Yet there is no regret in their voices, and much joy. In retrospect, a good time was had by all that week in El Paso. Nick Shundich recalled, ''and we ended up cheering for the bull - which wasn't very pleasant for the Mexicans. This proved a useful precaution, for George Thompson wound up in a Mexican jail following a dispute with a street vendor. Bowl trips tend to be the most memorable journeys college football teams take, for they are the longest and least regimented.
Curfews tend to be less tight before bowl games, and supervision far less suffocating.
In theory, bowl trips should be approached as a reward for a successful season rather than an extra week of work. In practice, however, coaches do not always cooperate. Some of his teammates say the flight back was worse. Teammates remember the late Joe Benzinger losing some teeth on game day. It was Christmastime and we all wanted to go home after a long season.