Since 1940, 77 UTEP players have been chosen in the NFL draft and more than 100 have played professional football. Eight Miners have been drafted by NFL clubs since 2000.
UTEP linebacker Thomas Howard was picked by Oakland in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Howard was the sixth selection of the second round, and the 38th overall selection in the draft. He became the first Miner player to be chosen in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1973, when quarterback Gary Keithley was the 19th pick of the second round (45th overall pick) by the St. Louis Cardinals. It also marked the earliest a UTEP player was taken in the draft since 1969, when defensive back Grady Cavness was the 36th overall selection (10th in the second round) by the Denver Broncos. Howard was named UTEP's defensive MVP in 2005 after tallying 85 stops, seven tackles for losses and three sacks.
Former Miners on NFL rosters during the summer of 2006 included Howard, Jayson Boyd (Oakland), Trey Darilek (Philadelphia), Chris Francies (Green Bay), Ola Kimrin (Miami), Lee Mays (Pittsburgh), Paul Smith (St. Louis) and Brian Young (New Orleans).
Don Maynard, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, lettered for the Miners from 1954-56. He played in the NFL for 15 seasons, totaling 633 catches for 11,834 yards (18.7 avg.) and 88 touchdowns. A member of the New York Jets from 1963-72, Maynard had his biggest day in the 1968 AFL Championship Game which preceded the Jets' stunning upset of Baltimore in Super Bowl III. In New York's 27-23 victory over Oakland, Maynard caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. His 14-yard reception in the first period gave the Jets the lead and his six-yard catch in the fourth period proved to be the game winner. Maynard was a four-time AFL All-Star. His jersey (No. 13) was retired by the Jets and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
More recently, former Miner Tony Tolbert was a member of three Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl championship teams in the '90s (1993, 1994, 1996). UTEP's own Chris Jacke scored nine points in the 1997 Super Bowl, igniting the Green Bay Packers' 35-21 win over New England. Darilek (Philadelphia, 2005) and Young (St. Louis, 2002) were also a part of teams that advanced to the Super Bowl. Seth Joyner was a three-time Pro Bowler and was appointed the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1991 while with Philadelphia.
UTEP Coach Mike Price has a history of getting players to the NFL. During his 14 years at Washington State, he coached five players who were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft - running back Steve Broussard (20th pick by Atlanta in 1990), quarterback Drew Bledsoe (first pick by New England in 1993), linebacker Mark Fields (15th pick by New Orleans in 1995), quarterback Ryan Leaf (second pick by San Diego in 1998) and defensive back Marcus Trufant (11th pick by Seattle in 2003). In Price's first two years at the helm of the UTEP program, eight Miners have signed NFL contracts -- Bryce Benekos, Jayson Boyd, Chris Francies, Thomas Howard, Howard Jackson, Chris Mineo, Robert Rodriguez and Adrian Ward.
