New UT defensive coordinator has Laredo connection

Well, we got Tim Gutierrez, the 'Horns got Manny Diaz- sounds about even

Manny Diaz was recently hired by Mac Brown as UT's new defensive coordinator. One of the first things I remember reading about Diaz is that he does not have any playing experience in football. He majored in broadcasting, and for a while worked as an associate producer on some ESPN show. As it turns out, Diaz went back to college and became a football coach instead. After a successful stint at Mississippi State, he was hired by Mac Brown to lead the longhorn's defense.

Here's the Laredo angle. As always, it's sorta negative in a way but in this case it turns out pretty positive. According to an article in the Toledoblade.com, Diaz once applied for a position with a Laredo TV station but he was turned down. So in a way, Laredo's loss was eventually UT's gain. Imagine, if he had been hired by Pro8news, he might still be reporting sports instead of making sporting news. Here's some of the article:

JACKSONVILLE -- Some big wig TV news station executive in Laredo, Texas, did Manny Diaz a big favor by not hiring him in the mid-1990s.  

Diaz, in that post-college period of his life, aspired to be an on-air personality in a sports department. Any sports department would do. So Diaz, a behind-the-scenes production assistant for ESPN at the time, compiled a resume tape and shipped it to small market stations everywhere. He got lucky. No one wanted him.