Longtime UTEP play by play announcer Jon Teicher was honored last night at the 60th annual National Football Foundation (NFF) Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown's Grand Ballroom. The "Voice of the Miners" received the Chris Schenkel Award, recognizing a broadcaster with direct ties to a college or university who has had a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football. Teicher has spent the last 37 years with UTEP and he currently is an Assistant Athletics Director for Broadcasting.

"The opportunity to work with Coach Haskins the last 18 years of his career was a great, great thrill", Teicher said at the NFF morning press conference. "The opportunity to call UTEP's one and only Western Athletic Conference championship season in 2000 was a great thrill. And I must say it's a little ironic I sit here as the Chris Schenkel Award winner in 2017 and the Miners are coming off the only 0-12 season that the school has ever had. I guess that makes this year a little notable but the honor all that much sweeter for me this year."

The Chris Schenkel Award is essentially a lifetime achievement award for Teicher, who has never received national recognition despite his four decades of broadcasting UTEP football and basketball games. He was joined by a celebrity-laden College Football Hall of Fame class, including Bob Crable (Notre Dame), Marshall Faulk (San Diego State), Kirk Gibson (Michigan State), Matt Leinart (Southern California), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Bob McKay (Texas), Dat Nguyen (Texas A&M), Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern), Mike Ruth (Boston College), Brian Urlacher (New Mexico) and coaches Danny Ford (Clemson, Arkansas), Larry Kehres (Mount Union [Ohio]) and Steve Spurrier (Duke, Florida, South Carolina).

More From 600 ESPN El Paso