April 27, 2007
After surviving the highs and lows of my first spring football season in 2000 I realized that I would have to apply what I had learned and experienced in many more practices to come in the following years. A veteran of four spring seasons, I approached my last spring practices in 2003 with a day-to-day mentality. Simply focusing on the day that was in front of me gave me the opportunity to fully concentrate on the things that were important without worrying about the distractions of what could happen the next day.
By my fourth spring practice season I was prepared for the mental and physical demands and could focus on execution and learning rather than just trying to make it through practices. When I realized that this would be the last time I went through spring ball I began to appreciate the small things like being around teammates and coaches, and the overall atmosphere surrounding spring practice.
The biggest lesson I learned through my experiences with spring ball was that being in shape and striving to get better everyday was very important. If you were in shape, then everything else was just learning and executing.
Another big lesson I learned was to never be satisfied with where I was as a player. Many times players think they have arrived and have no further room to improve. In reality, they begin to get worse as a result of this attitude.
Senior wide receiver Marcus Smith is wrapping up his fourth spring practice session and has dealt with many of the issues that I was confronted with in my last spring. I caught up with Marcus after team meetings on Wednesday to talk about how much he’s grown and advanced as a football player as he enters his final season. Marcus talked about the dedication and desire he’s had during to rely on during his last spring practice season.
Click here to listen to my All-Access interview with Marcus Smith.
-D.J.
David J. Renteria was a four-year letterman (1999-2003) and two-year starter on the defensive line at New Mexico. Renteria was a first team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2003, when he helped lead the nation’s fifth-ranked run defense, and a second team pick in ’02. The Roswell, N.M. native finished his career tied for ninth all-time at UNM with 34.5 tackles for loss. He also had 14 sacks and 111 tackles in 49 games (29 starts). Renteria played professionally for three years with the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos organizations. He is currently working as a student assistant in the UNM Athletics Media Relations office while he finishes his degree in Communications.
Cherry-Silver Game Five Days Away!
Lobo fans, the annual Cherry-Silver Spring Football Game is only five days away. Be sure to come down to University Stadium at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2nd to check out the Lobo football team’s final practice of the 2007 spring season. Admission is free and all your favorite players will be signing autographs after the game.
If you can’t make it to the stadium in person, you can watch the game on your computer. For the first time ever, the Cherry-Silver game will be broadcast live on the GoLobos.com All-Access package with the Voice of the Lobos, Mike Roberts, and former all-conference defensive lineman D.J. Renteria providing commentary. Visit GoLobos.com today to sign up for your free All-Access membership.
With 44 returning letterwinners, 20 returning starters and 32 players from the state of New Mexico, 2007 looks to be another exciting year at University Stadium with home game versus New Mexico State, BYU and Air Force. Season tickets will go on sale June 18!