars.
The winner of UTEP’s most prestigious journalism award, “The Hicks-Middagh Award for Excellence in Journalism” in 1991, Sanchez has also been inducted into a various halls of fame including the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame (1978), the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame (1989), the El Paso High School Athletic Hall of Fame (1985), El Paso Boxing/Karate Hall of Fame (1993), the El Paso Golf Hall of Fame (1995). He was also the recipient of the UTEP Gold Nugget Award, which honors graduates for their exceptional achievements and contributions to their professions, communities and UTEP (2011).
“The most memorable game I covered was the Miners' victory over TCU. It was memorable because of the strategy coach Bobby Dobbs used to win the game. He punted deep in his own territory late in the game and the UTEP defense held. The Miners won, 13-12 [in 1965],” Sanchez described. “The second most memorable game was when Notre Dame came to play. It was a frigid afternoon and fans shivered throughout the game, but it sold out within 24 hours of the announcement the Irish were coming. Sure enough, the fans filled the stadium despite the weather and Notre Dame won, 33-17 [in 2010].”
Sanchez is married (Helen) and has four children (Anita, Victor, Daniel, David)

https://cbs4local.com/sports/sports-headlines/el-paso-sports-writer-veteran-named-2019-sun-bowl-legend

El Paso sports writer, veteran named 2019 Sun Bowl Legend The Sun Bowl Association announced on Monday that local sports writer, Ray Sanchez is the 2019 Legend of the Sun Bowl for the 86th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Sanchez, who currently works for El Paso Inc. , began attending and covering the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in 1950. The graduate of El Paso...

Headline Some pleasant memories of Lee Trevino

My trivia question last week about Lee Trevino winning the U. S. Open in 1965 brought back many pleasant memories.
As legend goes, Lee was brought to the El Paso lower valley by a farmer, Martin Lettunich, who was tired of being “taken” by other golfers. Lee had built a reputation of being an outstanding golfer, honing his skills while working at a driving range where he would pick up balls hit by other golfers. He obviously was able to hit many balls himself in his spare time.
Lettunich got him a job in the caddy shack at Horizon Country Club in the lower valley for $30 a week and used him as his partner.
Lee, loud and brash, lit up the El Paso area like few before him.

I ESPECIALLY remember one incident. In those days, I wore spiked shoes and would change when I got to the course. I would leave my regular shoes in the caddy shack for Lee to shine. I would tip him a quarter. Hey, a quarter was real money in the early 1960s.
After he won the U. S Open in 1965 and returned to Horizon, there was a big celebration in the clubhouse. I was golf editor at the El Paso Herald-Post then and went there to interview him.
We were at the bar drinking and having fun and I asked him if he would still shine my shoes.
He said, “Sure, take them off. But, uh, the price has gone up.”
I didn’t ask how much and I laughed all the way back to the office.

BY COINCIDENCE, I was looking through my files and found a column I had written about Lee after he achieved fame. I thought I’d share with you some of his comments.

ON FAME – “When I started winning, people followed me every place. I signed autographs on shoes, chests, hips. Once I even signed on a dog’s collar. One lady came up to me in a restaurant and asked me to sign a $5 bill. She told me, “I promise I’ll never spend that $5 bill.” Later I paid my tab with a $20 bill and would you believe I got my $5 bill back with the change with my name on ii?”

ON SHAKING HANDS – “Everybody wants to shake hands with you. You get knuckle-crunchers, two hand types, all sorts. All the pros will tell you they kind of just meet hands when they shake. I never wear any rings for that reason. Once I went to a cocktail party and taped my hand to keep people from breaking it.”

ON HOW MONEY can bring problems – “We built a new house, but I told my wife not to bother me. Just get it built. I’ll play the golf. So she did and moved one day when I was playing. When I came home I couldn’t find the house….”

ON TALKING TOO MUCH – “Everybody who talks as much as I do is sure to stick his foot in his mouth. Maybe I’m too honest. When a person asks my opinion, I give it to him. Look, don’t get me in trouble with these things I’m saying. but then, a fine is deductible. Hell, I’m always in trouble.”

TRIVIA QUESTION: How many PGA Tournaments did Trevino win? Answer at end of column.

WOW. WAS THAT some performance by the UTEP basketball team in beating Texas Tech 70-60 last Saturday. I was especially impressed by fiery Daryl Edwards, who led the Miners with 24 points. He wanted to win so badly he got a technical foul. Not that I condone that but …

TRIVIA ANSWER: 29, including six “Majors” (2 U.S. Opens, 2 British Opens and 2 PGAs).

Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at

By Ray Sanchez 9/29/19 El Paso High School one of the most beautiful high schools ever constructed, has quite a history. It was first named Central High School and it opened in 1884 as a two-story building at Myrtle Avenue and Campbell Street. It had 10 rooms and an enrollment of 222. In 1885 a high school was established on the second floor. [ 608 more words ]
https://elpasosports.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/headline-el-paso-high-to-dedicate-museum/

Headline: El Paso High to dedicate museum By Ray Sanchez 9/29/19 El Paso High School one of the most beautiful high schools ever constructed, has quite a history. It was first named Central High School and it opened in 1884 as a two-story …

Headline: El Paso High to dedicate museum at Homecoming

El Paso High School one of the most beautiful high schools ever constructed, has quite a history. It was first named Central High School and it opened in 1884 as a two-story building at Myrtle Avenue and Campbell Street. It had 10 rooms and an enrollment of 222. In 1885 a high school was established on the second floor. The first high school graduating class consisted of two students, Kate Moore and George Prentiss Robinson.
Then, in 1902, El Paso had a solidly built high school at Arizona and Campbell Streets but it was nothing like what was to come.

A NEW EL PASO High School opened in 1916. It was such a magnificent building it has received many honors, architectural and otherwise, throughout its existence. It was often referred to as “The Lady on the Hill.”
The firm of Trost and Trost designed it and it was built at a cost of $500,000, an unheard-of amount for a high school in those days. The Greco-Roman features included marble floors, classical columns, classroom floors of hard maple and one of the first concrete stadiums in the entire country that could seat 12,000 people.
It was the talk of the country.

I’M TELLING you all this because there will be big doings at El Paso High School this coming week. It’s not only Homecoming Week but the grand opening of the EPHS Alumni Association Museum is scheduled. It will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It took four years of fundraising and construction but the museum became a reality.
The museum is located on the corner of Cliff Street and Virginia Street on El Paso High School property. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Araceli Almanza at 915-545-2246 by Sept 30, 2019

OF COURSE, there will be other festivities during the week. For instance:
Tuesday, October 1 – Discussion on safety issues with state representative Lina Ortega in the El Paso High auditorium.
Thursday, October 3 – EPHS Outstanding Ex luncheon at the El Paso Club at 5 p.m.
Friday, October 4 – Grand opening of the El Paso Alumni Association Museum from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a pep rally in the C. D. Jarvis gym at 2:30 p.m. and a homecoming football game, El Paso High against Irvin High, at 7 p.m.

TRIVIA QUESTION: When was the last baseball game played in Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers? Answer at end of column.

UTEP WILL also be observing Homecoming next week, and the UTEP Alumni Association also has big plans. For instance:
Thursday, October 3 – Meet and Greet at the Hilton Garden Inn, 111 West University Avenue, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Friday, October 4 – Bar-B-Que from 12 to 3 p.m. at the McCall Neighborhood Center, 3231 East Wyoming Avenue.
Saturday, October 5 – Round Table Summit at 10 a.m. at Union Building East on the UTEP campus, Pickaxe Tailgate Party at 2:30 p.m. at Kidd Field, UTEP vs. UTSA football game at 6 p.m. at Sun Bowl Stadium.
As a graduate of both El Paso High School and UTEP, I can hardly wait.

IT’S GOOD TO see Oscar Leeser and his Hyundai of El Paso dealership connected with the Sun Bowl again. The Sun Bowl Association has announced that one of El Paso’s best holiday traditions will now be sponsored by his dealership. It will be renamed the Oscar Leeser’s Hyundai of El Paso Sun Bowl Parade.
The parade will again be run on Thanksgiving morning along Montana Avenue. This year marks the 83rd edition of the longstanding parade. The contract is a two-year deal with the option of automatic renewal.

TRIVIA ANSWER: September 24, 1957. Ebbets Field was demolished on Feb. 23, 1960.

Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at (915) 584-0626, by email at [email protected] or online at raysanchezbooks.com.

Headline: Ponsford’s feat recalled 100 years later

I was asked by Steve Kaplowitz, a fellow columnist at El Paso Inc. and host of KROD radio’s sports talk show, when I wrote my first column at the El Paso Herald-Post. Luckily, I saved it and have it on hand. Or at least part of it.
I wrote my first column at the El Paso Herald-Post in 1952 and it happened to include an almost-incridible feat by Mannie Ponsford when he was at Austin High School. That was exactly 100 years ago.
My first column, then known as By the Way…, follows:

“IT’S BEEN A lot of fun getting together with some of El Paso’s old-timers at the recent El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame meetings. My column, titled By the Way …, is a newcomer compared to these gents who remember all the way back to the early part of the (last) century …
“Naturally, many wonderful tales of performances by athletes in the old days were told at the meeting. Doc Holm told of perhaps the greatest individual feat ever seen here in a 24-hour period.
“The feat was performed by Mannie Ponsford of Ponsford Brothers Construction, who of course, is a candidate for the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. Here’s what he did:

“IN 1919, on a Saturday afternoon, he caught a pass that enabled El Paso High School to beat Albuquerque. That same night, in the YMC gym, he sank a winning basket that gave Trinity Methodist a victory and the Church League title.
“Sunday afternoon he went out and pitched El Paso to victory in a mound duel.
“Therefore, in the space of 24 hours, Mannie Ponsfod accounted for three victories in three different sports.”

MANNIE PONSFORD later went on to play for the University of Texas at Austin. He played for famous baseball coach Billy Disch and led the Longhorns to an undefeated season. He earned the title of “Mr. Pitcher” while at the university.”
Ponsford was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 1960, only five years after the Hall was formed.

DISCH SERVED as baseball coach at the University of Texas at Austin from 1911 to 1939. Often called the Connick Mack of college baseball, Disch won 513 games, lost 180 and tied 12 and garnered 20 Southwest Conference titles.
Disch is one of two namesakes at Disch-Falk Field.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Who was the first African American to win Wimbledon and what year was it? Answer at end of column.

KUDOS TO UTEP football coach Dana Dimel for establishing a weekly award in honor of Luke Laufenberg, who had signed as a tight end with the Miners but passed away after a two-year battle with leukemia. Dimel: “Each week now, we have the hustle awards on both sides of the ball that we will call our ‘Luke Laufenberg Awards.’”

KUDOS ALSO to Eddie Morelos, media relations director of the Sun Bowl. He has created an outstanding website for the Sun Bowl. What’s more, it includes a weekly contest in which anybody can win two tickets for this year’s Sun Bowl. It’s called the Tony the Tigers Sun Bowl Challenge presented by Boss Chicken. Check out the contest website at http://www.sunbowl.org/contest.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Althea Gibson in 1957.

Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at (915) 584-0626, by email at [email protected] or online at raysanchezbooks.com.

Headline: UTEP Hall of Fame to induct 5 star athletes

I said in a previous column that one of the toughest jobs in the world is that of director of communications at a major university. Think of all the sports he or she has to take care of. I also said that Jeff Darby, who fills that position at UTEP, goes the extra mile.
For instance, he not only announced this year’s inductees into the UTEP Hall of Fame but even did the research for us journalists.
This year’s inductees are Hans Hoglund (track & field), Stefon Jackson (men’s basketball), Tony Perea (football), Kayla Thornton (women’s basketball) and Brian Young (football).
The 2019 Hall of Famers will be honored in the induction ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20, in the Larry K. Durham Sports Center, and at the UTEP versus Nevada football game on Saturday, Sept. 21
Without further ado, here, in part, is what Darby came up with.

HOGLUND was a five-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American at UTEP. He was the 1973 and 1975 NCAA indoor and outdoor champ in the shot put, the 1974 NCAA indoor champ in the event, and held the NCAA record in the shot put in 1975. In 1975, he was rated first in the world in the shot put. He took third place in the shot put at the 1972 and 1974 NCAA Outdoor Meet. Hoglund was also a six-time WAC champion. He was a 1976 Olympic finalist (eighth place). He will be honored posthumously as he passed away in his home country of Sweden in 2012.

JACKSON scored a UTEP record 2,456 points and averaged more than 23 points per game as a junior (23.6) and senior (24.5). He is also first in school history in field goals (810) and free throws (726) made. He ranked seventh nationally in scoring as a junior and fifth as a senior. He was first in the country in free throws made (312) and attempted (374) during the 2008-09 campaign.

PEREA was named first team All-WAC in 1971 and 1972, the 1972 WAC Defensive Player of the Year and an Associated Press All-American in 1971. He was the 1972 UTEP team captain. The linebacker amassed 459 career tackles, the third-best total in UTEP history. During the 1970 season, he recorded 26 tackles versus Arizona State. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Canadian Football League, and was also a world-ranked heavyweight boxer in his 30’s.

THORNTON starred for her hometown squad, culminating with helping the Miners earn runner-up honors at the 2014 WNIT in her senior season. UTEP won 96 games during her four years, including a program-record 29 victories in both the 2011-12 (29-4) and 2013-14 (29-8) campaigns. She remains the UTEP record holder for points (1,679), rebounds (1,032), double-doubles (40), field goals made (600) and free throws made (390).

YOUNG, another El Paso native, was a fierce pass rusher for his hometown Miners. He closed out his college career with 32 tackles for losses and 14.5 sacks, ranking fifth in school annals in both categories. In 1998, he became the first UTEP defensive lineman to post 100 tackles in 10 years. He also went over the century mark as a senior while registering 16 tackles for losses and eight sacks, garnering WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He played for St. Louis and New Orleans over nine seasons in the NFL, and was a part of the Rams’ 2001 Super Bowl squad.

Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at (915) 584-0626, by email at [email protected] or online at raysanchezbooks.com.