It’s never too late to make the comeback of the century.
After being stored away for over a decade, the Miner faithful get ready to put their picks back up, because UTEP’s iconic Mineshaft entrance is back.
Originating in 2004, The Mine Shaft entrance was brought to life by former Miner Head Football Coach Mike Price and his assistant coaching crew.
To the sounds of explosions, pyro technics, and adrenaline-pumped athletic beasts, the Miners walked from their locker rooms, down to the stands of the sun bowl up until they reached the field of play. Allowing fans to cheer for them up close and provide their support through fist bumps and high fives.
In attempting to rejuvenate Miner pride in El Paso, Scotty Walden adopted the tradition and is ready to carry the pick from the high levels of the nearly 52K capacity stadium, down to the gridiron in UTEP’s upcoming home opener vs Southern Utah.
Part of the brain trust that helped make the mineshaft prominent is none other than former UTEP assistant football coach, and Mike Price’s son, Aaron Price.
“We were discussing a way we could stay in the locker room, and stay in the air-conditioning as long as we could,” said Price. “We were sitting around the dinner table and we just said, hey why don’t we come out of that portal before the game and spend that time up in our locker room? And we can make it like a mineshaft.”
Upon inception, the Mineshaft entrance was originated to formulate a method where the miners could stay in their locker room until they needed to hit the field for game time, to avoid the cruelness of the desert elements.
But the Price’s did not just want to make the combatting of heat a basic walk, they desired community engagement.
“We discussed it as a group, my brother and I, and my dad, there’s smoke, and (we) act like it’s getting blown up,” Commented Price on the origins of the idea. “So we started asking people can we get this done? Is this legal?.”
Fortunately for the Price’s and Miner community, it was legal.
But once Price left in 2012, the entrance was sent to the bench.
Funny enough, the stars aligned for the Mineshaft’s Grand return 12 years later.
Scotty Walden wasn’t the only major overhaul the Miners made this offseason, as in late July UTEP unveiled its state-of-the-art locker rooms to the entire college football world.
And to be quite frank, it’d be a shame to not use the new installation to its full potential.
“With the phenomenal setup that we have, you want your players to be able to be in that environment as long as you can,” declared Price.
The Mineshaft’s revival has attention from all eyes of the city’s community, ranging from high-profile media attention to stirring student curiosity.
“I’ve never fully experienced a real college tradition, and the fact that they are bringing it back at the time I’m attending, the timing is perfect,” said freshman Felix Castanon.
The original intent of the Mineshaft was simple, to make the lives of athletes easier, and innovatively grasp the attention of fans.
Walden succeeded in bringing back fan engagement to the 915.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
