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The 14th-annual UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame induction tallied five new members to the list of standout Miner athletes. Among the list are Orsten Artis (men’s basketball), Harrington Jackson (track & field), Gerina Mendoza-Piller (women’s golf), Brian Natkin (football) and Mack Saxon (football head coach). All the members will be recognized at the induction banquet on Friday, Oct. 7 at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center and the football team’s game versus Florida International on Oct. 8 at the Sun Bowl.
Artis was a member of the 1966 men’s basketball championship team and played for head coach Don Haskins from 1963-66. On the legendary championship squad, he was the third-leading scorer. Throughout his three years with the Miners, Artis averaged 11.4 points per game, shot 45 percent from the floor and 77.1 percent from the charity stripe. His standout performance during the 1966 campaign was when he posted a 22-point game against Utah in the semifinal round of the tournament. He went on to record 15 points against Kentucky in the title game. For the entire tournament, he averaged 12.6 ppg and scored 10-or-more points each of the five games.
Jackson’s track and field career at UTEP blossomed into something spectacular that pioneered the Miners’ rich track tradition. He became the program’s first national champion when he was crowned in the 100-yard dash at the 1971 NCAA Outdoor Meet. Jackson was ranked second in the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) world ranking for the 100-yard dash in 1970 and seventh in 1971. After the six-time WAC champion left UTEP, he held international indoor records in the 60 and 70-yard dashes and ranked third in the world in the 100-yard sprint.
Mendoza progressively improved each season she was on the women’s golf team and she has not yet stopped. She played golf for UTEP from 2003 to 2007 and dropped her score average every year – 81.0 as a freshman, 78.8 as a sophomore, 76.8 as a junior, 73.1 as a senior. In 2007 she was the Conference USA individual champion and received the Player of the Year award. Now, Mendoza is competing on the LPGA Tour, and in 2015, she was ranked 29th in the world.
From his days playing collegiate football, to now embarking on his coaching career, Natkin’s detailed career began at the Sun Bowl. He was a member of the football team from 1997-2000 and led almost every category of statistics for tight ends. He was top in the nation with 64 receptions for 787 yards – 46 of them resulting in a first down. He ended his career with 172 receptions for 1,934 yards and 11 touchdowns. Out of college, he played for the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. After his playing career, Natkin began to venture in the coaching field and presently is the Miners’ tight end coach and special teams coordinator.
Saxon, who coached 13 seasons, from 1929-41, can be regarded as one of the coaches who paved the way for football in West Texas. Almost 87 years since his start, Saxon still has the most wins in program history with 66 victories. Throughout his career he posted a 66-43-9 overall record and led the Texas College of Mines to their first bowl, which coincidentally was the Sun Bowl in 1937. Saxon passed away shortly after his coaching career ended in 1949.
Adrian Broaddus may be reached at [email protected]
