El Pasoans reflect on 1988 UTEP Miners football team and what it meant to city, school
UTEP football's home opener at the Sun Bowl against Incarnate Word on Saturday night was a celebratory moment as the 2023 UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame Class was honored, including the legendary 1988 Miners football team.
On Friday night, a ceremony was held to honor Holly Cohen (soccer), Fred Reynolds (men’s basketball), Anthony Rotich (track and field), Christine Brandl (volleyball), Bob Stull (Director of Athletics/head football coach) and the 1988 football team as they formed the 20th induction class into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame. But it was the '88 team that was the star attraction for many. In fact, the 2023 version of the Miners wore throwback home jerseys to honor the 1988 and UTEP athletic personnel also wore replica shirts of the team colors.
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The 1988 team will always a hold a special place in El Paso sports history. The team posted the program's lone 10-win season, finishing 10-3, and it was also ranked as high as No. 22 in the nation. The squad also played in the Independence Bowl, and it featured All-American kicker Chris Jacke and All-American defensive end Tony Tolbert, both of whom played many years in the NFL.
"Amazing team, amazing individual talent," said Miners fan Paul Sanchez, who was a teenager during that special season and attended a handful of games. "There were so many great wins that season and it was just fun to witness them every week. It's a great feeling to see them get honored. All of the inductees mean something special to the school and city in some fashion."
Several members of the 1988 team were in attendance at the ceremonies this weekend, which included being introduced during Saturday's home game to a loud cheer at halftime with the other inductees.
"I remember sitting in section 20 (eastside corner of stadium) of the Air Force game when the team won its 10th game of the year," said Mando Medina, who is the on the field reporter of the team's radio broadcast. "I was 14-years-old when UTEP won the game and it was an important time for the city and the program. People were so excited for the win because UTEP hadn't been very successful for a long time and hadn't been to a bowl game in many years. As a teenager, it was the happiest moment for me as a fan and someone who supported UTEP."
Added longime UTEP fan Pinky Arrieta: "A very enjoyable time for Miner fans. Exciting, fan pleasing, very good individual talented players on offense, defense and special teams."
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Stull coached that team and later returned to UTEP to serve as the Director of Athletics for nearly 20 years and was well known in the community. During the Stull era, UTEP athletic teams combined to capture a total of 29 conference titles in seven sports (men's and women's basketball, cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf and track and field). The football team played in five bowl games, men’s basketball reached the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, and women’s basketball earned NCAA Tournament bids twice. Stull also oversaw widespread improvement to UTEP’s athletic facilities, as construction was completed on the Larry K. Durham Sports Center, the Foster Stevens Basketball Center and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex during his tenure as AD.
"I wasn't born yet but I've heard so much about the 1988 team, about Fred Reynolds and about what that team and what Fred meant to those programs," said El Pasoan Bob Gomez. "When I heard they were getting honored it was great news for the community. Those were some of the best times in UTEP sports history."
Reynolds has also been a well known figure in the community and returned to live in El Paso after his professional basketball career was over. He was a key member of the UTEP basketball success in the 1980s, including the 1984 WAC Tournament title team.
Brandl, Cohen and Rotich were special in many ways. Brandl was a four-year starter for the Miners, Cohen was a first-team All-American and Rotich was a four-time national champion at UTEP. Rotich concluded his collegiate career as an 11-time All-American and multiple C-USA Athlete of the Year award winner in cross country and track and field. He captured three straight NCAA titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. What makes it even more special for Brandl and Cohen is that they are from El Paso.
"It's always great to see El Pasoans get recognized like this," added Gomez. "It's really a great class overall."
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners 1988 football team highlights 2023 Hall of Fame Class
