thanks for uh having us out here today and uh love the fact that you’re uh joining us here on the show this early yeah thanks for having me it’s great to be here great to be in El Paso um for you first time in El Paso or have you been here before no I’ve I’ve uh I’ve been to one sunbowl game it was back when I was at the Big East and I used to negotiate with blls to send Big East teams to bowl games so Bernie uh Bernie Olivas and I did a deal to send a big East team annually it was first year we had a team and the game was USF against Oregon um um and so I was here for that game uh and then over the course of the past year I’ve been out here maybe four or five times every year when we have our annual meeting uh once that ends we turn our Focus to the next year’s annual meeting and we make several trips to the destination to to get get all the planning going this meeting is awesome uh when you walk into the convention center and you just go into the lobby you see everybody gathering here in the main hall right now we’ve got all the vendors set up and for the next couple of hours they get the opportunity to mix it seems like it’s just a one stop shop for every bowl game every year to come together and get good ideas and obviously Talk Amongst each other and and and and just uh you know compare notes well that that’s exactly what it is you know the bowl business is very unique uh the jobs that these people have working for bowl games is it’s it’s not the kind of job where they can go down to their their Corner Store go grab a drink down the street in their Hometown and talk business because there’s very few people who work in the bowl business so this meeting is designed to bring together everybody who works for a bowl game everybody who does business with bowl games we have professional development sessions we have group breakout meetings panel discussions and a lot of networking it’s an opportunity for the the people who work for the various bowl games to to talk to their colleagues they become friends over the years they really don’t compete they do the same things but they’re in different markets across the country so there’s a lot of camaraderie amongst the group and and they just enjoy being around each other was it a no-brainer for you a little more than four years ago uh to join the team out here at bowl season absolutely you know prior to that I you know I I work for under arour uh doing outfitting deals with college athletic departments I work for the Big East conference as I mentioned doing Bowl deals um so I I love college football I love bowl games I love the history and the tradition of it when the this job opened up they reached out to me I think I was one of a small group of people that was qualified for it not a lot of people know the intricacies of bowl games and I’d been around at multiple levels I was a ga at Syracuse back in the day and we played in the Fiesta Bowl I worked as a recruiting coordinator Notre Dame and we went to bowl game so I’ve kind of been around the bowl business for years and was very fortunate to get this job four years ago do you feel like you’re you’re kind of continuing to get motivated by the Ever Changing uh era of College athletics and college football in particular or does it sometimes weigh you down you know in this whole Pro uh process yeah well there that it’s certainly changing um it doesn’t weigh me down you know it certainly keeps me employed I mean the more changes the more they need me to to help it evolve I I think you know College athletics evolves very slowly compared to the rest of the world the rest of the Sports World rule changes um new ways of doing things Innovations seem to come slowly the bulll business might evolve even slower so part of my job is to motivate the various Bull games and their executive directors to grasp new Concepts new innovative ways of marketing and promoting you know the whole concept of nil is something that I think we’re all going to have to embrace you know we’re really looking forward to the the days when um colleges and univers ities can control their own nil instead of outside collectives uh we think there should should be some type of agreement between the athletes and the universities for what they’re getting paid to do uh and we think playing in a bowl game should be part of it it’s a it is a little bit disheartening to think that um you know players are choosing not to play in bowl games and I’m interesting interested to hear uh another perspective about that in a minute I have a feeling I’m going to you will Kade Kate is chomping it the bit to get in on yeah so well well let let’s get into that and I i’ love to love to hear from a student athletes perspective about about the world of nil about playing in bowl games and the passion that that you have for playing college football yeah well like I said you know or I’ve said this on the show so many times I grew up wanting to be like my dad who played quarterback at East Carolina um in the early 90s and so the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do is play division one college football um and now that I’m getting that chance to you know going back my dad played in the Peach Bowl um and and was a part of that Squad and I’ve always wanted to play in a bowl game and so going and playing in that bll game is at the top of the list I would never be one of the guys that opted out of it um it just wouldn’t be in my plans and I understand that other guys have you know you know different opinions on that and sometimes that’s maybe not the route that they go but I can tell you from where I’m sitting that’s that that would never happen with me I would play in one of those bowl games one of the things that I’m very interested to ask you is do you have any examples of how transfer portal and nil and the evolution of college football over these last couple years how has that specifically impacted everything that you guys are doing here you know being a director of all of this how has that really changed the process yeah I mean it’s made it harder you know we we always felt for for years Bull games have been around for 100 years that you you put on this great event players earn their way uh the opportunity to play one more go bowl game and the Assumption always is that they want to play in those games they want to they want to experience a new destination someplace maybe they’ve never been to before they want to play a team that their school probably wouldn’t schedule normally uh I I think it’s a great mechanism to promote the game of college football that all these 40 destinations across the country are getting to watch a game that they wouldn’t get to normally but uh you know as as things change people change uh there’s so many influences in the world people are selfish you know there’s the notion maybe they don’t want to play in the games I I don’t believe that you know I think your perspectives re refreshing as as as someone who’s getting older now uh I think perspective is a very valuable thing uh I fear that that uh that guys who decide not to play in bowl games 20 30 years down the road are they going to be kicking themselves and going damn I would give anything to play one more bowl game I bet your dad says that to play one more football game I I don’t think anybody’s going to say 20 years from now I wish I didn’t play in that game that sucked I I had no fun I didn’t want to do it that that just doesn’t happen you know as you get older and you don’t have the same opportunities and and you don’t have the you you’re only going to play football for so long passing up on those opportunities that’s a risky proposition it regrets a tough thing to have to live with Nick Corelli’s executive director of bowl season he joins us here on Sports Talk as we approach the bottom of the hour you know it’s funny um we were talking to Kate earlier and we’ve talked about this a lot EA Sports getting involved in college football and it’s coming this summer a lot of people are excited about that uh Bernie told us that EA is involved as well with this because I was wondering if bowl games would be a big feature because it seems crazy you play regular season everybody wants the playoff but you got to have bowl games represented in that as well don’t you yeah I just gave a report on that today to the executive directors I I’ve been I’m in constant contact with the developers at EA Sports they’re they’re going to have our bull season logo on the field they’re going to have the the big you know uh Tony the Tiger sunbowl logo at Midfield right right here at at the sunbowl stadium and uh their goal is to make uh their game as realistic as possible to the way it is in the world so if you’re a if you’re a kid playing a full season on EA Sports and you have your final record it’s going to show you what bowl game you’re going to who you’re going to who you’re going to play and it’s going to look and feel just like the bowl games do I got news for you the man to my right is probably going to be playing that game as soon as he can try to portray himself and see how far he can take UTEP in in college football 25 are you Kate are you going to accept the the level they give you or you going to create your own self that’s a little bit higher we had we actually had this debate on the show we had a Twitter poll to see what people think that my rating was going to be and that was that was pretty interesting to see what people were going to say I’m going to have to see if they if they do me dirty I I might have to make my own character what did people think was it humbling to you or were you flattered I was it was around what I was expecting probably in the the low 70s to the high 60s and I understand that there’s going to be you know the power fives get a lot of the higher ratings and the overalls and some of the group of fives probably get pushed down but the goal is to have that be a whole lot better after this season oh no doubt you’re going to start out on fire and you’re going to raise that instantly I like that I like that attitude Nick where do we see Bulls going in the next couple of years because of the changes with all the agreements ending in 2025 you’ve seen what’s happened to the Pack 12 now and how that’s continued to morph not to mention the expansion of the playoffs where do you see college football bowl games going here in the next few years once the agreement’s over yeah I mean college bowl games aren’t going anywhere college football needs bowl games um the the the leadership of the NCA and even though college football’s outside of the NCA it’s still the Commissioners and the athletic directors that run it they’ve made a conscious decision to increase the number of post postseason opportunities in all sports you hear a lot of chatter about the NCA men’s basketball tournament growing I don’t necessarily agree with that but that’s not neither here nor there um college football can’t have a postseason system where only 12 teams get to play at the end of the regular season that’s just not appropriate there’s many more deserving teams who have accomplished who their definition of success might be different most teams can’t aspire to be in the playoff on a regular basis so what are they what are they playing for I I there’s a lot of examples I use you look at what Northwestern did this year their their their student athletes didn’t deserve the hand that they were dealt at the beginning of the year with their coach getting fired um nobody thought they would get to a bowl game maybe maybe win two games tops they get to a bowl game they they go to the Las Vegas Bowl they beat a really good Utah team and what a great experience for those student athletes I look at a team like ruter from the Big 10 they maybe the toughest division in football they have to play Michigan Ohio State Penn State somehow they scrape together six wins they’re six and six they play in the pinstrip bowl they sell it out they play Miami get their seventh win and you watch them celebrating the reaction it’s you wouldn’t know if it’s the the pinstrip bowl or the national championship game and for there’s a bowl for every team and they’re really meaningful for the teams that participate I mean Kade said it him himself I’m sure you would give anything to play in a bowl game and for you to do that before your career is over would be something you you remember the rest of your life absolutely and it’s one of the things that we talk about every day in our building is get not only getting to a bowl but going to win one and it’s not just you know a consolation game where we’re going out just to have fun for the week um but we’re also going out there cuz that’s a state that would be a statement for UTEP that would be history for how long it’s been since we’ve won a bll game and that that means something so for somebody to say that you know bowls are going to be Obsolete and not happen in the future um is is crazy you know and and that’s the other thing too is that bowl games are really fun I mean that’s the reward right for having a great season is getting to go to a bowl game bowl game to a different destination I remember in 2022 when we almost beat UTSA at the end of the year to potentially send us to a bowl we were thinking you know uh what what bowl could we potentially get to and one of them I’m looking at the logo right now was one of them was maybe we get the Bahamas Bowl I was that was my first year at UTEP coming in I was like wait we’re going to get to go to the Bahamas and play a game potentially I mean it was it was crazy so you know that’s that’s the other part of it too is that it’s it’s fun for the players it’s a reward um and there’s only positive stuff that comes out of these bowl games and evidence of it is right here and all these people in this room right now you know putting in so much work to make things like this happen because they’re awesome nick uh want to ask you more about background uh specifically you you told us already under arour was part of your background Big East as well but you also were part of the New England Patriots as the Director of operations for the Super Bowl team Super Bowl 36 what was that experience like uh it was awesome you know uh coach belich hired me I was I was the football recruiting coord coordinator Notre Dame uh wasn’t a no-brainer to take the job because you know working in Notre Dame was was a pretty good job uh and Bill belich wasn’t bill bich yet he had just come off his first season in in New England they were 5 and 11 he had gotten fired from the Browns before that um I grew up in New England I grew up in Connecticut so so that kind of helped and I took the job and it’s one of the best decisions I made we won the Super Bowl that year and so many great stories uh worked with him directly I reported to him and um I know I did a good job because I’ve seen people do bad jobs and he has no time for that um but he and I have had a really good relationship to this day and it’s that’s pretty special so with all the things you’ve done prior to bowl season and being the executive director was there one particular stop that to you still stands out amongst all the others so I’m glad you asked that because I if if I write a book someday and I think I will it’s going to be um how I got it’s going to be a titled dream job how I got mine six times and and I really mean that and and and and part of the story will be what is a dream job what’s a perfect job I think when I was you know my 20s was if you could have any job would it be I’d probably say president Yankees but I would have failed miserably because I wasn’t qualified for that so my first job was as a graduate assistant for the football program at Syracuse we we go to the Fiesta Bowl I I was so passionate about that that your first impression is always your biggest and I but I was qualified to do it I know I did a good job I learned a lot and it it elevated me to be ready to be the recruiting coordinator in not Dame which was my second job that led to the Patriots that led to the Big East job that led to Under Armour and now I’m running the bull season and every single job I was so proud to have I loved going to work every day it wasn’t a job I was prepared enough to do the job well but it also challenged me to get better so in a way every job when I had it was the perfect job for me at the right time and it was in a sense a dream job without rushing myself without getting ahead of myself and and every single one kind of one each one built on the one before Nick Corelli with us executive director bull season I’m amazed that your staff is as small as it is what is it it’s a four person operation yeah yeah when they hired me four years ago it was a one person operation they you know it wasn’t called bowl season it was the football bowl Association it was really kind of mom and pop and they said hey I want you to paint a vision and build it so we over time as we generated more Revenue through all these sponsors you see in this room um we were able to hire a director of Partnerships who who would sell more sponsorships we then hired a director of operations to help organize it and then uh finally a director of public relations and uh they they do a great job you tell me uh will we ever see bowl season continue to expand or are you happy right now with where you’re at as as far as just the entire operation yeah I I think in terms you mean in terms of the number of bowl games or or in terms of what we do as an or what you do as an organization yeah always trying to expand that like we’re always trying to find new ways to to promote uh all the great things that bowl games do I mean we have we do 20 podcasts every year just Legends of college football talking about their great experiences we we do newsletters we have a radio network and um you know I’m constantly out there trying to talk to people about what’s great about bowl games but we’re always looking for new initiatives where we think we might introduce a pick them game next year kind of like a March Madness pick the pick the uh 42 winners and you can you know the grand champion gets to go to the national championship game and maybe there’s smaller prizes along the way we’re looking into a bull season documentary think about in Netflix or Amazon Prime kind of what’s what’s cool what’s unique about each bowl game there’s a lot of stories to be told there so a lot of things we could do uh one of the most fun Parts about my job is how creative I’m allowed to be and think up all of those new ideas I like it uh are we at the perfect number of bowl games right now do you feel like this is a very manageable number would you like more would you like less or you you tell me where are we at well I think there’s no such thing as too many bowl games personally but I think we are at the maximum we we you have to be six and six to be Bowl eligible uh it’d be nice to know how many teams are going to be bow eligible at the beginning of the season but but obviously we don’t know till the end of the season uh this year we had um this year we had one team we were one team short so Minnesota filled in at 5- seven uh the year before we were one team short two years before that we had one team too many so I think it it feels like we’re right at the right number I was going to say to me as long as we don’t have five and seven teams qualify it seems like that’s that’s about right six and six are better to me that’s really the definition of of going that’s right we I don’t think we want five and seven teams in bowl games but but then again we don’t want a bowl bowl game to to that’s that’s planned for a full year to not be played so they they they’re kind of there to fill in but if we start adding more bowl games then you’re going to be seeing five and seven teams go as as a matter of routine and I don’t think we want that last question right now we’re in the middle of the mixure we see everybody going to all the different areas what will we see here tomorrow before things wrap up in El Paso tomorrow we have some great presentations great panel discussions again this is educational for everybody involved we’re going to have six title sponsors on stage speaking about what why they are why they entered into a title sponsorship for a bowl game what they expected out of it what they ended up receiving what they would do differently uh so that’s we we have uh represent reses from Kelloggs with Tony the Tiger kova that does cheese it and Pop-Tarts duk’s Mayo scooters coffee uh gobowling.com so really uh kind of a spectrum of types of sponsors so looking forward to that then we also have a presentation uh an agency’s coming in to talk about how they put a value on those title sponsors what are they worth uh what it what what are sponsors paying and what are they getting in return uh and then there C there’s more networking it’s kept off by our big event visit El Paso is putting out a big celebration over in serson Plaza uh feeding everybody out of food trucks there’s going to be live music drone show at the end to really kind of cap off this full season annual meeting very nice Nick enjoyed the conversation thanks for stopping by and again appreciate you letting us be a part of the opportunity the event here these last couple days we appreciate you being here and thanks for having me on he’s Nick Carparelli executive director of bull season joining us on Sports Talk back with more in a moment 600 it’s ESPN El Paso e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e back here on Sports Talk as we continue uh 47 now pass the hour we are live at Bull season annual convention here in Alp Paso downtown El Paso Convention Center been a good start to the show so far Nick caparelli was terrific Bernie Olivas got us started uh Cage’s just uh enjoying the experience I mean you tell me how many student athletes get an opportunity to just spend a random um April Day downtown and and experience something where every Bowl in America has all convened for the same purpose nobody gets to do this I mean how lucky am I I don’t think you’re going to see another athlete in here that’s on a roster right now um and that’s why I was talking to Adrian about it earlier I have the best internship ever I’m so happy I get to be with you guys and it’s just so cool to see this you know we were talking about it earlier with Bernie but and Nick but there’s so much that goes into bowl season there’s so much that goes into these bowl games and it’s so cool to see because as a football fan and someone who loves watching these bowl games to see all the behind the scenes workings and how much effort and and work goes into something like this to make the spectacular bowl games and events happen it’s really special to see and I’m honored that I get to be a part of it and kind of see what’s going on you know we got a chance to walk all around Kade uh not only did they have the bar setup out here which we got some Waters very proudly uh but they have a lot of different merchandise spots we saw a spot that had a bunch bunch of watches for all the different bowl games imagine going to a bowl game get to collect one of these watches uh you also had one that had vintage t-shirts check these out Steve Sun Carnival Classic t-shirts right here like throwback ones they were so neat Co they need to sell those that’s what I asked them I was like can I buy one of these right here because if they sold those at the game I think there’s a real market for those t-shirts with replica programs would be terrific it really would yeah they’re awesome they look awesome that’s what we were saying awes they look great um but it was uh those looked really awesome Steve I love the one that specifically that said the first annual sunbowl football classic and it’s the El Paso Allstars versus Ranger high school January 1 1935 New Year’s Day uh for this one matchup right here the first ever sunbow football classic how amazing right there hey uh meanwhile as we continue the guests are just going to keep on coming in I understand John from pack Sports is with us right now and listen guys I’ve been told that he works with every bowl game practically in the nation when it comes to gift Suites that this is his specialty so if that’s the case we found the right guy because uh as as as a student athlete here at UTP can attest if you go to a bowl game Kade the first thing you’re going to want to know is hey those gift Suites that’s right that’s I mean that’s that’s what we were just talking about with Nick earlier is that one of the coolest things about going to a bowl game is how much fun they are for the players and you get gifts coming in there’s a lot of cool things happening I I know that I would be excited about it for sure all right so John first off welcome here um I understand that for you it’s really not just about bowl games you do everything including tournaments for youth as well as college football uh first trip to pasor you’ve been here before I’ve been here a ton of times love El Pas so coming to see Bernie Olivas and uh the board members here and everybody else it’s like almost a second home oh that’s awesome I love coming to El Paso the people are great and uh facility is great uh when we come in here to do your bowl game and do the gift Suite uh I tell everybody you’ve got the best venue in the country for what what we can do tell us about the gift suite and really what that entails when you work with bowl games like the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl so um the gift Suite is an opportunity for student athletes to um have an abundance of choices uh originally back in the old days uh usually a bowl would give away a gift and um almost everybody had them already mhm so we came up with a concept uh for a gift Suite where uh we offer uh different price points Point uh tiers and uh probably 10 items per tier so in this case it’s a seven tier gift Suite uh that the sunbowl offers which is one of the top ones in the country and uh the students when they come in they have an opportunity to choose from approximately 70 gifts wow so they they’ve got a lot of really cool things to do how many bowl games do you work with right now probably 38 so almost all of them yeah that’s that’s and then each of those bowl games can take different level gift Suites depending on their budget what they have to work with and they go from there correct okay what’s the uh what’s the coolest GI gift Suite gift that you’ve seen so far since you started uh doing this and rolling them out we used to have recliners um Co that’s awesome Co did away with that um I mean we’ve we’ve done mountain bikes uh Trek mountain bikes uh this year we uh uh put rings in for the first time as an opportunity uh a custom sunbow ring um we’ve done all kinds of electronics You Name It We Do It from televisions of different kinds to blenders uh everything that you can think of John cooperstein whe from pack Sports as we continue all right if you go to a gift suite and let’s say uh you’re able to get to a ball game in the next two years before you graduate a UTP what’s the first thing or the one thing that you would love to know so you get to that gift Su what’s what’s like what would be your number one item you’d want oh I don’t know what my number one item I would want would be but what I am curious because I have not been to a bowl game yet and that’s the goal for this year ep’s going to a bowl game and we’re going to get to we’re going to get to see that gift Suite um but I’ve been told like it’s a a system where players have like a certain number of points right and they can go and spend so if you want to get a top tier gift you may not get as many correct whereas if you want to get a lower tier one you may have more points to spread around is that correct correct so with the seven tier gift Suite you have an opportunity any combination of seven points so you could pick seven one tier items or or one seven tier item got it and the thing that’s really neat about the gift Suite also is uh for this gentleman and and a lot of others when they come in uh and and women for uh for their Sports as well when they come in uh a lot of times you’ll see them on the phone with their mom uh or grandma or a girlfriend trying to decide what to get and uh quite often uh some student athletes will choose seven items U to be able to give out as as Christmas gifts oh that’s very cool it it really is it’s a neat thing it gives everybody an opportunity to get what they need last question for you since you’re working with so many of these bowl games is the opportunity to just network with them cuz it’s one place you see them all together over the course of a day or two and get a chance to reconnect with everybody love doing this because of that um the other thing with us though is we literally go to see everybody um most vendors don’t have the ability to do that U we’re based in Carolton Texas and uh we’ve got a really really good setup and again most of these people are family at this point yeah so coming to see Bernie Olivas and that crew is the best I love it well John thanks for coming to see us and telling us a little bit about what you do and uh looking forward to checking everything out and uh just being a part of this great event out here a pleasure have a great day you too he’s John cooperstein folks from pack Sports as we wrap up hour number one we got more coming up so stay with us Sports Talk continues it’s 600 ESPN El Paso e e e e e e e e e e I’m albera with your 600 ESPN Al Paso Sports Center update Michigan will serve three years of NCAA probation pay a fine and face recruiting restrictions after the university and five current or former football employees reached an agreement with the NCA enforcement staff on recruiting by ations and coaching activities by non-coaching staff members and the NC the and staff members the NCA announced Tuesday the agreed upon penalties also include a one-year show cause order for the participating individuals the portion of the case that involves former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh who was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers in late January will be considered separately by the committee on infractions and then it will determine its full decision according to the release from the CAA now let’s move on to some more NFL news Browns QB Deshawn Watson says he’s back to throwing full speed Cleveland Browns quarterback desan Watson that he’s throwing at full speed again and as he continues to work his way back from last we last year’s season ending right shoulder injury Watson Watson underwent surgery in November to repair a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his throwing shoulder every quote everything in is in full moment motion welson said Tuesday after reporting from Cleveland’s offseason program now over to some Chihuahua news Chihuahua resume play today they take on the fifth place Isotopes who are 3 and 12 is Chihuahua is currently at 6 and9 coverage Starts Here on 600 ESPN Al Paso at 6:30 don’t miss it that with Tim Hagerty I’m albera which is 600 ESPN Al Paso Sports Center update e start of hour number two here on Sports Talk we are live it is the Bulls season 2024 annual convention and it’s happening here for the first time in El Paso we’re in downtown El Paso at the El Paso Convention Center uh we’ve got Alberto Etta handling things from the 600 ESPN El Paso River Oaks properties schoolyard Sports Studios oh I wish Lan Frank was here he’d be like a kid at a candy store wouldn’t you gentlemen I know we we probably need to tell uh you know our boy Lane to stop by tomorrow because uh this is truly a two-day event that you want to be a part of being out here the 2024 annual meetings for bull season and it’s just been a lot of fun for us Kate McConnell uh sits in with us every Tuesday Thursday which means he gets to take uh this in for the first time and kind of experience this like we are it’s kind of fun because we’re all doing this for the first time right now Kade we’ve never been a part of this so we’re seeing it and you are as well we are and it’s so cool no one really understands what has been going on behind the scenes but everybody’s out here conversing you know kind of like we said earlier comparing and sharing notes about each individual bowl and how they’ve play it so they can make bowl season better we just spoke to the executive director Nick um and he was awesome just kind of giving some insight onto what goes on and how he’s been able to take this from you know a ground level with really no planning at all into what it’s uh come to fruition to today and we have you know it looks like what a couple 100 people here right now uh ideas are flowing it’s a really well organized setup event um and I can’t wait to keep walking around just keep looking at stuff you know I love the vendor booths in fact sidearm Sports is to our right they help stream the games for the El Paso Chihuahua and for UTEP as well so they’re a big part of that um I see a Yeti booth just a little bit down and uh we were checking them out uh earlier because they’ve got a little bit of everything that’s a really cool uh cool stand you had a chance to do the golf simulator there’s also another company that does like custom footballs that’s really cool where they take uh a football and can paint it up and make it look a little special you know Steve it’s actually a football that is used all around the country for the universities so not only do they make custom footballs for people online that can go on and order them but they’re also one of the companies and Brands and factories that make the footballs for power five universities and group of five universities all across the country and you saw a few balls that you you even though you’re you’re not using now at utap you recognize those from probably other places you’ve seen them absolutely I mean those are the those are the actual that you see on TV every single weekend on Saturdays when you’re watching college football I feel like most of this like when we’re talking about gift sues or priorities on what to choose we just mentioned the yetis we talked about the footballs imagine those in a gift Suite uh but I mean it feels like it’s hard to come up with a priority list until you’re actually in the moment Kade like uh I’m curious to see when you actually get a chance to do this uh for for the first time if you’re able to do this for the first time and actually pick out some gifts uh for a bull Suite like this I know I I Steve asked me earlier what my number one gift would be and I couldn’t even think of something on the spot because there’s so many different options I’ve heard of people getting sunglasses I’ve heard of people getting headphones I’ve heard of people getting you know like toaster ovens or uh air fryer or something like that there’s so many different things uh that student athletes can get when they go to these bowl games I’m so excited I can’t wait for UTEP to do well and we’re going to get there and we’re going to be able to choose one of these gifts yeah I mean all these gifts that you see all across the board are so neat and then the customization side of it too I mean we’ve seen a lot of different tumblers and stuff like that customized as well no doubt we get another guest dropping in in our broadcast Booth today he’s Harold grater the associate executive director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl played out in Memphis Tennessee which features the Big 12 in the SEC first off appreciate you being here with us Harold and you tell me first trip to El Paso or have you been here before first first trip to El Paso having a great time love your city and look forward to telling back now I’m a native Texan but and I’ve been to just about every part of this state except El Paso now I’ve checked that box and it won’t be the last time where’d you grow up well I grew up in Memphis okay but my family’s from Houston uh Grandparents were from uh Central Texas just east of of Austin in Giddings Texas uh but I’m hardcore Texas I’m an Astros fan Cowboys fan uh so great to be back in in back in the uh in God’s country back in the great state of Texas it’s interesting that you go Astros and cowboys you could have said Cowboys and Rangers you could have gone Astros and Texans although I like the fact that you’re kind of mixing and matching Houston and Dallas when it comes to football baseball well you know growing up in Memphis a a child of the 70s coming of age in the 70s mhm 3:00 on CBS on Sundays what team did we see the Dallas Cowboys and Roger starback was my guy uh all of those uh era of Dallas Cowboy football players were Were Heroes of mine coach Landry legendary again but being a native houstonian yep the Astros on my team I was a Caesar sedeno guy uh had had a chance to meet him numerous times over the years and uh uh so that’s how I split my sports loyalties that’s good plus you got to watch Nolan Ryan when he came over from the angels and uh The Human Highlight re when he was with the Astros in those days AB I understand uh let’s talk about the Liberty Bowl the 66th Liberty Bowl which will be this season I mentioned earlier Big 12 against SEC uh I guess Big 12 it’s it’s interesting now with all the new teams coming in and how the conference has expanded yeah you know it gives us some variety uh with the with the four new schools and that that are coming in this year uh obviously the Big 12 added schools last year as well and and uh you know there’s some talk about those teams that are leaving the Pack 12 uh for the Big 12 uh whether there may be some things going on there to assist the the bowls that are still under contract to the Pack 12 so I don’t want to go too far out there in my public comments because a lot of it is is speculation but there are some conversations but the big picture to your question yes down the road it gives us more flexibility uh some teams that have never been in the mix for us uh in Memphis so we’re we’re excited about it you know for the most part the Big 12 markets are drivable for us uh we really love those schools from the midwest Kansas Kansas State Iowa State you know those those fans can drive to our city um most of the SEC schools can drive to Memphis you know we’re a drive market and uh we’re right in the heart of the footprints of of both of those conferences for the most part uh now the Big 12 goes way out west uh but that’s all good and uh you know College athletics college football is changing and you got got to adapt with it Liberty bull has featured some excellent match ups over time two years ago the game really stands out to me Arkansas Kansas State you mentioned the wild you know the wild cats and what they’ve brought to the table that one had over 50,000 people in attendance and a three overtime game three overtime game and uh that’s only the second overtime game in our history as you mentioned in the intro this is year 66 for us where the seventh oldest bowl game uh having started in 1959 in Philadelphia hence the Liberty B name but yeah the the the the multi overtime game uh couple of years ago was awesome uh our friends in Houston weren’t too thrilled because I think we went went about an hour into their TV window but it was the TV numbers were great for us and and again uh you know there’s nothing like Bowl time uh and that that game again one of our great historic games you know Bear Bryant coached in his last game in in in our game then just as known as the Liberty Bowl in 82 uh the first indoor college football game the first indoor bowl game uh was the Liberty bold 1964 in Atlantic City in the Atlantic City Convention Center it’d be like playing a football game in this in this building uh it was back uh where they had the Miss America pageants back in in those days in 1964 uh having started in Philly but so we have a great history you know a lot of a lot of legendary names as from coaches and players have have uh played and walked the sidelines of our game and when you’ve been around for 66 years uh those things are going to happen and you know bringing it more recently probably uh one of if not the biggest name in the last five or 10 years for us has been Dak Prescott uh Cowboys quarterback uh we had him when he was at Mississippi State uh so yeah we’re proud of that history and uh uh glad that that Legacy is there for us Harold grater with us right now he’s the associate executive director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl what was it like hosting Memphis this past year you know it’s different when you have the home team uh a lot of it and when you’re playing in in their Stadium as well uh you know trying to get the the home fans to understand this is not a tiger home game you are not going to be able to get your season tickets get your seats that you’re used to going to your the actually your SE you’re going to be on the other side of the stadium uh just those those those educational pieces of it uh where for the fans of we’re not going to do things exactly the way the university does their home game uh but it is special and unique it’s only the second time and then our 60 65 years uh to have had the Tigers in our game um you know uh Ryan silverfield is doing a great job there with the Tigers uh that ended up being uh win number 10 uh for the Tigers I think it was only the fourth or fifth time in the history of the university to uh to win 10 games in a season so you know to be able to showcase the home team and for them to cap off a special season for them in an iconic bow game like the autoone Liberty Bowl it all of those pieces coming together was special not just for us not just for the University but for the entire Community what does this mean for you here getting a chance to be around your peers all these bowl games and seminars this particular the the vendor uh you know mixer that they’re having until 7:00 you tell me what is bull season like for this annual convention well Nick Carparelli and his staff and the host Bowl which is Bernie and and his incredible staff with this with the Tony the Tiger uh am I getting the name right to make sure I get the sponsor right uh they’re they’re doing a great job and just to be able to come together number one just to see our friends make new friends with the bowl game uh the trade show the the breakout sessions it’s it’s about catching up number one from a social perspective two uh just exchange information get caught up uh get caught up on the latest uh speculation and whatever’s on the rumor mill and uh just see what’s what’s up with with merchandise you know is there something new that we should consider uh for our player gift pack for example uh what about the how the way you run your pregame events or something for your halftime show you know the the best ideas are the ones that you steal from someone who’s been successful with them the previously right and uh we we all are competitive but we’re but we’re all in this together because it is a unique Brotherhood I would say uh the Bold industry is unique there’s only 40 something of us uh that do this and uh you know there’s different levels obviously you have the mega games at the top all the way down to you know the games that have only been around for a for a handful of years but uh there is a camaraderie here we know that College athletics is changing and that we all need to stick together and learn from one another and benefit from from one another and and bringing it all together at the annual bowl season uh annual meetings uh is special and unique and and and beneficial for all of us Harold do you have a broadcast background uh unfortunately I do yeah I could have figured that the minute you open your started talking during this interview yeah I was a TV guy for 15 years at WMC the NBC affiliate in Memphis how long you been doing this now this is year 26 good for for me wow and my dad uh again uh being a native Texan proud graduate of the University of Houston uh used to ask me if I was ever going to get a real job because I did TV for 15 years and at that point before he passed it was I’d been in this for 24 years and he would look at me once a year and ask are you ever going to get a real job Dad I’m trying to avoid that so so far so good uh and again it’s special to have come from that world 15 years of doing sports on television bringing some of those relationships coaches athletic directors presidents chancellors to this role as the associate uh director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and again it’s a it’s a relationship business whether it’s among the bows vendors you know our TV Partners I just saw our friends from ESPN just got to town we’ll be seeing them but uh it’s it’s all about relationships and this is a great way to renew those relationships on on an annual basis well enjoy it enjoy El Paso while you’re here and we appreciate you stopping by and telling us a little bit about the autoone Liberty thanks for the time and again congratulations and thanks to berning and his team and and the city of El Paso for hosting us you got it he’s Harold grater folks associate executive director of the AutoZone Liberty balls we continue here on Sports Talk we’ll come back with more in a moment but first let’s go to Charlie 1 and get ourselves this traffic update e e e e e e e e welcome back everybody 22 pass the hour as we continue here on Sports Talk we are coming your way live once again from bowl season the bowl convention happening here in downtown El Paso along with Adrien bris Cade McConnell Steve Capo it’s here it is a massive networking event that is the best way to put it we are seeing people coming through and uh it’s weird we’re broadcasting live yet I almost feel like we’re a vendor Booth part of this whole process don’t you guys it definitely feels like that I’ve I’ve come up and meet some really cool people in the last couple meetings here and gotten to talk about stuff that I didn’t think I was going to get to talk about today or ever and so it’s really cool that you know I’m here and get a chance for this as excited as I am to go to our meetings tonight for for practice I am also really bummed because I would love to be able to stay here the entire time okay let me ask you this in your whole life have you ever had more than have you ever been given more than two business cards in one uh given uh setting I don’t think so I don’t think so and because you you’ve been securing the business cards over here I have and I’ve gotten uh two both Nick and Harold have have been generous enough to give me the business card and two great people fun to talk to very down to earth um and like I said that’s what’s so cool about this event is that it’s all about networking relationships and talking with people and us just sitting right here broadcasting live we’ve already had had so many people come up to the stand talk to us it’s been an absolute pleasure there you go I mean it sounds to me like uh when uh it’s all said and done at UTP and you’re looking for another career you you could be working at about 10 different bowl games between now and then who knows well we’ll make sure we get the rose bow to stop by since that’s going to be your backyard right exactly and you know what you never know right guys it’s I mean it’s in the football world I love football I love sports and uh a lot of this is just about having you know an understanding of what’s going on in the the world of college football and specifically bowl game so it’s pretty cool yeah and uh you know it’s interesting Kade because there’s so many different bowl games that are out here I I want to just uh you know Hammer this home we talked about this uh topic earlier today about the um you know the notion oh are bull games irrelevant well when you look and here all the passion that’s here uh you realize that bow games are very much alive and there’s not necessarily going to be any kind of slowing down when it comes to bowl games anytime soon no there’s not bowl games are special they’re the things that people remember forever especially people that have went to watch them watched them on TV or played in them and the things that we’re seeing here behind the scenes are what make all these Bulls so special for everybody involved and that’s why they’re never going to go away I agree I agree completely and you know you also talk about some of the most historic ones like the one that we have here in our own backyard the Tony the Tiger sunbow uh it celebrates Milestones all the time and we talk about the longevity about its bowl game here in El Paso so I mean you know he was saying the bowl games outside the college football playoffs how do they continue to find relevancy I think there’s going to be relevancy when it comes to all these different teams when they try to win you heard the ruar story that was awesome you know you talk about schools like UTP who are starving for another bowl game I know the bowl games have certain teams that don’t prioritize it when it comes to the postseason but uh to hear all the response from these bowl games here and hear their uh excitement and energy behind it they’re not stopping anytime soon they’re just looking for different ways and I think they’re going to embrace things like nil to try to incentiv things like all the games that you might see here moving forward that might be really cool right to have niil be a big part of Bull games moving forward yeah we already talked about it before how nil is changing the landscape of Bull games but we also talked about how having colleges have the ability to give out nil and schools actually be able to control that it becomes a much more controlled environment and then they can work with things like bull season and the Bull Association in order to move forward uh positively with really cool progress some different creativity so I’m excited to see what happens I hope we get to talk about this in the future again and kind of reflect back and see what’s changed most definitely guys we get a chance right now to keep the guests coming in John cen’s the executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl they are going to be hosting this bowl season convention next year and uh we know the Las Vegas bow well because they are also in that same Pack 12 mix or what we call the conference now as a result of what’s happened over the last 12 months or so John welcome to Sports Talk here in El Paso and thanks for being a part of it today guys thanks for having me on uh I’ll tell you what this is my second trip to El Paso in in just the last two months and uh it never disappoints I’ll tell you the people can’t be any more friendly uh and and I love Mexican food and I had nothing but Mexican food while I’m here I’m get I’m getting a little thicker but uh having a great time here well it’s funny we were saying earlier that we were in Vegas back in February for the Super Bowl we broadcasted live from Radio Row for 4 days had a chance to realize what that Vegas Hospitality was like went to a legion Stadium saw what they did for the big game and and realized that as someone who who is the executive director partners with the Vegas poll uh that city has grown in leaps in bounds by what it’s been able to do for professional and college sports over the last 10 20 years I’ll tell you what I I I’ve been out there now um close to 30 years I went to UNLV um at the at the time it was you know we we we had we had a bowl game we had UNLV football UNLV basketball and we had triaa baseball and that was it y uh and and the events that we that we attracted um you know top top boxing matches um but but nothing like what we’re seeing now right now with the with the with the emerging uh venues that we have we can host anything in the world and when you have uh when you have you your largest taxpayers or the hotels and the casinos and at the end of the day you’re trying to drive tourism you’re trying to attract people to the destination uh they task the convention Authority with there’s not an event that we that’s out there that we don’t want right so you you saw we we just uh we just had the Super Bowl we just had Formula 1 which was unbelievable we announced the final four uh I think you’re going to see a college football playoff National Championship here coming soon and it just it’s never never ending and and when you live there you have to make some really really tough decisions because there’s so many events going on like I cannot do two or three major events every single week it’s killing me um so you got to you got to kind of pick a couple and you know this just this last weekend we had UFC 300 it’s just it’s unbelievable what what that town is is uh has going on these days John the the talk for us was they want the Super Bowl to be here every year in Vegas I mean that was what a lot of people were talking about because the committee did it so well everything was convenient with the strip all the events the venues I mean it it look I went to Vegas for about a 10year period during Oscar De La Hoya’s Championship run broadcasted this live from Radio Row for about a dozen his fights and it was just so easy and convenient that was the one thing I hear from everybody they love about the Super Bowl Vegas in general is it it’s just all right there it it is all right there and if you were there in radio you probably stayed at luxer New York New York Mandalay Bay Delo right you came right out of your hotel you walked across the bridge you were right at the stadium the one thing that that people don’t talk about sure the infrastructure is there the venues are there the fun is there we have 180,000 hotel rooms all that stuff is great the one thing that when you live there and you hear any event or anybody that comes to town the reason the Super Bowl said it Vegas more than any city in in the world has a can do attitude you’re not going to get well that’s not how we do it or that’s not what we do or we can’t really do that there there’s never a no there’s there’s a can do attitude for everything and we find a way to make it happen we have a lot of people that are always pulling in the same direction and that’s why you see these events constantly wanting to come back there the NFL could not have been any more pleased with everything that happened and and the setup that was there and and the structure that was there and the the ability to bring your sponsors in and have them in nice hotels and have plenty of meeting space for every party Under the Sun to be able to do there it’s it’s that can do attitude and and that can do attitude in a in a in a little bit of an over over the toop way so it’s it’s the perfect recipe for um for for being you know now we used to be the the entertainment Capital world now we are the sports and entertainment Capital World hands down no doubt John you talked about uh the Super Bowl two years ago as the draft how is uh Vegas embracing college football because the NFL’s had a lot of success but what about college football in the Vegas well I think I think you’re seeing it more and more right and and and uh unfortunately um for for a number of years UNLV was down and um they they they they were not playing up to a high uh high standard of football and so and they were attracting you know lesser caliber teams if you will UNLV seems to get things on the right on on the right track right now Barry odm put a great season together they played in the conference Championship Game so so Vegas is embracing it a little bit more the bowl has played a a key role in in continuing college football um and and and and growing college football there this this September uh we’re probably going to have the game of the year kicking off in Las Vegas which is part of our our our Las Vegas Bowl uh lineup we have the Vegas kickoff classic which is going to feature probably the rankings aren’t out yet but I would say two top 10 teams we have USC and we have LSU to kick off the season on Labor Day Sunday in Vegas uh this will be a soldout event um you know I I I I we’ll have 60,000 people in the stadium but the beauty about Vegas we’ll probably have another 100,000 that come to town just to hang out and party and be a part of the of of the weekend and so uh we we’re pretty proud of of of kind of help Paving that path cuz for years the NCA wanted no part of Vegas right we we we used to have to file a waiver every year put paperwork together they wanted they they didn’t want to have a bowl game in Vegas let alone have have uh these major college events now we’re hosting every Conference basketball tournament we’re we’re out for the Frozen Four we have the wrestling championship like we’re hosting every NCA Championship under the sun um that the world has changed a little bit but we’ve also proven in Vegas that we do things uh we do things in a pretty pretty pretty over the toop big way John centi is the executive director of the Las Vegas poow and he joins us here on Sports Talk as we continue so you’ve been doing this 10 years uh at least running this ball game for 10 years when ESPN uh you know named you uh the executive director director when Allegiance stadium was built that was a game changer because that took a bowl game that was just kind of it was Vegas it was a bowl and it still was important but it suddenly made it big time because you have a gorgeous brand new Indoor Stadium to host that is one of the crown jewels that that city is showcasing so you tell me when you knew that Allegient was coming was your first reaction like thank God it the timing is perfect and now we can start doing some of the things I really want to do with this game yeah listen we we had a we had a really good long run um and and and you you said this at the beginning we we’ve always been tied to the sunbowl right for years we were the pick behind the sunbowl then for several years we were the pick just in front of the sunbowl so we always been tied on the Pack 12 side we had a great long-standing relationship with the Mountain West and always had the number one pick out of the Mountain West when that Stadium got announced I’ll never forget we we went down to Phoenix at the spring meetings and um you know I was a younger younger guy you said I’ve been with the bowl for 22 years but I was the executive director you know just for a couple years at this time and and there were there were conference Commissioners and and and you know power five conferences that that that never gave me the time of day that I never talked to and for the first time ever I felt like the pretty girl at the dance because you have the commissioner of the Big 10 coming up to you going we need to talk you have the commissioner of the SEC coming up going we need to talk and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a position where we’re like all right we have to pack 12 as our anchor partner we have interest from the Big 10 we have interest from the SEC holy crap this is this is the real deal fortunately we were able to strike a deal where we we we created a little bit of a rotation where we rotate in the Big 10 and the SEC the Pack 12 remained our anchor um but we we knew two things one that was going to elevate our game having having those conferences in there uh kind of put us in the upper echelon if you will of of bowl games but two it was the long-term play right we knew there’d be a college football playoff National Championship coming we knew if we had three of the power five conference Commissioners embracing Las Vegas and and and experiencing Las Vegas and and and enjoying the partnership with Las Vegas it was going to lead to more and it has right so so so mission accomplished at the end of the day doing a lot what what Bernie does a phenomenal job here driving tourism to this destination and and showing people what your what your city’s all about and you know the the the the over-the-top hospitality we have the same mission right job is to drive tourism to Las Vegas bring people to Las Vegas uh have a great experience and have these are your future customers right you want them leaving and coming back and going Nobody Does it as well as Vegas I will now come back on vacation I’ll come back and visit myself right they’re they’re your future customers so um yeah it’s been it’s been a it’s been a good Fun Run and and a legion has has has been a game changer what are some of the biggest challenges your bowl specifically faces just kind of a general question listen uh the the the biggest challenges that our both fa the biggest challenges that every bull faces quite frankly and and quite and and honestly it’s it’s the same challenges that that that college football’s facing right like uh the the the calendar is is a little bit of a challenge the transfer portal is a little bit of a challenge when when you have uh selection Sunday taking place and then Monday the transfer portal opens and you select a team and you’re not getting that same team that you picked uh that that’s challenging right um what that does is it it changes the makeup of the matchup that you think you put together it’s a great matchup at the same time um it creates a little bit of fan apathy right if if if you have fans that are going oh well we lost half our team or we’re disappointed or you know the playoff expanded and we’re not in we we’ve got to keep fans engaged we’ve got to keep the players uh engaged in in wanting to participate in these games and it again it’s the same it’s the same challenge that we’re all facing and it’s it’s it’s transfer portal it’s nil it’s the calendar and where Things fall uh with the ability of of of of um the recruiting calendar and the transfer portal couple couple minor changes and I think we’re going to be right at the end of the day people still watch it the players that participate still love it uh we’re doing some pretty special things we’ve just got to change a little bit of the of the things that we’re doing those are the things that that keep me up at night it’s the same things that keep every every bow director up at night John you have a pretty unique job and not a lot of people get to do this and not a lot of people know what you do on a day-to-day basis but I would love to know what’s your favorite part of the job something that you get to do that you know maybe not a lot of people would know or understand what do you love about about doing this um couple things one well first of all I get to design my own game day shoes uh every year so these are these are last year’s game day shoes that’s my favorite Co those are pretty the the welcome to Las Vegas sign and the Vegas on the back um that’s actually the funnest thing that I do every year I got a buddy that that helps me with these but honestly my my favorite part of it is is this right here uh the relationships the friendships um that I’ve built with with whether it be athletic directors or coaches or or these other Bowl directors like I I I love this right when we sit around here and we talk shop and we talk about some of the challenges some of the successes and the relationships that we form at the end of the day we’re we’re we’re in the fun business we’re in the entertainment business there’s a lot of crap that comes along with that um but but but this is what I love the most getting to spend time on B Bernie Bernie Olivas um you know who who’s your your your director here uh I I’ve known for 20 years one of my favorite people in the bull business and and I’ve formed such a good relationship with him and um you know he when when when I was up for the job I’ll never forget it he was he was one of three bow guys that that called up and said this is your guy you need to hire him uh it’s a no-brainer and then I get the job and the first week I’m on the job him and the other two guys that I’m referring to actually called me up and said what can I do to help you right and and and that says a lot about those people and and that says a lot about the relationships that you build with these folks and and at the end of the day like like I love I love game day I love Bowl week I love watching their faces when they’re they’re experiencing l i mean we the last couple years we had we had Florida playing our game two years ago uh 90% of the kids that were on the Florida Rost had never been to Las Vegas have never been on the west coast so they walked in their eyes are bugging out they’re seeing the Bellagio Fountains they’re they’re experiencing Vegas for the first time that was awesome for me right uh the the the bow week experience the relationships here that that at the end of the day that’s what that’s what keeps me doing what what we’re doing have you been to Vegas because it’s funny you mentioned nil and portal Kate is our spring intern he’s a quarterback at UTEP right now so the fact that you brought that up is interesting have you been to Vegas I have been to Vegas but I haven’t got to go to Vegas number one since I’ve been 21 and I haven’t been to Vegas in a school of a setting as going to a bowl game listen I’m I’m I’m I’m guessing Kade if he he comes to one of our uh one of our pool parties at and the he’s not going to struggle man I I think the ladies are going to like they’re going to welcome him with open arms in in Vegas he’s not going to struggle at all John be careful bu I’m hanging I’m hanging with you be careful where you send invitations to okay I’m rolling with you when you do come to Vegas man oh I love it I absolutely love it Sean been a lot of fun having you on the show we appreciate that and uh again it’s uh you know it’s interesting John you and I have something in common okay we’re both Brooklyn natives get out of here where you from um born in Brooklyn then mipa Park then moved to El Paso many many years ago so not a lot of people go from Brooklyn to passo that’s that’s true that is true I grew up I grew up in Kings Highway uh not far from sheep head Bay know it very well uh I I did a stop off in Jersey though before I went to college I went to UNLV and uh I had a job in sports before I finished college and never left and and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me and and and I’m I’m I’m loving it but I I do want to say I you’re probably getting close on time I I I I always like thanking people like you um you know you you folks coming out here and supporting this but I I have a funny feeling you you you helped tell the story um and on why bowl games matter and and why it’s important to these communities and so thank you for doing that on behalf of the US other Bowl people and you know El Paso is a great reputation sunball is a great reputation and it it’s it’s in part for you guys helping to tell that story so thank you we’ve had a relationship with the sunbow since we’ve been doing this show and it’s 34 years running so we appreciate that thanks for being here enjoy the time while you’re here and uh thank you come back and see us go get a refill here in a minute now there you go John centi folks as we on Sports Talk we’ll come back with more in a moment 600 espnl pass it e e e e e e e e e e e e e e coming your way live uh from uh the B season annual meetings here in El Paso we continue right now with Kevin Ash he’s the chief administrative officer of the rose bow game uh brought to you by Prudential and uh one of the bowl semi playoff semifinals first off Kevin welcome to El Paso uh I’m sure not your first go around here in town it is my first time in El Paso really and yes it is and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it it’s a fantastic Town f that’s great to hear um and yet you Bernie a lot of the guys that have I guess had the Pack 12 relationships over the years you go back many many years don’t you we go back a lot long time a long long time in fact I was a I was an athlete in the Pack 12 when I was at school so nice I go way back before the bowl business where did you where did you play and what did you play I was at uh USC and I played volleyball for him oh fantastic and and did you guys have a chance to uh go deep into the NCAA tournament in those years one year we won the National Championship oh wow so you’re a national champion we’ve we’re speaking to a national champion we are speaking to a national champion that that’s that’s did you go pro no the beach you know what I lived on the beach and that’s where I learned to play the game and I uh but when you’re when you’re indoor and you’re playing for college you’re it’s 24/7 do you know what I’m saying so by the time I got to the summer the beach the beach circuit hadn’t really started yet it was just starting behind me and so I just spent the time in the summer to travel and stuff like that so I never transition in even though I played a lot on the on the beach since you have uh a lens that you have with a student athlete in perspective how does that change your outlook on things that you do dayto day for the rose bow that’s a great question um I I often put my student athlete hat on and and wonder good things and bad things you know what’s happening with with nil what’s happening with the portal you know is it better the other way is it better this way do you know what I’m saying seems like it’s extreme sometimes you know what I’m saying you go from one side to the next you know so yeah oh although I’ll say this if you’re a student athlete now it’d be a little different I’m sure than uh than your days at USC it would be yeah meanwhile unlike some bowl games that have the Dilemma of picking teams and hoping their rosters remain intact being right now a playoff semifinal and or a playoff quarterfinal as things evolve pretty much lets you know that the teams that play in your game will be the teams that uh most fans are used to watching as far as the roster makeup goes it’s a big Advantage really when you when you talk about uh the Rose Bowl I think so I mean we’re going to find out more as we get into the next couple months and then as it transitions into 27 but there’s 12 teams it’s the top 12 teams but it’s not just the top 12 teams there’s a seating system so you you basically take top 12 teams but then you’ve got to have the five Conference champions and then 12 at large so there could be a team that comes from you know the 20th spot or the 15th spot or something like that so but we are guaranteed a quarterfinal or a semifinal every year uh in the next two years and then as it gets into 27 to 32 if we continue and we will into that that cycle we will be with the playoff there as a quarterfinal and a semi-final as well so and it’ll be on a rotation basis with the rose bull comes a lot of the external events like the parade like everything that goes around um how do those events help just boost the excitement for the overall game even though I mean hey the game itself is already great right you know what it’s it’s it’s so much integrated into one day do you know what I’m saying it’s almost like a new year cele celebration so you’ve got the parade in the morning you got the game in the afternoon and it it’s it’s really kind of magical and if we stayed on that day which we’re trying to do right now and play after the after the parade then there’s just kind of a flow of people that want to come to our you know our game and and be part of the whole you know New Year’s Day celebration the parade the game and then it’s just a great day so Kevin Ash with us the chief administrative officer of the Rose Bowl game if a fan has never made the trip to a Rose Bowl uh game and just been a part of that atmosphere how do you describe it to them especially if they’ve maybe experienced a big game atmosphere before just nothing like this I think one of the things that’s very special about the rose bow stadium is that it’s obviously it’s a classic Stadium there’s so much history there it’s an outdoor facility you know there’s been such so many Heisman Trophy winners so many national championships there you know magically on January 1st first you know we’re at the fourth quarter and you see the Sun come down and you got the mountains in the background and they just turn red and it’s just something special I don’t know what it is is there there’s an electricity in that building that I just have never seen anywhere else so um hopefully we can keep it going hopefully we get the tradition going and you know the Pack 12 Big 10 becomes more of the playoff now and we transition into that and and things evolve that way so for tradition specifically how important is that in terms of the rest of bowl games and just to preserve the the history and traditions that we you uh use every single year or year after year uh could you say that again please yeah no just just when it comes to the Rose Bowl game itself you talk about all the Traditions that it h it has and it holds how important is it to use that for all sorts of bulll games across the board I think it’s really important and and I talked to Bernie about this a lot and you know we’ve got two of the oldest Bulls in the country and um along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl and um it’s really it’s really important that history is so important to everybody especially the local people do you know what I’m saying and what they’ve seen and what they’ve built over time and but but we all have to evolve in order to survive you know what I’m saying so how do you transition how do you keep the old and the in the history and the Traditions going but evolve into the new and that’s that’s the challenge that I think we’re all doing especially the older bulls do you know what I’m saying so at the same time the future is so unpredictable not just with the expanded playoff but we’re wondering if there’s ever going to be a time where maybe the top 50 schools just separates becomes their own entity their own business and then decides they’re just going to uh you know Slug It Out and and play each other it’s so hard to look into a crystal ball right now Kevin and figure out really what the future holds after in after the next few years absolutely I mean it’s it’s when you see what’s transpired in college athletic especially coming out of Co and and what’s gone on and and nil and the portal and you know trying to keep and get enough money to not only keep football alive but keep the other sports alive which is a challenge right now you know how do you keep your Olympic sports alive in schools and so forth and there’s a lot of smaller universities that are having to get rid of their Olympic sports right now because they can’t afford it with everything going on so hopefully they can find you know the Commissioners especially on the football side the Commissioners can find you know that balance regards to kids and and what they’re paying them and and some gu some guard rails around it so it can kind of progress forward and actually make some sense there’s a lot of chaos going on right now and it’s it’s very confusing for people and it’s very stressful for the Bulls I got to tell you final question and that is what’s the most satisfying part of your job uh you know what I think it’s working with the people I think it’s working with uh the coaches and and the administrators and um I you know what I seen enough games over the years I’ve been doing the game since 84 um I’ve been CA over the game since ’98 when they started the BCS brought me in and um I think it’s it’s there’s something special about the people uh as you get older and they mean the most to you um I still to this day the one thing that gets me going during the game is when the teams run out on the field and you see the mountains out there and the people are going nuts I mean there’s something special about that at the rosebowl game so um those are the things I hang on to and I try to capitalize on and keep me going you know what I’m saying because you can’t you can’t focus on negativity you got to stay positive and you got to evolve and so hopefully we can do that and we’ll be successful as we move forward terrific stuff Kevin enjoyed meeting you and enjoy yourself while you’re here in El Paso loved meeting you guys too I love El Paso guys and you know what Bernie Olivas is the greatest guy in America I love that guy awesome good stuff he’s Kevin Ash joining us chief administrative officer of the Rose Bowl game we’re back final 30 minutes with us next as Sports Talk continues 600 es piano passo e e e e e e e e e I’m Alberto Lua which your 600 ESPN Al Paso Sports Center update the Dolphins will exercise the fifth year options for wide receiver Jaylen waddle and linebacker Jaylen Phillips general manager Chris Greer said Tuesday Rashi rice and Teddy Knox are being suit in Texas for over $1 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages by two people who say they were injured in a six vehicle crash March 30th in Dallas the plaintiffs the plaintiffs alleged rice and Knox deliberately race their vehicles at speeds well beyond their posted limits and caused the the six vehicle crash that led to their injuries the ex utor of OJ Simpson’s estate has reserved his stance on working to prevent a payout of a 35 33.5 million judgment after awarded by a judge to the families of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in a wrongful death lawsuit Barcelona’s coach shave alono fumed about the decision to send R Ronaldo off as his side were eliminated from the Champions League after Tuesday’s 4 to1 defeat to Paris St germine at the Olympic Stadium the LA forward LA Clippers forward kawi Leonard will get the 12th and final Rost roster spot on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics s is told Adrien wowski on Tuesday Lakers currently taking on the Pelicans in the NBA playin that for the West Pelicans up 3426 right now 25.4 seconds left to play in the first this was your sports center update for 600 ESPN El Paso here we go we got about 25 minutes left on Sports Talk just enjoyed seeing Jeff Setta who runs the New Mexico bowl and uh got him taken care of with some Chihuahua tickets for tonight I feel good about that and um you know what he’ll be on the show tomorrow uh great J by the way by Alberto Etta taking care of us here as we are live at the El Convention Center it is the bowl season annual meeting it’s as simple as that the bowl season annual meeting every bowl game in the country is here you’ve had a sampling of Las Vegas the Rose Bowl um you also had the Liberty Bowl earlier it’s been a lot of fun the head of bowl season terrific we’re we’re right back tomorrow doing the same exact show here with more guest and that’s going to be a lot of fun Adrian uh I I’ve enjoyed the first two hours but we’ve got some good local topics some UTEP topics to talk about that have hit uh really since earlier today before we even got on the air yeah UTEP basketball news uh transfer portal is active right now there’s a lot going on uh when it comes to recruiting and there’s some recruiting news to touch on there’s also transfer portal news for UTEP football uh to touch on as well and uh yeah there’s there’s just a lot to oh and also some UTEP football spring news uh the spring game news they announced a new head coach today on the uh celebrity recognition side I saw that matter of fact first uh it was Will Hernandez now a man who is also in college football coaching a friend of the program and excited about this news today too yeah Quinton Demps uh UTEP great alltime Legend uh he will get a chance to play uh and actually excuse me coach uh here for the upcoming UTEP football spring game so he’s going to be the other honorary coach Quinn demp remember he played in the NFL for uh 10 years 10 seasons played as a defensive back uh so you you know he’s going to be having a lot to say about this UTEP defense and by the way the Quint Dems Foundation still a nonprofit that serves underserved families here in El Paso so uh Quint Demps he’s a me you can call him a member of this community despite being the head coach at Judson University like you mentioned that’s a Nia juo school I’m not sure which one it is but regardless Steve cool that he’s coming back for this event it’s terrific and again it’s the UTP spring game we found out today that uh one of utep’s quarterbacks will be no longer in fact Adrien you retweeted this uh on Twitter and x a little while ago that Jake mcnam announced he would be hitting the transfer portal and um I’ll say this sorry to see this because I really thought that when Scotty Walden arrived with the system the offense the type of quarterback he’s looking for I really felt like Jake mcamera would have been a nice long-term play for the miners that I could see him evolving into a starting quarterback over the next few years based on his skill set and what this offense allows unfortunately that will not happen and now wish Jake nothing but the best as he is going to try to explore another University for him yeah uh something to mention found out today also his brother Kyle mcnamer is in the transfer portal as well so both mcnamer brothers are gone from utap uh Cade mcnamer he is somebody who played at Michigan and went over to Iowa so maybe there’s some urgency from you know you say hey play the long game at the quarterback spot maybe there’s some urgency behind Jake mcamera to just see the field right like this past season he was really the second string you know backup quarterback right behind Gavin Hardison as soon as he played uh with the miners he actually got hurt and suffered a concussion Kevin Hurley went into the mix he also got injured wasn’t able to finish out the season that’s why Cade McConnell was basically you know thrust into the quarterback role last year but yeah just somebody who didn’t really get an opportunity to showcase what he could do for this team and it’s tough because the the concussion that Jake suffered was a lingering one in fact he was never able to get back on the field for you after he got hurt and it was a shame so can you imagine you’re competing for a starting spot you’re competing for a role you get your opportunity and it’s such a short lived opportunity that’s got to be really difficult because but it also goes to show you how tough Sports can be I mean you know you could be playing one minute and and then out the next and that’s kind of what happened with Jake mcnamar yeah and I feel for him right because this is not the right time to be transfering and not the easiest time to try to find other opportunities elsewhere so I’m not sure if D1 right now you know is in the cards for Jake mamera knowing the limited playing experience he’s had at the D1 level uh but it could be a possibility I mean he’s somebody who is a very polished quarterback at the high school level he came to UTP with a lot of pedigree behind him and then for Kyle mcamera he got a chance to play with the Western Kentucky Hill Toppers got a chance to play here for the miners and now looking for a third school to transfer to so uh yeah you know to the best best to both these guys they joined us in our studios in the past and for the mcamera brothers you know sad to see them go but this is you know to be expected to just say the least steeve I would say that others might hit the portal here for the transfer port now that the windows open Scotty Walden alluded to this not looking to see guys in the portal right now but you know this is the college football day and age it’s just the day and age in the sport you’re right that’s what’s going to happen and I really can’t say we’re we’re you know we’re too surprised and I wouldn’t be maybe maybe we see another dozen or more players go into the portal after the spring game because remember this and it’s important to note this Scotty Walden is evaluating players in game situations for the first time over the last three or 4 weeks he finally is getting a chance to see what players can do outside of individual and group workouts so now he knows if these are players that he really feels can help him come September and if not when they meet together the conversation is probably going to be look if you really are trying to find a place to play you might be better off going someplace else and if that happens then you know what we could see some roster turn over at UTP and maybe the miners go into the portal for some extra players this also could clear the way meaning mcnamer could clear the way for the miners to go out and try to add another player in the portl quarterback before the season start yeah and I think that’s going to happen regardless right I think that what you heard from Scotty Walden when he joined us yesterday in the show they have they’re prioritizing visits that they have this spring game so those are guys some of them could be graduate transfers some of them could be guys who join this team here in the summer immediately so that is the reality here for this UTP football team I think the roster is going to be very fluid between now all the way till the you know August 31 kickoff when they take on Nebraska that’s just the reality of the situation yeah that’s good point really really good point so again uh the big news today Jake mck nar’s Brother Kyle in the portal who knows who else could be following it wouldn’t be surprising if other miners make it after the bowl game after the spring game on Saturday which by the way we talked about this yesterday uh we’re airing this game it’s going to start up I believe our pregame show right around 9:45 cuz they’re going to they’re going to go right at it at 10: probably about a 3-hour spring game and looking forward to all the action on 600 ESPN El Paso with John uh we’re also going to have the entire group and that’s Cole it’s monster it’s everybody the whole broadcast team going to be part of it Saturday morning and minor talk coming up after the spring game as well that’s right we’re going to be live at the district West 3233 North Mesa so after the garage sale after you get all the good goodies uh stop by and join us you know a little day drinking a little day eating out at the district West and we’ll have so much fun out there this Saturday uh right after the UTEP game all right also the other big story that happened involving UTEP does not involve football it involves basketball and that is uh hearing that uh Jorge Moreno who had uh signed with UT back in November of last year decided to reopen his Recruitment and said that uh well here was the direct quote on Twitter and X after speaking with my coaches and family I’ve decided to open my recruitment once again I would like to thank UTEP for recruiting and offering me and I wish them the best going forward so uh this is also going to be kind of interesting um this was a possibility I heard this could be happening and I believe the the simple answer is this okay number one Joe Golding had two scholarships after uh the season ended and might realize you know what he needs three he needs three impact players he can’t just hope for two he’s got to try to hit it out of the park with three guys on top of what he currently has coming in with the freshman and maybe Moreno just wasn’t going to be the kind of impact that he’s looking for to try to build on that Championship run in the tournament just uh a few months back maybe he’s seeing it now and realizing I have to make sure I can get three of the best players in the portal I can and unfortunately with my bigs coming back and what I have right now I just need a little bit better that that could end up being the case when it’s all said and done when you assess the UTEP basketball roster the first thing that you’re going to look at is the fact that they’re losing three guys who had all conference Calibur type of play in Calvin Solomon Zid pal and Tay Hardy how do you replace that if this was the nucleus of the team that made a run to the Conference USA championship game that just tells you right there this team has to prioritize these three rosters I love the fact that it’s three not just two if you only had a pair of scholarships going in here to the final uh you know stages here of the transfer portal that limits your or that narrows your search uh significantly and so now that they’ve got three uh scholarships to offer instead instead of two I think that’s huge news uh for this UT basketball team and I think it allows them to take chances here here in the recruitment process I’m not saying to get a project Steve you got to get a Difference Maker but maybe take a little bit of a chance here on some of the junior college guys that they seem to be going after and these junior college guys are D1 bounceback right now or do they swing for the fences and try to knock it out of the park with all three guys well that’s my priority right there that’s I I’d say three difference makers give me three guys who are coming either from the low-level division one or high level but couldn’t get on the court and just want more playing time so that’s my priority that’s the number one priority I would have if I’m a UT basketball coach second level behind that is give me a junior college bounceback guy who’s a highly rated player and somebody like Cory camper who can step in and be a Difference Maker in year one and the fact is they have a 72 kid that’s been sitting out this past season they already have Hamilton coming back they already have uh pretty much all their bigs coming back kaloo is coming back everybody that was a part of last year’s team that that didn’t graduate his back so Moreno just might not have had the minutes the impact and when you look at it if you can go out right now and go get yourself a solid three four combo with two guards and really get yourself solidified in those spots now all of a sudden UTEP is is that much better and now they’ll have the chance to do that knowing Moreno is going back into the uh into basically the portal and reopening his recruitment you know I’ll say this about Morena too I mean no knock to him he’s somebody a D1 bounceback as well he played at New Mexico State then went to the transfer portal hit the Jo route and now he’s ready to go back D1 so he could definitely Garner Conference USA interest teams who have more uh scholarships to spend I would bet you in a year where UTP had the scholarships just like last year where they had seven to offer in the transfer portal uh offseason process they would gladly accept a guy like Jorge Moro uh now this time around I look at you know you know Jorge Moreno I liked how you mentioned babacar I mean the seven-footer they spent a whole year molding and trying to develop babacar so if he gets on the floor that’s basically the Jorge Morano minutes right there yeah ex that’s exactly right exactly right and you know what he probably will be a project and UTEP just realizes we can’t have two of those we got to have we need one and we need we need more polished players that can play Big minutes and really help fill the pieces of the puzzle this upcoming season everything I’ve seen from Jorge Moreno is he’s a true five now UTP kind of needs that hybrid four five guy who could space the floor maybe even shoot from the outside so that’s exactly what they need y 18 pass the hour we’ll come back we’ll wrap things up next and get you ready for Chihuahua’s baseball with Tim Hagerty back home tonight to begin a six-game stand uh with Albuquerque that will continue with a day game tomorrow excited about that but first let’s go to Charlie 1 and get ourselves one last traffic update e e e e e e e e countdown here on Sports Talk as we wind up day one of two out here live from the El Paso Convention Center the bowl season annual meetings happening right now and man they’ve been a lot of fun uh by the way speaking of uh of fun tomorrow is going to be just as great we are going to have guest Galore so if you heard some good ones today we’ll do it again tomorrow and we come back from 4: to 6 :3 and get you right ready to go with El Paso Chihuahua’s baseball as um you know think about it the voice of the Chihuahua standing by from the ballpark and we’ll hear from Tim Hagerty coming up here at the bottom of the hour meanwhile I want to say hello to uh everybody out there that uh is listening to us online and also to let you know that uh we are excited to talk about Paulo Verde Holmes a brand brand new relationship with us here on Sports Talk and can’t say enough good things about Edgar and the folks especially been doing it now for the last 17 years here in El Paso we talk a lot of numbers here on this show Steve okay I’ll throw a couple numbers for pao ver the homes 23 is the number of amazing employees that they’ve got five I like the number five that’s the same number David Terrell Jr wears by the way it’s a five engineering and they also have three architecture degrees on staff they’ve delivered over 2300 homes to El Paso families hey 23 that’s Otis Frasier II right there that’s his number look at you uh they have also I’m going to give you one more number Steve eight uh they’ve been eight times the uh uh builder of the Year by the City magazine and the El Paso Times eight different times throughout uh their 17 years in existence that is Pao ver the homes I love it folks so much more to talk about with those great folks here over the weeks and month to come but if you want to learn more go online PA Verde home.com that is PA ver home.com what coming home should feel like all right meanwhile as we wind things up with us on the program right now we’ve got games going on in baseball we’ve got games going on in the NBA the playoffs have started Adrian we have playing games tonight Lakers and New Orleans right now they’re late in the second quarter with the Lakers hanging on to a five-point lead and then coming up a little bit later Golden State taking on Sacramento a battle of 46 and 36 teams I am not going to lie to you as soon as we end today as much fun as we’re having as much as I want to listen to some Chihuahua baseball I’m watching playing uh basketball tonight I’ve got Lakers in this one I think it’ll be tight I think uh Anthony Davis will help push them through in this one D’Angelo Russell in the way so far with 15 points that’s a nice surprise there for the Lakers the Lakers just won one in New Orleans on Sunday so let’s see if they can make it back here and then Warriors Kings this one’s a coin toss but I’ll give the edge and the slight advantage to the Warriors I think we’ll see Warriors Pelicans battle it out for the final eighth seed yep absolutely right and by the way Warriors Pelicans would be interesting but could you imagine um if that ends up happening and then uh you know Lakers get that seven spot and uh we’ll see what happens if the Lakers lose tonight and it’s Warriors versus Lakers for the final play in spot it’s like there’s three good teams here one of them’s got to be left out of the party who would it be in that case uh yeah your guess is as good as mine I think it’d be an awesome match up if that ends up happening hey got to big a big shout out to Alberto Etta what a job he’s done with us here today as always man you hear him on Kay Q sometimes you hear him on 600 ESPN I’ll Pas it the other time so great job great stuff there by Alberto tomorrow we’re back here and then after our show here on Sports Talk we’ve got Hawks Bulls that’s the East play in tournament out of the NBA as well that’s because chuah was play tomorrow at noon 12:05 you want to go play a little hookie at work and go to the ballpark you can we’ll air the game as well but that gives us also the full show tomorrow before the NBA game excited about that all right thanks to Cade McConnell as well for joining us for the first two hours of the program for Adrien Broadus I’m Steve kapo it’s been a lot of fun thanks to Bernie Eddie and the sunbow association Chihuahua baseball next we’ll be back here tomorrow for
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