UNLV FOOTBALL: Local has global roots - Sports

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Sep. 29, 2009
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UNLV FOOTBALL: Local has global roots

20 questions with UNLV linebacker Ronnie Paulo

By MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

UNLV Football

Western High product Ronnie Paulo, a UNLV junior linebacker, has a sister who graduated from rival UNR, where the Rebels play at 1 p.m. Saturday. "I still hold it against her," Paulo joked.
Photo by Gary Thompson

Editor's note:
This is the latest installment of a weekly feature in which the Las Vegas Review-Journal asks 20 questions of a member of the UNLV football team.

Today's Q&A is with junior linebacker Ronnie Paulo, a Western High School graduate who was born in Africa. He and the Rebels play rival UNR at 1 p.m. Saturday in Reno.

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1. Being from Las Vegas, is it extra special playing in Reno?

It always is because being from here, you always have that sense that they're the enemy. You're not supposed to like them. I grew up liking and watching UNLV football.

2. Have you been to Reno?

I have. My sister (Mona) actually went to Reno (and) graduated. I still hold it against her. Reno's a place in itself. I'm going to leave it at that.

3. Do you have a special bond with other local players on the Rebels?

I really do. It's not really a separate clique on the team, but we're aware we're all from Vegas. We hold a certain foundation to Las Vegas players playing at UNLV.

4. Do you serve as sort of a recruiter for local players?

I'm certainly one of them. Phillip (Payne) might be the other half. ... I like to encourage guys to come here because there's a reason we're on the rise.

5. Do you ever think what it might have been like if you had signed with Nebraska, which also recruited you?

I don't really think back too much on it because I eventually made the decision I made. I just felt pressure (from Nebraska). It didn't really sound genuine like the UNLV (scholarship offer).

6. Did you feel like it was sort of a half-offer?

Not necessarily. It was just, "We'll take you, but we have someone else."

7. After Nebraska pressured you to commit early, what did the experience show you about the recruiting process?

It definitely opened my eyes to how crucial recruiting can be, how stressful it can be. But I've learned from it, and I'm glad I am where I am.

8. You were born in Africa. Do you have any memories of living there?

No, I was a toddler when I was there and moved here.

9. Did your family move to Las Vegas or somewhere else first?

We came straight here. There was a war in Africa (Namibian War of Independence) at the time, and it wasn't really safe there. ... I don't know why we chose Vegas. We have a lot of family here, but I don't know the real reason.

10. Does your family talk a lot about their time in Africa?

My mom (Rosa) does. My sisters tell me what they can about their experiences there. They miss their friends. They have a lot of memories.

11. Do you wish you had memories of it?

I wish I did. I speak a little bit of the language, which is Portuguese. I can understand what (people) are saying, but as far as responding, it's a no-go.

12. Have you been back?

No. I'm planning on going one of these summers, but there hasn't been time with school and football.

13. How did you get into football?

It was the summer of sixth grade. One of my friends introduced me to a coach. We hit it off from there. I started off playing linebacker and wore No. 56 the whole time, so I've been No. 56 my whole football career.

14. When did you realize you were pretty good?

Early in the second year of playing Pop Warner football. I actually had a knack for knocking guys off their feet.

15. How valuable was it to get playing time as a UNLV freshman?

Definitely instrumental, especially with Beau Bell being there. He was a major role model for me at the time because I didn't know the ins and outs of the game yet.

16. What did being voted by your teammates on the leadership committee show you?

It gives a sense of comfort, I guess. I respect that the guys respect me like that.

17. What's it like being on a jury of your teammates?

It's not an odd feeling at all. The team voted us on there, so they wanted us to take responsibility to make those decisions.

18. I understand you play the trombone?

I did in high school. I haven't touched it since.

19. Were you in the band?

I was in the symphonic band, and I was in the jazz band as well.

20. What's your favorite type of music?

Miles Davis is definitely a guy I idolize.

• NOTES -- Rebels coach Mike Sanford said he is limiting media access this week, allowing interviews only with himself, wide receiver Ryan Wolfe and linebacker Starr Fuimaono. This interview with Paulo was conducted before the policy was enacted. ...

Quarterback Omar Clayton (throwing shoulder, knee) is expected to play at UNR, but Sanford said, "I think he's going to be sore." ...

Safety Marquel Martin (concussion) has been cleared. Wide receiver Rodelin Anthony, coming off his second concussion of the season, is "day to day." Defensive end Daniel Mareko (broken arm) is out until late October.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Read the latest UNLV football updates at lvrj.com/blogs/unlv_sports.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Green Dragon Regular wrote on September 30, 2009 10:46 AM: @Eliminate_(thyself from the gene pool)UNLV_Sports- If your point, ultimately, is to eliminate UNLV as a learning institution, then you're right. If not, then you missed my point entirely. Let me guess, EVERYONE threw the ball at you first in dodgeball... Eliminate_UNLV_sports wrote on September 29, 2009 08:57 PM: Anderson wrote (1602): Paulo changed his major to sociology. Dysfunctional-American Studies (ie. jockology. Dragon (1217) wrote: Student enrollment, along with donations, would plummet putting the school on a par with community colleges. Thank you for making my point from earlier postings: the true cost of UNLV Division I athletics is not the sum profit/loss of the teams but rather the cost of the ENTIRE university. Run to death wrote on September 29, 2009 08:24 PM: Interesting answer Ronnie gave with the Nebraska scholarship. The real reason he's at UNLV and not at Nebraska was GPA and academics he didn't/wasn't gonna qualify to Nebraska so UNLV was his only shot. They guy was good enough to play there why in his right mind would he chose UNLV when he did if they sucked at the time? This is a little insider information that I know. It had nothing to do with Nebraska being genuine it was his GPA in HS that was his downfall and he didn't Graduate from Western he just played football there as he attended LVA. Local Fan wrote on September 29, 2009 04:05 PM: I am a friend of the family and I don't feel like I have to post this but I will for this young man and his family. He has two older sisters who have three degrees among them and are hard working, successful professionals. I know for a fact this young man will receive his degree, whatever it may be in, due to his family values and his excellent role models within his home. So before you make any of your negative comments, how about you possibly find out a little bit of the facts! Way to applaud your locals. Mark Anderson wrote on September 29, 2009 04:02 PM: FYI, Paulo changed his major to sociology. Vegas John wrote on September 29, 2009 03:18 PM: It is amazing how critical some people are. Here is a young man who is in college trying to do something positive with his life. It is certainly not difficult to make the wrong decisions and do nothing with someone's opportunities, yet he has chosen to commit himself to working hard both in the classroom and on the football field. I aplaud Ronnie for making a commitment to continue his education past high school and wish him well in his future endeavors. Go Rebs. Ican Givemyselfhead wrote on September 29, 2009 01:11 PM: There's no rivalry in sports anywhere around the world as fierce as UNLV and UNR. Ken wrote on September 29, 2009 01:06 PM: What a friggin waste. These guys get a 'full ride' to a Div 1 college, and they decide to waste it on majors such as 'afro-american studies'. Unbelievable. Get a business degree, or maybe, heaven forbid, try to be a professional like a lawyer, pharmacist, or even doctor. Gee, your first 4 years, free of charge. 1% ever make it to the pros, so they will have 4 years of nothing with a 1.9 GPA and no future. Wow. Lisa wrote on September 29, 2009 01:04 PM: Afro-American Studies major hmm? Let's see, after the first class teaches you that Africans came over on slave ships, then what? If I was interviewing an applicant for my work and I saw he majored in "african studies", I guarantee you he wouldn't get to the next step. EVER. Schtuppings Inthetouchas wrote on September 29, 2009 12:18 PM: Carlos, I disagree with you and respectfully submit: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Read All Comments