He set a school record for pass break-ups and was the 2004 NCAA Pass Break-up Champion & being voted as the “Most improved player” as a lobo. As a Lobo in 2004, Payne was a Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American, a 1st Team All Mountain West Conference selection and a semi-finalist for the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award. Payne then transferred to the University of New Mexico, where he excelled as one of the top rated defensive backs in all of college football. He earned his Associates of the Arts degree: Liberal Arts, with a focus in Kinesiology. He led the team in interceptions and in blocked field goals. Payne began his college career at Blinn Junior College (Brenham, TX) where he was honorable mention All-Conference in the secondary. The sports background is very deep in Payne’s family from a line of great athletes who played at the highest level in college & also professionally. He was a three year starter on the basketball team on top of capturing a few accolades. Payne held several D1 offers in football, but was also a 3 sport athlete that excelled at baseball/Basketball. His senior season, he was a first team All-District selection and honorable mention All- State cornerback, as well as his team’s defensive MVP. You don’t go there to see a great ballpark.Coach Payne is a Texas native who was a stand-out athlete at Dayton High School in southeast Texas graduating in 2000. You go there in March if you’re already a Cubs fan and are wondering if the team will contend or if you’re a Chicagoan sick and tired of the snow back home. One thing HoHoKam Park has: plenty of booze, including a wide variety of beers (yes, Wrigley fans, Old Style is available) and mixed frozen concoctions with a alcohol base.Īs if you can’t tell, we’re not huge fans of HoHoKam.
Many of the concessions are contained in the closed grandstand, though there are stands down each line and in center field. It was designed by HOK Sport, designer of Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore), Progressive Field (Cleveland), and Coors Field (Denver), so you know that there are retro touches throughout: in the case of HoHoKam, there are traditional steel trusses and steel canopy above the upper deck, but the effect is highly muted. The contours of the outfield wall are designed with the same dimensions of those at Wrigley Field - but, of course, there’s no ivy or brickwork. It certainly has the largest scoreboard in the Cactus League: a 12’x16′ instant replay video screen on a 32-foot high left-field scoreboard. Indeed, HoHoKam Park is really a Class AAA park masquerading as a spring-training facility.
From Tucson, take Route 10 North to 360 (Superstition Highway), to Country Club Drive exit north turn right at Brown Road turn left at Center Street the ballpark is one block on the right. HoHoKam will be on the left-hand side of the street. From Phoenix, take 202 Loop east to exit 12 (McKellips Road), turn right on W. It’s built to accommodate the hordes of Cubs fans who descend on the Cactus League every spring, but that’s about it.ĭimensions: 340L, 390LC, 410C, 390RC, 350RĪddress/Directions: 1235 N. In some ways HoHoKam is the polar opposite of Wrigley Field: the old ballpark at Clark and Addison drips with history and nostalgia, while HoHoKam Park is new and bland. By Kevin Reichard on Januin Major-League Baseball, VisitsĬonsidering the Chicago Cubs play the regular season in one of the most charming ballparks in baseball, a visit to HoHoKam Park in March will tend to be disappointing to anyone but the most hardcore Cubbie fan.
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