蜜柚直播

In 2019, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 athletic department will complete its 30-year mortgage on the press box, sky boxes and loge suites聽built in 1989.

It will begin decades of payments for $25 million of improvements to 蜜柚直播 Stadium, and another $16 million for the imposing Cole and Jeannie Davis Indoor Sports Center.

It is in the infancy of paying off the $72 million Lowell-Stevens Football Facility.

So you ask: After $113 million of football projects in recent years, how much closer is 蜜柚直播 to the Rose Bowl?

Will this football dream, this New Year鈥檚 Day in Pasadena, happen in your lifetime? Are the Wildcats getting closer, or is Kevin Sumlin鈥檚 recruiting Class of 2019 destined to be nothing more than part of a few 7-6 or 8-5 teams, at best?

You might be surprised that the composition of Washington鈥檚 Rose Bowl team 鈥� the Pac-12鈥檚 leading football program 鈥� is not out of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 reach.

The 2018 Huskies starting lineup is built this way:

• Five starters from No. 36-ranked recruiting class of 2014.
• Eight starters from No. 30-ranked recruiting class of 2015.
• Six starters from No. 37-ranked recruiting class of 2016.
• Three starters from No. 23-ranked recruiting class of 2017.

Nor are the Huskies star-heavy. When they play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Washington will start 13 three-star recruits and three two-star prospects.

Isn鈥檛 that within 蜜柚直播鈥檚 range? Or is that fool鈥檚 gold?

On signing day last week, 蜜柚直播 receivers coach聽Taylor Mazzone聽described four-star receiver聽Boobie Curry聽of Texas as a 鈥減hysical, explosive playmaker who will give defenses mismatches. His work ethic and passion will make an instant impact on our program.鈥�

Sounds a lot like what UA coaches said about聽Rob Gronkowski, Class of 2007.

Alas, the oft-injured Gronk started just 19 games at 蜜柚直播 and the Wildcats went 13-12.

Now, a decade later, the Wildcats are essentially starting over. Washington? In Gronk鈥檚 last year in 蜜柚直播鈥檚 starting lineup, the Huskies went 0-12.

So maybe there鈥檚 hope after all.

Donnie Moore鈥檚 father grew up on the Cherokee Indian reservation in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. He enlisted in World War I, was wounded in Europe, and moved to 蜜柚直播 when the war ended. He became a deputy sheriff.

What a success story.

鈥淢y aunt鈥檚 last name was Walkingstick,鈥� Moore told me when I met him in the 1990s. 鈥淪he never left the reservation. It鈥檚 amazing what my family has made of itself.鈥�

The purpose of my meeting with Moore was to write about his Hall of Fame officiating career. For 50 years, 鈥淗oss鈥� worked thousands of Southern 蜜柚直播 high school, junior college and WAC baseball, football and basketball games. He was one of the best. His warm and approachable personality surely changed the way many coaches felt about referees and umpires. He officiated until he was in his early 80s.

But there was so much more to 鈥淗oss鈥� than funny stories about being escorted by policemen out of Nogales and Douglas on nights the unhappy home teams lost close games.

A retired mailman, Moore was part of 蜜柚直播 High鈥檚 undefeated state baseball championship team of 1946. His brother,听Corky, was even better, playing on the 1941 and 1942 state champions at THS.

But before Corky could step into聽Pop McKale鈥檚 蜜柚直播 baseball lineup in 1943, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He became a 鈥淟eatherneck,鈥� a paratrooper, and was in fierce combat on Iwo Jima the day before the famous American flag was planted on Mount Suribachi, 1945.

鈥淐orky was killed by a sniper,鈥� Donnie said then, his eyes swelling with tears. 鈥淗e was only 21. It has been 50 years, but I think about him all the time.鈥�

Donnie Moore died last week. He was 92. I鈥檇 like to think he had a happy reunion with Corky somewhere in baseball heaven.

A celebration of his life will be held Jan. 5 at the Adair Avalon Chapel, 8090 N. Northern Ave. The event starts at 4 p.m.

The Southern 蜜柚直播 Coaches Institute, which will feature baseball for the first time, continues to grow an impressive roster of 蜜柚直播-related baseball coaches.

Twelve professional coaches will join former 蜜柚直播 head coach Jerry Stitt for the Jan. 13 baseball institute on the Pima College West campus from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $25 for those who preregister at . Registration is open to anyone.

Stitt last week announced a staff that includes Washington Nationals hitting coach聽Kevin Long; Chicago Cubs Triple-A hitting coach聽Keoni DeRenne; Houston Astros pitching coach聽Brent Strom; Toronto Blue Jays field coordinator聽Shelley Duncan; Los Angeles Angels minor league field coordinator聽Jack Howell; Angels minor league hitting coordinator聽Damon Mashore; Colorado Rockies minor league field coordinator聽Anthony Sanders; 蜜柚直播 baseball coach聽Jay Johnson; UA pitching coach聽Dave Lawn; Pima College head coach聽Ken Jacome; Diamondbacks Triple-A pitching coach聽Gil Heredia聽and Washington Nationals bench coach聽Chip Hale.

In his negotiations with the CBS Sports Network, Nova Home Loans 蜜柚直播 Bowl chairman聽Ali Farhang聽did one very smart thing. 鈥淚 insisted that I control the date and time of our game,鈥� he said. That鈥檚 why the fourth 蜜柚直播 Bowl will kick off at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday at 蜜柚直播 Stadium. 鈥淭hirty-six of 41 bowls are controlled by one network (ESPN) and they are essentially programming fillers,鈥� Farhang said. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 do that in 蜜柚直播. We won鈥檛 play at night and we won鈥檛 play in the middle of the week.鈥� The 蜜柚直播 Bowl had sold 34,000 tickets as of early last week. Farhang insists a sellout of 55,000 is possible, but if 40,000 show up for Saturday鈥檚 Nevada-Arkansas State game, he and his staff should get a medal.

奥丑别苍听Sean Miller鈥檚 UA basketball team was outrebounded 51-19 by Baylor last week, it seemed impossible that any UA team, any time, could鈥檝e had less. But in a February 1984 game at Oregon State, the Wildcats got just 16 rebounds. More amazing is that OSU had just 13 in a 53-48 victory over 蜜柚直播. What happened? In a slow-tempo game, OSU shot 63 percent and 蜜柚直播 61 percent, so rebound opportunities were scarce. Against Baylor, it was just inadequate effort.

Tim Derksen, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2012 Gatorade basketball player of the year at Amphitheater High School, has excelled in his third year of EuroLeague basketball. Derksen, a small forward from USF, is second in scoring in聽the Slovakia pro league with an 18.8聽average. He鈥檚 also ninth聽in assists at 3.9 per game. Derksen played his first two pro seasons in Spain.

Former 蜜柚直播 golf standout and UA assistant coach Andy Barnes, a long-time PGA Tour caddie, is now working for Charley Hoffman, a virtual cash machine who has earned $26.6 million in official tour money over the years. That’s a good gig, for sure. Andy’s younger brother, former 蜜柚直播 All-American Ricky Barnes, no longer has full playing privileges on the PGA Tour. He earned $340,000 last year in 22 events, and also played in five Tour events.

Catalina Foothills High School golfer聽Maya Benita, who finished second in state last month, took an official recruiting visit to 蜜柚直播 and was offered a scholarship by UA coach聽Laura Ianello. Benita had a breakout junior season, winning, among other things, the national long-drive championship for her age group. In the last 25 years, only one 蜜柚直播 golfer, Salpointe Catholic product聽Krystal Quihuis, has made the UA starting lineup.

It didn鈥檛 take long for Pima College鈥檚 outgoing football staff to get attention.

Empire High School last week hired PCC defensive backs coach聽George Kelly聽to be its new football coach, replacing聽W.T. Jeffries, who went 31-30 in six years.

In today鈥檚 diminished world of high school football at all but a handful of 蜜柚直播 high schools, Kelly is a big-time catch. He played in college at both Pima and UTEP and broke in as a high school coach in El Paso, and later at Catalina High School. He has been on Pima鈥檚 staff for five years.

Married with two children, Kelly has a master鈥檚聽degree in counseling/mental health from the UA. He is a counselor at Cragin Elementary School.

Hiring a capable high school football coach in 蜜柚直播 has become more and more difficult, especially by TUSD schools. For example, Catalina, Rincon/University and Santa Rita have employed 14 head coaches in six years. Cholla is on its fifth coach in 11 years.

In that period of coaching shuffles, Santa Rita is 7-61; Palo Verde, which also has a coaching vacancy, has gone 10-41; Rincon/University is 10-51; and Catalina 10-40. Cholla is 27-94 over its 11 years of coaching instability.

That鈥檚 an aggregate of 64-287 as high school football in 蜜柚直播 continues to lose participation numbers. My prediction is that by 2025, several 蜜柚直播 high schools will eliminate football.

Joe Abney聽taught and coached at Sabino High School for 27 years. You name it, he did it. JV basketball. JV football. A friendly face and counselor-at-large.

Abney coached with three of the top names in 蜜柚直播 prep football history:聽Jeff Scurran,听Howard Breinig听补苍诲听Jay Campos. None of those wins and losses went under Abney鈥檚 name, but over his 27 years at the school he won 鈥檈m all.

Abney died of complications from diabetes last week at age 64. The hundreds who attended his memorial service on Friday remembered what former Sabino assistant principal聽Will Kreamer聽called 鈥渁 gentle soul.鈥�

A Long Island, New York, native 鈥� a聽Joe Namath聽and Jets fan of the first rank 鈥� Abney played college football in South Dakota and arrived in 蜜柚直播 in 1981 as the head coach at Palo Verde Christian.

But it was at Sabino where Abney created a legacy. The school honored him with the Martin Luther King Award for 鈥渃haracter and contributions to athletics.鈥� He was inducted into Sabino鈥檚 athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

But it was not about the games Abney coached. It was about his connections and concern about others.

鈥淲e bonded because he was a consummate professional,鈥� said former Sabino teacher聽Annette Sechrest. 鈥淛oe was a blessing to our English Department. He was one of the kindest, most compassionate and considerate human beings on the planet.鈥�

In 2005, when Sechrest鈥檚 husband underwent hip surgery on the day of final exams, Abner got up about 5 a.m. to prepare a hot breakfast for Sechrest. He delivered it to her classroom.

In he same vein, 1992 Sabino grad聽Nikki Fellner聽said 鈥渋t didn鈥檛 take long to get to know and adore Joe. What I find amazing about Coach Abney is the amount of lives he impacted over so many generations.

鈥淚 attended Joe鈥檚 service with my nephew, who played football at Sabino more than 20 years after I graduated. Two generations greatly affected by this man. What makes me feel sad is that future students will not have the honor and privilege for Joe teach our boys to be men and our girls to be strong women.鈥�

Abney, who grew up in a military family in New York, had his right leg amputated a few years ago. After surgery, he returned to school and continued his role as mentor to scores of students.

鈥淛oe had one of the most beautiful singing voices I have ever heard and every time he sang 鈥楢ve Maria鈥� or the national anthem, he brought tears to my eyes,鈥� said Sechrest. 鈥淚 wish we could hear him sing just one more time.鈥�