Southern Utah coach DeLane Fitzgerald didn’t hesitate to offer unusually interesting commentary on his YouTube coaching show before his team traveled to El Paso to face UTEP in the Sun Bowl on Saturday night.
When asked about his team’s trip to Sun City on Tuesday, Sept. 3, he said something that, depending on how you interpret it, might please the Chamber of Commerce or anger El Paso fans who think it’s sarcastic.
“We’ll get up Friday morning and fly to El Paso,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve heard it’s a phenomenal place, a vacation destination. Maybe Friday night we’ll be laying on the beach chairs and looking out over Juarez. I’ve heard it’s a beautiful city, too. A huge stadium that can hold 20,000 to 25,000 people, with 52,000 seats. After last week, we’ll be able to handle the crowds.”
You couldn’t tell how serious he was.
Here are the facts
Here are some fact checks. The Thunderbirds did indeed fly to El Paso on Friday. El Paso is a phenomenal place, although not one of the most popular vacation destinations. The lights of Juárez north of the Rio Grande are undoubtedly beautiful. Over 35,000 tickets were sold for a Sun Bowl that now seats 46,000.
He also said that UTEP is a “rebuilding” program: “You can hardly call it a rebuilding. It’s a rebuilding. ‘Re’ what? ‘Re’ means: There was a time when they were good. Someone has to tell me when that was.”
Fact check: He’s right, but the Miners won the 1967 Sun Bowl when they were 7-2-1.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
More: The Ultimate Gameday Guide to UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium: Tickets, Parking, Alcohol Policy
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