Festivities in El Paso go beyond football game

By Greg Lewis
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

EL PASO, Texas “”mdash; For one week a year, El Paso does not
belong to the locals.

This year a sea of red overcame the city. Wisconsin,
UCLA’s opponent in the 67th Sun Bowl, brought over 20,000 of
their fans to watch the rematch of the 1999 Rose Bowl teams.

Approximately 3,000 UCLA fans traveled to Texas.

Since the players from both schools have practice every day
leading up to the game, the Sun Bowl’s attractions are geared
mainly toward the fans.

The marquee activity is the lively fan fiesta the day before the
game. The parking lot outside the Sun Bowl is transformed into a
carnival, with the centerpiece being the bowl-requisite Battle of
the Bands.

In this year’s edition Wisconsin had the advantage at the
start, bringing almost twice as many band and spirit squad members
as the Bruins, but the UCLA band gave a much more spirited
performance. The two schools battled to a draw until the Badgers
performed the Pee-Wee Herman dance to The Champs’
“Tequila,” which UCLA matched with Jimmy
Buffett’s “Margaritaville.”

The Badgers failed to salvage any chance of winning, using their
final opportunity on stage to perform the Chicken Dance. The Bruins
easily won the competition when they played the theme music from
the movie “Gladiator,” to counter the Chicken
Dance.

Immediately preceding the Fan Fiesta was the Coaches’
Press Conference and the Official Sun Bowl Luncheon. The 2000 Sun
Bowl Committee honored Georgia Athletic Director Vince Dooley and
the late linebacker Derrick Thomas. As a coach for the Bulldogs,
Dooley experienced all three possible outcomes at the Sun Bowl,
going 1-1-1 in three appearances.

Thomas, two-time NFL Man of the Year while with the Kansas City
Chiefs, earned the 1988 Sun Bowl Most Valuable Lineman Award after
blocking two field goals. Thomas’ mother accepted the award
for her son, who died in a car accident in February 1999.

The luncheon, hosted by CBS TV reporters Verne Lundquist and
Todd Blackledge, featured an introduction of the starting lineups.
One player from each team sat at each table, giving fans a chance
to talk to their favorite players.

The best place to mingle with the players, however, was at one
of the late night dance clubs. Tony White and Ed Ieremia-Stansbury,
the team’s two El Paso natives, took the team to Club 101 and
E9. Players still had to be back in their rooms before curfew.

UCLA head coach Bob Toledo requested that the Bruins not cross
the Mexican border, but Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez took his team
on a shopping trip to Mexico. The Badgers could usually be found at
one of the area steak houses, where the locals eat three-and-a-half
pound steaks. The Badgers did make a noncurfew-restricted
appearance after their victory in Friday’s game.

The Sun Bowl organized trips for both teams to the Tony Lama
factory, but neither team thought they would have much of a need
for cowboy boots after leaving El Paso. Few took advantage of the
trip.

Before kickoff the most popular activity was the
school-sponsored tailgate parties. The cheerleaders and band for
each school stopped by to pump up the crowds.