Sun Bowl Stadium celebrates 50th anniversary

“The Sun Bowl is part of El Paso,” said UTEP athletic director Bob Stoll.

He said with the Sun Bowls history in the city there was no way they could ignoreits 50th birthday.

“An important part of El Paso, it’san icon in the community,” said Stoll.

ABC-7 spoke with Pete Vasquez, one of the firstUTEP football team players to ever shed turf at the stadium

“it isjust a great feeling to come back,” said Vasquez.

Vasquez was honored with the rest of the 1963 team on the 50th anniversary.

Whenasked was his fondest memory was.

“I just walked from the field up here and I used to run them and I’ll tell you one thing right now, it wore me out and I used to run’em up and down I could barely walk all the way up,” said Vasquez.

Anywhere you looked a Miner fan had a story of their first time at the Sun Bowl.

“I was 6 years old when my dad brought us to our first football game,” said Yvette Castillo.

Castillo tellsABC-7 that visit to the stadium sparked a tradition for her family.

“Ever since then we’ve been coming every year, win or Lose, win or lose, we got to stay behind ourUTEP miners”

ABC-7event caught up with a first time visitor whosaid the stadium in the mountains is a amazing sight.

And even though the stadium looks good at 50 years old, there are still some plans for upgrades in the future.

“We’re looking at trying to get a new video board next year, that’s our goal and in the future we’re looking at upgrading the press box with luxury sweets and club seating,” said Stoll.

According toUTEP’s archives, when the stadium was proposed in the 1960’s, geology students who used the area for mining and excavating opposed the stadium.