Thugs in athletics

There's no cause for alarm that UTEP athletes are heavy into thuggery.

This is in relation to two ex-Miner football linebackers charged with assault involving a handgun last week. They are Godwin Akinduro and Marcus Jones.

By and large, UTEP football or basketball players are not often in police trouble.

It also brings up the old debate: If you recruit swell, all-American-type fellas you don't win many games. The guys aren't tough enough. And you get fired as coach. Gary Nord had nice guys, and didn't win football games here. Although, as one poster has pointed out, Nord recruited Akinduro.

 If you have some trouble-makers, and you win, you can generally stick around a long time. Bobby Bowden at Florida St. is one example. Maybe that's why Florida State, a "state" school was usually right up in the rankings with Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia ...

Recalling words (paraphrased) of two former area football coaches - and probably dozens of others:

• Overheard outside the door of NMSU Football Coach Warren Woodson, an eventual College Football Hall of Famer. He was shouting at an assistant who had just reported some mischief by players: Don't you EVER come in here with the name of a starter again.

He didn't want to suspend a starter for having broken team rules.

Woodson (1958-67) is the last NMSU head coach to have an overall winning record at the school. He was the coach of the 1960 undefeated Aggies who went on to win the Sun Bowl. A long time ago.

UTEP hasn't had a string of winners since the 1960s so there are no modern-day examples of that in El Paso.

• Former UTEP Coach Charlie Bailey (1993-99) once told me the conflicting orders coaches have to give players: Be downright mean and nasty on the field, but immediately turn that attitude off when in public. That's not easy to do. Mental states are not light switches.

Here's what happens at some (most) schools: They miss the big, talented, smart, good citizens. So they have to take a chance on the not-all-of-the-aboves. And note: Even the biggest schools, who can select first, have off-the-field problems. Texas is an example.

Note, too, that UTEP Basketball Coach Don Haskins spent his whole career recruiting players he'd have to "scare straight." He was good at that. And his players generally kept straight through life. But Haskins won games, too.

College football coaches have about 100 guys to shepherd, and are often held accountable for ex-players' actions, too. Football players are not confused with choir boys, unless they go 0-12.

If they win, they're Bobby Bowden. If they lose, they're Gary Nord.

Comments

[Rob]

It's a crap shoot with any recruit coming out of high school or even a transfer. Young humans are not always the best decision makers and guidance from coaches and mentors only goes so far. I think we've been pretty lucky at UTEP over the years with only a handful of bad apples.

About a week ago on ESPN radio one of the show hosts brought up the problem the NFL has with players and their criminal activity. They stated that over 500 players have been arrested for various charges since 2000...That seems like a huge number doesn't it?
Makes you wonder what they were up to in their college years...

[Jefe]

I see your still mad at those NMSU FB players when they bagged your girl friend when you were in school.
Get over it, it's 50 years! Life's too short to be angry little man!

[madman gunner]

Tsk, Tsk Joe. And to think I helped you out last week, although with your poor reading skills you didn't notice. Why, oh why did you not write something along these lines about 3 weeks ago when those 2 NMSU basketball players (who were players from this year's team, as opposed to these former players from UTEP who were hell and gone from the roster) were arrested? I'm not a Fox news subscriber, but can you at least try to keep it fair and balanced?

[John C]

Change of topoc!!

UTEP AD Stull on KVIA interview indicated that sometime this week as the CUSA spring meetings convene, a decision will be made regarding the 2011 CUSA Basketball Toutney site. AD STull feels that Memphis has the inside lead due to having hosted and the venue issues (FEDEX Forum and Beal ST).

However, he maybe playing poker as the Memphis people are skeptical as well. SEe the link to Memphis Commercial Appeal

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/18/honestys-best-c-usa-policy/

Memphis has been tainted by all of the recent publicity about hiring the former Big East Commissioner to groom Memphis State University into a prime candidate for a BCS conference invitation.

[John C]

Lets change the topic even more!!

Why do all of the collegiate and professional basketball players have tatoos from head to toe?

My wife and I have had several discussions about why collegiate and pro basketball players have been tatoed from head to toe.

I watched the NCAA tourney this year in earnest due to UTEP sucess this season and see most if not all of the UTEP players as well as their opponents inked from head to toe with tatoos' that evidently have some meaning. Just like the tatoos found on inmates in prison and gang members!!

Will the FBI Gang Task Force investigate these collegiate basketball players along with their professional counterparts to see if they have some connection to most wanted felonious gangs that threaten our national security.

Will there be some national scandal surrounding this issue that CNN will spend weeks analyzing by bringing expert on the left and right give their viewpoint on why a certain tatoo is worn??

There must be some meaning in the design of the tatoo that a player decides to wear---"I am one bad a.. point guard" or "Don't mess with me on the boards or I will come crashing down on your head:??

The tatoo worn seems to be some sort of form of intimidation to the opponent. Will the NCAA ban certain tatoos and penalize if worn??

Someone enlighten me on the meaning of these tatoos and why a player decides on a particular design!!

[alvinyork]

Tattoos only belong on people who got 'em while serving in the Armed Forces.

On anybody else (regardless of gender), they just look silly. And the younger you are, the sillier you (and they) look.

Just think -- in 50 years there'll be thousands of little old ladies with tattoos running around.

A journalistic question: Why did the Times deem it newsworthy to say in the headline and story that these were former UTEP football players?

Both have been gone from the program long enough to render that connection irrelevant.

[Joe Muench]

Re: [Joe on utepia] John C submitted a comment to Thugs in athletics

Note on tattoos in college sports. There used to be players whod go through a branding ritual. Theyd use something like a red-hot clothes hanger and mark their stomach area. Dont know if thats still popular.

Joe

[John C]

Hey Joe:

You have to look on the bright side. UTEP did not recruit that guy(22 yr old) form the Odessa Permian basketball team that was on a second go round in reliveing his original high school glory days to include an illegal relationship with a 16 yr old female student who by the way was on the varsity cheerleeding squad. He had everybody in Odessa fooled as they thought he was a 16 yr old. He had it all until his former coaches from Florida recognized him in a prep all star game and notified authorities.

Rumor has it that Memphis had its sights on him as an early signee for 2011---just kidding!!

We really have to have a full discussion on why collegiate and professional basketball players have all of those tattoos. There is some thing to this!!!

[Brazen Bill]

Don't really care about tattoo wearing by the players. It's not my preference for myself, but if that's what they want to do with their bods, so be it. Would be more worried about them being decent students and people in general than how they adorn themselves.

[John C]

Brazen Bill:

It is not about whether you care about tattoos or not, the question is why the collegiate and professional basketball players wear them.

You writed like you are bored and angry!! Go out and have some fun in your life and not be so serious.

[John C]

UTEP & El Paso beats out Memphis for the 2011 CUSA Basketball tourney site!!!!

Yea UTEP, Bob Stulll, Tim Floyd and others!!!

I found the post on Memphis commercial appeal

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/19/sources-el-paso-beats-out-memphis-2011-c-usa-baske/

[just a thought]

Joe, the branding thing is not nearly as popular these days but it is basically the same thing as tattoos. Branding in athletes almost always represented a college fraternity and good guys like Jordan, Shaq and Emmitt Smith all have them (their respective frats).

A few of my fellow UTEP teammates had fraternity branding while most others went with tattoos to add a mark of toughness and identity. All that without the binge drinking, hazing and annual dues associated with fraternity life.

First off, why does anybody get a tattoo? Aesthetic appeal, ideology, family birth or death, and/or "I was drunk" all make the list. Ex-UTEPer Brian Young has a shoulder to wrist tattoo depicting his entire football career to include Andress High School, UTEP, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints yet he's a Republican and gives more to El Paso youth than most do-gooders.

Tattoos will forever be associated with the criminal element because those in prison like them just as much as athletes these days. David Beckham probably has more tattoos than the Denver Nuggets and he is hardly the thug type. Ed Hardy T-shirts were all the rage a few years ago and tattoos are the permanent version of that. Good thing for John and his wife, the fad looks to be receeding -- much like the hairlines of our blog contributors.

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

Hey I have a full head of hair! Thanks to my dad.

[Joe]

Nords Players ??? You mean the same Robert Rodriguez, Thomas Howard, Jamal Fenner and others who won the first two years Mike Price came in ? So how come recruiting coordinator and Mike Price havent been able to bring in players and develop them ? Havent seen you write up a column on that; The Houston Bowl and GMAC bowl was players from Nords era who he said all along that were his 4-5 Year plan...

[Online meltabs]

Hey excellent post