Letters to the editor: Motley should have his statue
osted: 9/30/2007
STORY CHAT(read or post comments)
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One of Cleveland’s best matured in Nevada
I have written to the Reno Gazette-Journal before in appreciation for articles on Marion Motley. I am aware of his Nevada tenure only through these articles. I am a native Clevelander and my knowledge of Mr. Motley comes from his playing with the Cleveland Browns.
As a black person growing up in the middle 1940s and early 50s, I learned about people who were heroes to us, like Motley and Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians — the first black baseball player in the American League.
African-Americans from all over the state would come up to the old stadium to see them play. Teams played in the rain, cold, mud, sleet and snow in those days. Fans knew how to dress to go see them, too — no domes back then! I digress, but you’ve figured out that yes, I believe the Pack should honor Motley in some significant way.
Janet West, Reno
Motley is the greatest Nevada athlete
I grew up in Ohio as a Cleveland Browns fan. As a youngster nothing was more exciting than the greats from that era: Lou Groza, Otto Graham, Marion Motley, just to mention a few of the Browns.
Regarding your Wolf Pack guest column “University should honor one of its greatest (Sept. 24),” not only is he one of the greatest but probably the greatest football player to ever come out of the University of Nevada. A statue of this great man would not only honor his skills in professional football, but his life as a great individual. It would show that the University of Nevada is capable of honoring such a great person.
James Shearer, Hawthorne
Motley deserves more than a banner at Nevada
Your article was right on. I saw Marion Motley play for the Cleveland Browns and he was a great running back. The people at the University of Nevada should put something other than a banner up for this great running back.
Nick Condos, Yerington
We want your opinion. Send a letter to the editor to lgustus@rgj.com to let us know if you agree or disagree with this column, and you could get published.
Pack guest column: University should honor one of its greatest stories
DAVID PATRICK CASTRO
DPC@DAVIDPATRICKCASTRO.COM
Posted: 9/24/2007
The University of Nevada has had many players reach the National Football League — Brock Marion, Nate Burleson, Charles Mann and Frank Hawkins are all prime examples that Nevada can produce NFL talent. But too often their work is relegated to the archives and occasional banter of bar-room chatter.
Nevada has two members of the College Hall of Fame — Chris Ault and Hawkins — yet their greatest son and only member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, Marion Motley, is relegated to relative obscurity by his own school.
Motley’s legacy on the field is undeniable. The running back/fullback is a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL’s 1940s All-Decade Team. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. But beyond the accolades and rushing stats, his greatest accomplishment is helping to integrate professional football.
Motley made his debut with the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference in 1946, one year before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s race barrier.
The administration at the University of Nevada has taken the ceremonious gesture of retiring Motley’s number, one of two players they have so honored (with Hawkins being the other.) However, Motley’s attendance at Nevada is mostly unknown to casual members of the Wolf Pack community.
A glance around Mackay Stadium shows no mention, no marker and no acknowledgment of Motley and one must venture into the background of Legacy Hall to find his recognition by the athletic department. Motley deserves better. To this fan and alumnus, there has been minimal acknowledgement of his glory days with the Wolf Pack football team.
In a bygone era of sanctioned racism and separate-but-equal ideology, the University of Nevada showed that it was forward-thinking and progressive in its actions.
The university was willing to embrace an African-American athlete during a time when they were widely shunned in the sporting world. However, the university now seems to be reluctant to laud what Motley meant to both his school and his society, thus denying the casual Wolf Pack fan from hearing a great, but untold, tale.
Even if you aren’t a sports fan, Motley’s accomplishments as a social pioneer transcend the playing lines, and his legacy needs to be praised so that future generations realize that a social pioneer graced the campus.
Perhaps this can be done with a statue or an oversized poster at Mackay. However the school decides to honor Motley, it is certainly overdue and would be a nice touch to add to the campus on the hill.
Send a letter to the editor if you agree or disagree with this column to lgustus@rgj.com and you could get published.
Wolf Pack Guest Column: Nicholls State
Volume III of the Wolf Pack Guest Column and some feedback from the good folks hearted at Wolf Pack Chat.
- maybe everybody in the WPC should send an e-mail to the sports editor at the RGJ about discontinuing the use of DPC for the guest columnist position or maybe even a petition I’m sure that if there is enough of a backlash they stop using him… I for one will send out my scolding e-mail the editor
Posted on 9/17 5:15 PM | IP: Logged
- Until today, I haven’t really had a problem with too much that DPC has written in his guest columns: He hasn’t really expressed any criticisms that haven’t also been openly discussed on this board. But for some reason today’s article got under my skin. (I’m a bit crabby today, anyway.)
So, I emailed whoever is at the other end of the link that appears on the bottom of the article. Here is what I said:
“I can’t understand how your selection of the Wolf Pack guest columnist helps do anything but perpetuate the feelings and perception in the community that the RGJ has an agenda regarding the University in general and Wolf Pack Sports specifically. While I appreciate the fact that your Wolf Pack coverage has improved somewhat recently (”improved” from putrid, which makes this very much a relative statement), the continual use of your paper to protract criticism of of the local University, it’s teams and coaches (read: Ault) reflects poorly on the paper and its editorial staff.“The concept of choosing a guest columnist is not a bad one. However, turning it into a critical, public forum for an agenda-driven blogger continues the RGJ’s history of building non-support within the community. That’s not news - it’s not even new.
“What would be refreshing is to hear the perspective of actual fans and boosters - those who actually bleed blue and silver and support the program. Maybe you feel it wouldn’t sell papers, but I’ve got news for you: you’re not selling papers now.” Posted on 9/17 1:44 PM | IP: Logged
Pack guest column: UNLV game a referendum for Nevada
DAVID PATRICK CASTRO
DPC@DAVIDPATRICKCASTRO.COM
Posted: 9/17/2007
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The Nevada football team outscored the Nicholls State Colonels 52-7 in the final three quarters Saturday, and in the process earned its first victory of the season.
The Colonels entered Mackay Stadium ranked No. 18 in the Sports Network FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA) Top 25 poll, but their triple-option offense stalled after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The game was over by the end of the first half, after Nevada had scored 31 unanswered points.
It was an impressive showing for Nevada, and the 15,233 fans that showed up were given the opportunity to cheer on a team that had given them no reason to embrace a 2007 campaign that was marketed under the hazy guise of “The Future Is Now.” Maybe Yogi Berra was thinking of the Wolf Pack when he said “the future ain’t what it used to be,” because Nevada is in the same spot it was last season: dominant over lesser opponents and a non-factor against the nation’s best programs.
Any negative thoughts out there will likely subside for the next two weeks, however, as coach Chris Ault prepares his team for the annual showdown with UNLV.
The community should enjoy the win, because it did show Nevada can play at a fairly high level against certain opponents. Unfortunately, on Saturday that opponent was in the Football Championship Subdivision and the Wolf Pack has no more lower-echelon opponents on the schedule this season.
I recently received an e-mail from a Nevada fan who thought the program would be better-suited returning to its Div. I-AA roots. I agree, because as the e-mailer pointed out, the move to Div. I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) was predicated on the notion of incremental improvement each season. There have been signs of growth, but in my opinion, Nevada has shown on too many occasions it is not on the same competitive level as many of its opponents.
In two weeks, Nevada hosts UNLV and a year’s worth of bragging rights are on the line. At this point in the season, both programs are 1-2. But are they equal? Nevada was beaten by No. 20 Nebraska, and last week Northwestern made a substantial halftime deficit disappear. UNLV lost to then-No. 24 Hawaii (in the Western Athletic Conference with the Wolf Pack) on Saturday and had an opportunity to knock off then-No. 5 Wisconsin, but the Rebels’ hopes faded away in the final moments on Sept. 8.
The Rebels’ only win this season was to another WAC program, Utah State on Aug. 30.
Since Nevada and UNLV both have only victories against lesser competition, Nicholls State and Utah State, respectively, who has had a better season so far?
We want your opinion. Send a letter to the editor to lgustus@rgj.com to let us know if you agree or disagree with this column, and you could get published.
Pack guest column: UNLV game a referendum for Nevada
DAVID PATRICK CASTRO
DPC@DAVIDPATRICKCASTRO.COM
Posted: 9/17/2007
The Nevada football team outscored the Nicholls State Colonels 52-7 in the final three quarters Saturday, and in the process earned its first victory of the season.
The Colonels entered Mackay Stadium ranked No. 18 in the Sports Network FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA) Top 25 poll, but their triple-option offense stalled after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The game was over by the end of the first half, after Nevada had scored 31 unanswered points.
It was an impressive showing for Nevada, and the 15,233 fans that showed up were given the opportunity to cheer on a team that had given them no reason to embrace a 2007 campaign that was marketed under the hazy guise of “The Future Is Now.” Maybe Yogi Berra was thinking of the Wolf Pack when he said “the future ain’t what it used to be,” because Nevada is in the same spot it was last season: dominant over lesser opponents and a non-factor against the nation’s best programs.
Any negative thoughts out there will likely subside for the next two weeks, however, as coach Chris Ault prepares his team for the annual showdown with UNLV.
The community should enjoy the win, because it did show Nevada can play at a fairly high level against certain opponents. Unfortunately, on Saturday that opponent was in the Football Championship Subdivision and the Wolf Pack has no more lower-echelon opponents on the schedule this season.
I recently received an e-mail from a Nevada fan who thought the program would be better-suited returning to its Div. I-AA roots. I agree, because as the e-mailer pointed out, the move to Div. I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) was predicated on the notion of incremental improvement each season. There have been signs of growth, but in my opinion, Nevada has shown on too many occasions it is not on the same competitive level as many of its opponents.
In two weeks, Nevada hosts UNLV and a year’s worth of bragging rights are on the line. At this point in the season, both programs are 1-2. But are they equal? Nevada was beaten by No. 20 Nebraska, and last week Northwestern made a substantial halftime deficit disappear. UNLV lost to then-No. 24 Hawaii (in the Western Athletic Conference with the Wolf Pack) on Saturday and had an opportunity to knock off then-No. 5 Wisconsin, but the Rebels’ hopes faded away in the final moments on Sept. 8.
The Rebels’ only win this season was to another WAC program, Utah State on Aug. 30.
Since Nevada and UNLV both have only victories against lesser competition, Nicholls State and Utah State, respectively, who has had a better season so far?
We want your opinion. Send a letter to the editor to lgustus@rgj.com to let us know if you agree or disagree with this column, and you could get published.
Pack guest column: Nevada let a big one get away
DAVID PATRICK CASTRO
DPC@DAVIDPATRICKCASTRO.COM
Posted: 10/15/2007
The Wolf Pack showed flashes of brilliance in its 69-67 four-overtime loss at Boise State, but ultimately came up short. In what has become the Achilles’ heel of 2007 season, the defense cost Nevada a monumental upset victory.
But give the Pack credit. The 26.5-point underdog wasn’t intimidated by the poster boys of the WAC, Boise State.
So what do we know after four overtimes, 639 yards of offense, 67 points scored and 627 total yards and 69 points surrendered? First off, Nevada is in good hands with its young quarterback, who was largely unfazed by the intimidating environment. His performance should go down as one of the top games for a freshman quarterback, regardless of conference. There is a tendency toward hyperbole after any great game, but Colin Kaepernick kept his team alive every step of the way, and nearly pulled off what would have been a history-making victory (Boise State hasn’t lost to a WAC opponent on its blue turf).
The defense, on the other hand, will cost the Pack some victories. The run defense is last in the country and it has a nasty habit of giving up long plays for big gains. You cannot expect the offense to win a shootout every week, and the Pack’s defensive coaching staff has a lot of midnight oil to burn in trying to figure out how to shut down any offense that has a pulse.
Nevada is now 2-4, and 0-2 in WAC play, and this team is only capable of beating the bottom feeders of the NCAA’s Bowl-Championship Series.
We are in year four of Chris Ault’s latest tour. Former head coach Chris Tormey, once Ault’s chosen successor whom Ault later fired, was 4-2 at the same interval in his fourth year.
It is a shame that the Pack had to lose to Boise State, in such a back-and-forth, exciting game. And, now, I can’t use the term rival in describing Boise State because after eight straight losses Nevada is nothing more than a sparring partner.
There is good news. Nevada makes a short trip to Logan, Utah to play the winless Utah State Aggies on Saturday. But the team will no doubt travel there with the sour taste of Sunday’s four-overtime loss in its mouth. This was a tough one to lose.
We want your opinion. Send a letter to the editor to lgustus@rgj.com to let us know if you agree or disagree with this column, and you could get published.
Nevada @ Northwestern
The Wolf Pack pulled defeat out of the jaw’s of victory.
Pack guest columnist: Nevada needs to change focus of season
DAVID PATRICK CASTRO
DPC@DAVIDPATRICKCASTRO.COM
Posted: 10/8/2007
It seems the Wolf Pack football team was still hung over after celebrating its latest win over UNLV and came out listless against Western Athletic Conference rival Fresno State on Saturday.
Even though the finally score was 49-41, the game was over within the first 18 seconds of the third quarter, when the Wolf Pack gave up one of many long touchdowns on Ryan Mathews’ 67-yard run.
Efforts to look at the silver lining in this game would be wrong. Yes, Nevada scored 41 points. But 21 of them came with less than seven minutes left in the game, essentially in garbage time. Replacement quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked excellent, but he was on the field due to a season-ending injury to starter Nick Graziano, and his numbers were inflated by Fresno State’s prevent defense and sizable lead.
The Wolf Pack lost by eight points and gained 702 yards of offense, but it’s a moot point because the team was no more than a participant.
Nevada head coach Chris Ault has taken responsibility for this recent debacle and anything less would border on some type of duplicity. There are some who might question who is in charge of the special teams and defensive units. But, in certain instances, one must stop questioning the work of subordinates. Responsibility in trying times should run uphill and this loss falls squarely on Coach Ault. Even he won’t deny that.
“We will lead the team so they will have direction,” Ault said following the game. “You have to find a way to rebound. These are good kids, and I’m disappointed with how we have responded when faced with adversity. Our defense just did not respond, and I take full responsibility for that.”
Rivalries are the foundation of college sports, and a win over our neighbor to the south is always welcome. But it shouldn’t be the focus of a season that also includes 11 other games.
There is little doubt that I am not the only Wolf Pack fan that is displeased with the direction that Ault is leading our team, because by the start of the second half there were many empty seats at Mackay Stadium.
Pundits, prognosticators and everyone in between — myself included — can say what they want about Ault and the Wolf Pack, but the ultimate measuring stick is the Boise State Broncos. Nevada and Boise State made the jump from Div. I-AA to Div. I-A in 1992 and 1996, respectively, but are on opposite ends of the football spectrum.
On Sunday, the Wolf Pack heads north to Boise State. The Wolf Pack has lost five of seven games including the 38-7 loss to the Broncos in November, while the Broncos upset the Oklahoma Sooners, 43-42 in overtime, in January’s Fiesta Bowl.
I’d like to say there is a gap between the two programs, but the word chasm might be more appropriate. I could be wrong in my assessment, but I haven’t heard the BCS knocking on Nevada’s door lately.
We want your opinion. Send a letter to the editor to lgustus@rgj.com to let us know if you agree or disagree with this column, and you could get published.
The Wolf Pack Community Responds To The Wolf Pack Guest Column
The longer this goes on as you have pointed out the tougher it is going to be to redefine the program. Some of these games are scheduled years in advance and involve guarantees of monies. What they need right now is a very high powered Calif. type recruiter who can go out and bring in the better players who produce on the field. The best thing that could have happened is that Nevada should have affiliated with the Pac-10 years ago. Do we not live next to the State of Ca? The point I make is that there has always been an old Nevada bias in the negative towards Ca. that is held by some of the coaches. They want to do it the Nevada way. If you are a talented young man who has a football skill would you not want to compete with the better California schools to get recognition and maybe further yourself? Because of the thousands of Californians who now live here I say they would more likely turn out for a Cal game here than Nicholls State. But as you say, this slow slide has been going on for so long that it may be irreversible. Since they just renewed the Ault contract for more years there won’t be any fundamental change in thinking there on his part. They could have helped their situation by announcing an heir apparent that is going to take over when the current coach is gone but didn’t see that. There is enough win mix in the schedule that they will most likely win 7 or 8 games this year and maybe a bowl but it still won’t sell seats. That is why I still say that this is really a AA program that runs around claiming to be the A and people are turned off by it. – email from Bob Owen in reference to my Reno Gazette Journal Guest Column
I am not alone in my sentiments that the Nevada football program has become stagnant. One could assume that the dwindling attendance numbers were the clearest indicators that the community no longer embraces the Wolf Pack and that the fans have spoken with their money and time.
I no longer live in Reno. I attended Nevada for four years and left after graduation but during my stay there I attended as many games as I could and the overall atmosphere of Mackay Stadium is a clear indicator about the community’s feeling towards the squad. For the most the joint was half empty and those that did attend were hardcore fans. The fringe fans or those that are usually indifferent seemed to view the games as irrelevant and came down when UNLV was in town. For the most part students didn’t talk about the team. They were aware that one existed but only when banks were robbed. You’ll always have a fan base of loyalists but winning breeds excitement and the buzz attracts those that are on the fence.
The men’s basketball team was functional and moving in the right direction under Trent Johnson when I began attending. Attendance was low but people we’re starting to pay attention. After an N.I.T. birth casual fans began to take notice and by the time the Sweet 16 became reality, well lets admit it they’re the toast of the town and Nevada is becoming another UConn or Indiana. Meaning that we’re a basketball school and no one is aware that we have football team unless bad things happen.
There’s no shame in being a basketball school because it shows that a smaller school in Reno can hang with the big boys when March dances in. At this point the school maybe better served to consider dropping down to AA, or whatever new moniker the NCAA has thrown on it. People cared about Nevada for a long time because they produced consistent winners and gave their fans hope that winning is possible. The fact that the glory days occurred at a lower division is nearly a moot point because they sent teams to post season play and players to the NFL. At this point a step backwards could lead to two steps forward and embracement by the greater Wolf Pack community. And members of the community realize that the Wolf Pack is not moving forward.
