UNLV coaches, players help sports talk host spread Christmas cheer

If a GEICO-inspired TV commercial were to be made about local sports radio personality Ken Thomson, it would probably show him talking sports while inflating kid-sized footballs and basketballs in the lobby of Sunrise Children’s Hospital in the runup to Christmas.

It’s what he does.

Thomson hosts a show about sports and sports betting on Las Vegas-based SportsXradio (KDWN-AM 720, 7 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday). This was the eighth year he delivered those footballs and basketballs — with huge assists by UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez and basketball coaches Marvin Menzies and Kathy Olivier and their players — to the sick kids at Sunrise.

You could tell from the forlorn beep … beep … beep … of the hospital machines that many of the sick kids would not be going home for the holidays.

It’s one thing to lose by 49 to Duke. It’s another to miss Christmas because of those beeping machines.

“Sometimes there are bigger things than yesterday’s practice or tomorrow’s game or even taking a final exam, and that’s the game of life,” Thomson said as the Rebels players and coaches spread Christmas cheer up and down the wards.

“I love to see them smile, and light up a little bit, and add a little cheer to their day,” Sanchez said. “And it’s great for our players, too. It’s important to give back, and I think when you do give back, you get just as much in return.”

Exactly, said Lady Rebels coach Olivier: “We’re here, and we’re going through UNLV, and the student-athletes are getting their education and playing games. But this is real. We’re playing games, and these (kids) are fighting for their lives.”

Then she and the men’s coaches and the Rebels players pulled up their surgical masks and went back to the rooms to try to bring a little more light and cheer to their occupants.

Ken Thomson stayed behind in the empty play room to talk about the big hearts of the UNLV coaches and players.

There were big basketball games coming up against Oregon and Oregon State, and recruiting calls to be made when the dead period was up. But the hospital machines on the oncology ward continued to beep.

BLACK 14 REMEMBERED

In the previews to Wednesday’s Poinsettia Bowl pitting Wyoming of the Mountain West against Brigham Young, formerly of the Mountain West, somebody in his game notes mentioned a 1969 meeting between the two, and Wyoming’s Black 14.

The Black 14 were how the Cowboys’ African-American players of that season would be remembered. They met with coach Al Eaton to ask permission to wear black armbands against BYU, to protest the Mormon church’s refusal to allow blacks to become priests.

Eaton, who had built Wyoming into a top-10 contender and was said to be in the running for the head coaching position at Wisconsin, booted all 14 players off the team.

Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera sports writer and Wyoming graduate Ryan Thorburn wrote a fascinating book about it called “Black 14: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Wyoming Football.” I read it on Kindle the other night.

As you might expect, there were repercussions.

Wyoming became a campus divided. Al Eaton did not get the Wisconsin job; he was out of college football by the end of 1970. Wyoming lost 26 of its next 38 games and has yet to return to top-10 prominence; Tony McGee, one of the Black 14, went on to win Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins.

And then from amid the turmoil there was progress.

During the 1969 season, BYU had a young assistant named LaVell Edwards. The next year, the Cougars would have a black player, defensive back Ronnie Knight. By 1978, rules were amended to allow African-Americans to become priests in the church.

By the end of 1984, BYU was national champion.

Shortly after Wyoming runs onto the field at Qualcomm Stadium on Wednesday, about 40 African-American players will be among those pounding on shoulder pads on the Cowboys’ sideline.

STATS ENOUGH

The Mountain West has sunk to such depths that it might be a one NCAA Tournament bid league again this season. But that hasn’t precluded MWC publicists from trumpeting that Colorado State has held seven of 10 opponents to 40 percent or lower shooting percentage, that Fresno State is ranked 16th nationally in steals, that New Mexico is 44-5 at home since 2010, that Air Force is that, that Wyoming is that.

Ad nauseum.

Ad infinitum.

Rare is it when the quality of opponent against which these statistics were compiled is mentioned.

Likewise, last week’s conference notes did not point out that UNLV was blown out by 49 points at home, or real close to home, by Duke.

(There is not a single MWC team slotted among the top 50 in the RPI.com power ratings. UNR is tops at No. 69.)

This is not to discredit the MWC publicists, whose job it is to accentuate the positive, regardless of how difficult that might be.

The Big Sky notes probably say the same things about Idaho and Northern Arizona.

NO SKIRTS IN THE CLUBHOUSE

While it’s still permissible for a pitcher to throw 95 mph projectile at a guy’s head in certain situations according to major league baseball code, the sanctioning body has enacted a new anti-hazing rule prohibiting ballplayers from dressing up as women and riding the team bus.

This was seen as progress.

What wasn’t pointed out: Wearing go-go boots might have spared former Indians pitcher Kyle Denney from being more seriously injured during a 2004 incident that involved fellow hazee Ryan Ludwick of Las Vegas.

A bullet fired at the Cleveland bus lodged in Denney’s calf. Trainers said Denney’s injuries might have been worse had he not been wearing go-go boots. Ludwick was struck by shrapnel.

The news report did not mention if Ludwick also was wearing go-go boots, or a Madonna-model bustier.

TAKING A KNEE

• Twitter post on former UNLV football coach Harvey Hyde’s account (via former Texas coaching legend Darrell Royal): “Bowl games are not fun unless you win.” Excellent take, coaches Royal and Hyde. When defending the bowl system vs. a playoff system, bowl game proponents say with a playoff there is only one winner. And that with bowls there are 40 or so winners. They neglect to point out there also are 40 or so losers.

• The PBA50 Tour has announced its 2017 schedule, and the world’s best senior bowlers will be spending most of June in Las Vegas. The USBC Super Senior Classic is set for June 1 to 3 at Sam’s Town, followed by the USBC Senior Masters at Sam’s Town from June 4 to 10 and the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open at Suncoast from June 11 to 16. The old bowling dudes abide.

• For those seeking respite from the annual “A Christmas Story” TV marathon, CBS is offering “A Very Muddy Christmas” — the World’s Toughest Mudder, a grueling 24-hour human endurance race filmed on the outskirts of Las Vegas, will air at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day. Try not to face plant in the eggnog.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.