You played for The Miners in the 70’s right HeWore62? As much as we all complain about Natalicio and Stull and Kugler and Floyd etc. How was the Athletic Department back then? UTEP had a great run in basketball/football in the 60s so was it just a lack of money that killed all the momentum?
Yes, I was in the belly of the beast in the late-1960s and early-70s. In every sport, we were competitive, within our conference and nationally. In my opinion (worth every bit you pay for it), several factors derailed the train:
(*) Title IX -- As much as it helped women's athletics, it spread UTEP's finite resources thin. When government chose winners (all women sports) from losers (baseball, wrestling et al) the mandate became a net negative for men. {so much for political correctness}
(*) Integration -- Face it, when other universities in the Southwest snubbed black athletes, our Texas Western, later UTEP, prospered from those dubious policies. Now, we compete for the top kids, on equal footing. When a kid, black or white, began comparing our fan base and TV exposure to other schools, especially in the Central and Eastern time zones, our freckles become obvious.
(*) Leadership -- I'm no Natalicio basher, for lack of inside info. I can't see how she has been a major proponent of athletics. It stuns me to learn pur Miners do not have a training table (more on this later). But I don't view her as our more recent problem. Net neutral for Miners athletics, but a massive boost for my alma mater into Tier 1 status and growth. Saludos, Dr. Natalicio.
However ... We once had the ultimate promoter and fund-raiser in our own village -- Wayne Vandenburg, who built national champs in track and field. Alas, the late A.D. George McCarty ran him off. A wiser university president would have flipped the paradigm ... by firing McCarty and replacing him with Vandenburg.
