Thursday, December 30
Sun Bowl promises a good time
Associated Press
EL PASO, Texas -- It's not just the weather that's made the
Minnesota Golden Gophers and Oregon Ducks so warm and cozy.
Southwestern hospitality has been in full swing for the visitors
from colder climes.
In addition to making excursions south of the border for
bloodless bullfights and Tony Lama boots, the Gophers and Ducks
have found their hosts full of their famous hospitality.
Former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, on hand to be inducted into the
"Legends of the Sun Bowl," said he never had a better time at a
bowl game than in 1963, when his Southern Methodist team lost to
Oregon 21-14.
"We didn't have a good ball club," Fry recounted Thursday.
"In fact, I may have been the only coach in the history of college
football to take a losing team to a bowl game."
But the Mustangs beat No. 2 Navy and Roger Staubach that year.
By the time they reached El Paso, they'd lost four quarterbacks and
were down to a converted defensive back.
"We had a lot of fun," Fry said. "In fact the most fun we had
was in Juarez. The longest run we made during the game was from the
field of play to the restroom."
Fry also guided Iowa to the Sun Bowl in 1995 and '97.
"We had a couple more games out here that we had a little more
fun with, but the hospitality and the friendship, the organization,
everything about the Sun Bowl is surpassed by no other bowl game,"
Fry said. "We went to 17 of them. This was our favorite place.
"Rose Bowl, all of those are great prestige-wise. But this was
the place where the players and the coaches and the fans had the
most fun."
Fry was inducted along with Jimmy Rogers, Jr., a 37-year Sun
Bowl volunteer.
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, whose team has been to the Rose,
Cotton, Las Vegas and Aloha bowls in the previous four seasons,
said: "The hospitality here is legendary and has lived up to
everything we would have expected.
"We got a chance to go to the Spring Fire event last night. I
have not had that much fun at a bowl event in my life," Bellotti
said.
The teams also had shopping trips to Mexico and a golf
tournament.
Minnesota coach Glen Mason, who guided the 12th-ranked Gophers
to their first bowl game since 1986, echoed those sentiments.
"I've had the privilege of attending a lot of bowl games, not
with the University of Minnesota but with the other schools I have
coached," Mason said. "And what it really comes down to, besides
the setting, besides the bowl, it's the people that are involved."
Mason checked with other coaches before arriving in Texas and
"I was told you will not get treated any better than you will by
the fine people of El Paso," he said.
"And that's been surpassed."
Mason said it's been especially nice to watch his players off
the field this week.
"I've had great delight in watching my players enjoy the
activities that surround the game because they are the ones that
signed on to come to a program that, at least when they first came,
had little hope of going to a bowl," Mason said. "And I'm sure a
lot of our seniors thought that their time would expire at the
University of Minnesota before they got to experience one."
Gophers offensive coordinator Steve Loney said the Sun Bowl
allows teams to properly balance work and leisure.
"The Sun Bowl people have done a wonderful job in preparing the
fun time for these kids," Loney said. "They've had a lot of
activities. It hasn't taken away from our preparation but still
it's been a reward for the things the kids have done throughout the
year."
Harley fan
Glen Mason bugged Oregon coach Mike Bellotti all
week, jokingly asking for permission to ride the Ducks'
Harley-Davidson onto the turf Friday.
When the teams' helmets were on display at news conferences this
month, Bellotti said his green helmet doubled as a motorcycle
helmet and Mason joked that his maroon helmet doubled as a
snowmobile helmet.
"So, I'm going to lead his team on the Harley and he's going to
lead his team on with our snowmobile," Mason said.
Ankle boot
One of the perks of playing in the Sun Bowl is the
trip to the Tony Lama factory to get fitted for boots at wholesale
cost.
Coach Glen Mason had a hard time getting fitted because he
sprained his left ankle before flying down to Texas.
"I slipped on the ice in Minnesota and thought I broke my
leg," Mason said. "I can get the boot on the right foot but not
on the left."
Mason was eager for new boots even though "I'm from New Jersey
and I'm not a cowboy boot guy."
On Thursday, Mason teased former SMU and Iowa coach Hayden Fry
for wearing wingtips in Texas and not cowboy boots.
Extra points
Glen Mason said linebacker Sean Hoffman needs
shoulder surgery next month and will miss spring practice. Hoffman
swatted away a goal-line pass at Iowa with his sore right shoulder
on the last day of the regular season, preserving the Gophers'
victory and ensuring a bowl bid.
Quotable
"Coaching." -- Oregon coach Mike Bellotti
when asked what made the Sun Bowl such an intriguing matchup.
