Rockets Get a Taste of the Old West at Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
12/28/2023 9:26:00 PM | Football
Toledo players and coaches enjoy performance at Old Tucson theme park
TUCSON, Ariz. - Following their second practice at the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Thursday, the Toledo Rockets got a taste of the Old West with an evening at Old Tucson, an old west theme park that was once used as a set for Hollywood movies.
At Old Tucson, the Rockets were treated to demonstrations of a Western movie shootout and fistfight techniques, entertained by a saloon show and enjoyed a delicious steak dinner. They also participated in a western dance-off in which junior cornerback Micah Cherry was declared the winner over freshman tight end Donivon Thomas and graduate assistant coach Anthony Calcutta.
Built in 1939, Old Tucson is a renowned film set and family theme park located just outside of Tucson. Nestled between Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park, this beautiful desert setting has been the filming location of nearly 300 classic western films and TV shows such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), and El Dorado (1966). More recently it was used as a backdrop for the Little House on the Prairie TV series of the 1970s–1980s, the film Three Amigos! (1986) and the popular film Tombstone (1993). Stars such as John Wayne, James Stewart, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, and Ronald Reagan have appeared in films that were shot there. The studio opened its doors as a theme park in 1960.
The Rockets will hold their final practice on Friday before they take the field vs. Wyoming on Saturday (2:30 p.m. MT/4:30 ET). The game can be seen on the CW network or on the Barstool app.
At Old Tucson, the Rockets were treated to demonstrations of a Western movie shootout and fistfight techniques, entertained by a saloon show and enjoyed a delicious steak dinner. They also participated in a western dance-off in which junior cornerback Micah Cherry was declared the winner over freshman tight end Donivon Thomas and graduate assistant coach Anthony Calcutta.
Built in 1939, Old Tucson is a renowned film set and family theme park located just outside of Tucson. Nestled between Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park, this beautiful desert setting has been the filming location of nearly 300 classic western films and TV shows such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rio Bravo (1959), and El Dorado (1966). More recently it was used as a backdrop for the Little House on the Prairie TV series of the 1970s–1980s, the film Three Amigos! (1986) and the popular film Tombstone (1993). Stars such as John Wayne, James Stewart, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, and Ronald Reagan have appeared in films that were shot there. The studio opened its doors as a theme park in 1960.
The Rockets will hold their final practice on Friday before they take the field vs. Wyoming on Saturday (2:30 p.m. MT/4:30 ET). The game can be seen on the CW network or on the Barstool app.
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