Determined and hard working: Miners basketball great Fred Reynolds to be honored
Fred Reynolds will go down in UTEP basketball lore as one of the true greats.
On Friday and Saturday, Reynolds will be honored in two different ceremonies as part of the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday and Saturday, and Reynolds will be introduced as part of UTEP's home football game against Incarnate Word.
"People always ask why I stay in El Paso and my response is why would I leave?" said the 6-foot-6 Reynolds, who came to UTEP from Houston Jones High School. "The support I've had here for myself and my family has been amazing. When I played for UTEP we had great fans and so much support. The community of El Paso is tremendous and I've been grateful here."
Reynolds, who was an All-State basketball player in high school and also a 7-foot high jumper in high school, played at UTEP from 1979-84 and was instrumental in many ways. He capped his career during the 1983-84 season by helping the team to a 27-4 record, a top five ranking nationally and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 1983-84 season included wins against Indiana, Arizona and Michigan.
Reynolds is a member of the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club and was part of a long period of postseason success form the early 1980's through the mid-1990s under the guidance of legendary coach Don Haskins. He is also a member of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.
"We had great teams with wins against many talented teams, but more importantly great teammates and coaches," Reynolds said. "Don Haskins taught me a great deal, but I know I had to earn my way onto the court. Nothing was going to be handed to me. I've been fortunate to have stayed in touch with so many of my teammates from that time. We talk often and are here for each other. One of my teammates was Paul Cunningham, who was also from Houston and that made it even more special to achieve what we did with someone from where I was from and who I knew a lot about."
Reynolds played for two team USA squads, including being a member of the team in the 1983 Pan American Games alongside basketball greats Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin, Mark Price and Sam Perkins in helping the unit to an 8-0 record. He later went on to a lengthy pro career overseas.
"Playing for the United States in international competition was a great feeling and led to so many great experiences and playing with so many great players," Reynolds said. "It helped me grow in many ways both as a person and player."
Steve Yellen, a former teammate of Reynolds and a color analyst for Miners basketball, reaffirmed Reynolds' greatness when asked to comment on him as one of the best players in school history.
"We played Tulsa (El Pasoan Nolan Richardson was head coach of the team) in the NIT second round in 1981 and we were in big trouble. Coach Haskins put some of us on the bench into game and Fred was one of those players. He was a big spark and we almost came back and won, losing 72-67," Yellen said. "That game said a lot about Fred, he was so determined and hard working. He had lots of confidence in what he could do. He is and will always be an important part of the school's history. He's someone I look up to and he's my hero."
Longtime UTEP basketball and football radio announcer Jon Teicher said Reynolds brought lots of intangibles to the UTEP basketball team during his time with the team.
"Fred was good in so many ways and he was an important recruit at UTEP," Teicher said. "UTEP went through a period in the 1970's when they struggled and Fred was one of the many recruits who helped the program turn things around and helped spark many great years in the program."
For that, Reynolds is being honored for his contributions.
More: UTEP football news Bloomquist: UTEP looks like same old UTEP after mistake-filled loss at Jacksonville State
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Fred Reynolds to enter UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame
