Sun Bowl Teams Welcomed To El Paso

The 2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl is mere days away, and the celebrations began with a welcome party when both teams touched down Monday afternoon at the El Paso International Airport.

Steven Sylvester, a linebacker from Georgia Tech, had never set foot on Texan soil. By the time he left the airport, he said he didn?t want to leave.

?It?s the first time for a lot of my teammates, so to get something like this when we get here, it makes you feel welcome,? said Sylvester. ?We?re excited.?

It?s easy to understand why. Upon exiting the plane a mariachi band was playing music, as Sun Bowl princesses and dancers swept them to the entrance of the air port. Once they arrived at the opening of the airport they were treated to singing, and dancing.

For Utah?s head coach, the other team playing in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, it was an interesting experience. He once played college football for Brigham Young University in the 1980s. He played in the Sun Bowl against the UTEP Miners. When asked by reporters whether he received a similarly warm welcome he laughed.

?No we did not,? said Wittingham with a chuckle. ?We certainly did not.?

His players, unlike Wittingham during his playing days, were treated like the superstars of El Paso on Saturday.

Tony Bergestrom, a right tackle for the Utah Utes, says the festivities displayed throughout the airport caught him off guard.

?I was pretty excited,? said Bergestrom. ?You get off a plane, and you?re pretty sleepy eyed but that wakes you up pretty quickly.?

Of course, it wasn?t just the players that were having fun. At least one hundred fans, and tourists, stopped in to see what all the commotion was about. The crowd included Rebecca Soltero, she has made it a point to come to the Sun Bowl welcome celebration for the past five years. This year she said it had every bit of energy as years past.

?I think they enjoy it, and we sure do too!? said Soltero.