Ralph Bowyer was a record-setting coach in Carlsbad (Eddy County), New Mexico for whom Bowyer Stadium is named. In his days as a player, he was considered one of the greatest athletes to attend University of New Mexico earning All-Border Conference honors both in football (1934-35) and basketball (1934-1935 and 1935-1936).
In coaching, he stood for fairness and equality. After integration came to New Mexico, on overnight stays Bowyer would put his teams up in lesser quality hotels so that they could remain together rather than have his black athletes be refused lodging. On a road trip, Boyer once ordered chicken fried steak dinners for the team. When he was told that his black players would have to eat in the kitchen, Bowyer took the entire team and left the restaurant. It was his supporting attitude that encouraged many of his minority players to go on to college. He was rigid in enforcing discipline. In 1945, he had warned his players against going to a midnight Halloween-week movie before a big game with El Paso Austin. Spotting some of his players in line for the movie, he went in and asked the theater manager to warn his players about attending. Those who still attended sat on the bench for the game. Carlsbad almost went scoreless in the game, only pulling out a win with a last minute touchdown. The lesson may or may not have been learned by all, but it earned him the respect of the team and the town. As a player at Albuquerque High School, he was All-State in football, basketball, track and baseball from 1929-1932. He was a nine time letterwinner in football, basketball and track at University of New Mexico. As a Carlsbad coach, he won eight state football titles during his tenure from 1943 to 1967. Two of those years (1946 and 1947), he coached teams that won state titles in football, basketball and track. Five of his players went on to play in the NFL. He served as athletic director at New Mexico Highlands University from 1967 to 1972 and was inducted into the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. He was beloved by his players, many of whom considered him to be a father figure and remained in close contact with him for the rest of his life. His high school coaching records were 171-109-10 in football, with eight* state titles, 365-137 in basketball with three state titles and two state titles in track. In his senior years, he was an active Senior Olympian, golfer, fisherman and artist. Carlsbad's football stadium is named in his honor. It has been said that it is not just Bowyer Stadium, but Ralph Bowyer Stadium. Each year the New Mexico High School Coaches Association (of which he was a founding member) honors him by awarding the Ralph Bowyer Coaching for Character Award. * NMAA lists only six championships. The official reason for the difference is unknown, but in years prior to about 1950, there was no sanctioned state championship system.
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Terry Landrum is from Albuquerque, New Mexico and graduated from Highland High School. He was a good high school athlete with a desire to play professional baseball, despite not playing the sport in high school. Landrum wanted to attend junior college rather than a four year college, but he caught the eye of the baseball coach of a small school, Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilbarton. However, only a couple of months into his freshman year, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club. Despite the quick start, his professional career was a long time developing as he slowly worked his way up from A ball in 1973 to AAA before breaking into the big leagues in 1980. His minor league stops included Orangeburg (A) in the Western Carolina League, St. Petersburg (A+) in the Florida State League, Arkansas (AA) in the Texas League, and Tulsa and Springfield (AAA) in the American Association. He began his nine year career as an outfielder in Major League Baseball with the Cardinals on July 23, 1980 at age 25, playing with them from 1980 to 1983 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles late in the season. He rejoined the Cardinals from 1984 to 1987. Late in the 1987 season, he was released by the Cardinals and picked up as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers for the remainder of the 1987 season. His final year in the big leagues was 1988 when he returned to the Orioles. Landrum played his final game in the majors on May 9, 1988 at age 33. Landrum relates that he tried to get a job in baseball upon retiring as a player but none were forthcoming. That door being closed, he resumed his college education at New York University, where he obtained a B.S. degree in Physical Therapy. He was honored by being selected to make the valedictory address to his graduating class, though others had a higher grade point average. He commented that this honor exceeded the thrill of appearing in three World Series in baseball. Terry believes that he learned valuable life lessons in his baseball career. He never gave up, despite it taking him eight years to reach the major leagues. And once he achieved that, he said "I was not an everyday player. I would stay late and listen to everybody. I accepted criticism. That was the only way to learn." [New York Times Archive, November 22, 1998] Applying these lessons to his education, he then engaged his work ethic to learning, devoted the time to his education that it required and remained teachable and inquisitive, giving him a life after baseball. Thomas Jefferson Brookshier was raised in Roswell (Chavez County), New Mexico. He was an All-State player in football, basketball and baseball at Roswell High School. Tom went on to be a three year letterman (1950-1952) in football at University of Colorado, playing defense, offense and special teams. He was known as one of the fiercest hitters in the Big 7 Conference, earning first-team all Big 7 as a junior and senior. He was also a relief pitcher on the Buffaloes' baseball team. At his memorial service, teammate Frank Bernardi joked, "He had a really good fastball; he just never knew where it was going!" He was a 10th round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1953. Drafted comparatively low, Brookshier knew he had to make an impression to avoid being cut at training camp. He related that the team's number one pick was running a pass pattern down the field toward him. Brookshire delivered a hard hit that knocked the player out. Tom said he thought he would be released then and there, but when the coach jumped up and yelled, "I like that!" he knew he might have a chance. His rookie season with the Eagles, he intercepted eight passes. The following two years he spent in the U. S. Air Force, having been in the ROTC at Colorado. While in the Air Force, he became an assistant coach of the Air Force Academy with Buck Shaw, later to be his head coach with the Eagles. Brookshire went on to complete seven seasons with the Eagles, being selected All-Pro and twice making the Pro Bowl team (1959 and 1960). His playing career ended after he broke his leg in a 1961 game with the Chicago Bears. Tom then transitioned to a career in broadcasting. As he was recovering from his broken leg, CBS Radio asked him to do a sports show in the mornings. He then began filling in on WCAU in Philadelphia. He went on to a long and successful career in national broadcasting, and was teamed at various times with Pat Summerall, Dick Vermeil and John Madden. After retiring in 1987 from CBS television broadcasting, Brookshire completed his career working in sports radio in Philadelphia on station WIR. The Philadelphia Eagles retired his jersey number 40 and he was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1989. [Vernon Stephens is not a product of New Mexico schools, but from time to time we will write about such people and hope you enjoy the diversion.] Vernon Decatur Stephens, Jr. was born in tiny McAlister (Quay County), New Mexico. He was known as "Junior" and was the son of a minor league umpire, Vernon Stephens, Sr., who was a farmer by trade. Born in Oklahoma Territory, Vernon, Sr. and his wife Grace decided to head west in 1920, getting as far as New Mexico where Vernon, Jr. was prematurely delivered. This, however, is likely Junior's only connection with New Mexico, as the family continued on west, eventually settling in Long Beach, California. Consequently, we will only do this brief sketch about him. If you would like to read more about him, please see the excellent article on Vern from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, written by Mark Armour. Junior played shortstop for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles from 1941-1955. Stephens made his debut at the age of 20 when he suited up with the St. Louis Browns on September 13, 1941. He was known as a hard hitting shortstop. His career totals included 1,859 hits, 1001 runs scored, 247 home runs and a lifetime batting average of .248. Career highlights: 8-time All-Star Six times in the Top 10 in MVP voting Led the American League in home runs in 1945 Three times led the American League in RBI Collected 440 RBI within three consecutive seasons (1948–50) Three times in the Top 10 in batting average Twice led the American League in games played Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006 Vernon's career statistics match up favorably with today's well known players. He was a very good hitter and fielder of the period in which he played. With respect to amounts paid in professional baseball these days, his highest salary of about $40,000 would seem modest. He was a quality player and enjoyed a nice career. Junior retired from baseball at age 35 and died of a heart attack at age 48. Sam "The Rifle" Etcheverry was from Carlsbad (Eddy County), New Mexico. His father was a Basque sheep farmer who had emigrated to the area from France. Sam was an outstanding quarterback for the Carlsbad Cavemen and has been named to the Cavemen Hall of Fame. Sam graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1948. Etcheverry signed with the Pioneers of the University of Denver, playing from 1949 to 1951, where he set longstanding records for passing offense. He is the career leader in passing and rushing plays (594), most yards gained in a season (2,662), most pass attempts (392), most completions (198) and most passing yards gained (2,510). Following his college career, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Interprovincial Rugby Football League which became part of the Canadian Football League in 1958. As the Alouettes' quarterback, he was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Eastern Conference and was named an Eastern All-Star six times. In 1954 and 1958, he was awarded the Russel Schenley Award as the most outstanding player in the Canadian Rugby Union. Etcheverry's single game CFL passing record of 586 yards set in 1954 stood for 39 years. He also set a season passing record in 1954 of 3,610 yards that was a CFL record and also surpassed the NFL record set in 1947 by the legendary Sammy Baugh. Etcheverry led the CFL in passing from 1954 to 1959. He became the first pro quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards in 1956 when he notched 4,723 for the season, a record that was not surpassed until 1981 by Deiter Brock and Dan Fouts. Sam played in the CFL for 10 years before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals where he played another two seasons before announcing his retirement in 1962. Following retirement, he returned to the CFL where in 1964 he coached the Quebec Rifles of the United Football League which dissolved at the end of the season. Serving in the interim as an assistant at Loyola College in Montreal, he returned to the Alouettes as head coach from 1969 to 1972, including leading them to victory in the 58th Grey Cup Championship game in his first season. Later, Sam briefly served as General Manager of the Montreal Concordes and led an unsuccessful effort to bring the NFL to Montreal following the dissolution of the Concordes. Sam was inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame in 1969. Etcheverry's jersey number 92 was retired by the Alouettes. He was an inaugural inductee into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. Etcheverry was chosen as 26th among the CFL's Top 50 Greatest Players in 2006. Sam loved New Mexico and had long expressed his desire to be buried in New Mexico. He was buried in Carlsbad following his death from cancer in 2009. ... LPGA golfer Nancy Lopez's name is very familiar to golf fans of a certain age, because she was so dominant in the sport during her active career. She was born in Torrence, California and raised in Roswell (Chavez County), New Mexico where her father owned an auto repair business and her mother was a homemaker. Nancy began to play golf at the age of 8 using old clubs with shafts that had been shortened for her. Coached at first by her father, she won a Pee-Wee tournament at the age of 9 and by the age of 11 was beating her parents on the golf course. Domingo, her father, dug a big hole in her back yard and filled it with sand so she could practice hitting balls out of a sand trap. The following three years, she won the USGA Junior Girls Championshp (1974 and 1975), the Western Junior three times and the Mexican Amateur in 1975. Nationally ranked as an amateur in high school, Nancy led her otherwise all male high school golf team to win a New Mexico State Championship, Goddard High having no girls team. She notched championships in 1972 and 1974 in the U. S. Girls Junior Championship and gained national notice when she tied for second in the U. S. Women's Open in 1975. Following graduation from Goddard High School, she attended Tulsa University for two years during which time she won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women golf championship her freshman year and and won the university's Female Athlete of the Year her sophomore year.
Nancy turned pro in 1977, though1978 was her official rookie season on the LPGA Tour. 1978 was a stellar year for her as she won 9 tournaments, including a stretch of 5 in a row. She also won the Vare Trophy given annually for lowest scoring average, LPGA Rookie of the year, LPGA Player of the Year and was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year. She played shortened tours in years in which her three children were born, but eventually notched 48 career LPGA wins and 4 other wins in the Kraft Nabisco Championship and du Maurier Classic. Lopez retired from the tour in 2003, briefly unretired in 2007, but will always be remembered as one of the brightest stars in LPGA Golf. Nancy feels that she experienced discrimination at times during her upbringing. It has been written that her family could not join the local country club because of race, notwithstanding the cost, and she trained at a country club in Albuquerque, 200 miles away. However, as a result of her success against the odds, she is seen as a strong role model for women and Hispanics. Nancy is an LPGA representative for the Bayer "Strokes Against Strokes" campaign, supported by the Senior Tour and the American Hart Association. Roswell ISD has named an elementary school in her honor. Nancy currently is associated with Nancy Lopez Golf, a company that markets ladies golf clubs, bags and accessories and sometimes also does television commentary. Ralph Neely was a 2014 inductee into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. He graduated in 1961 from Farmington High School (San Juan County), New Mexico where he played football, basketball, baseball and was a shot putter on the track team. His family had moved to Farmington from Arkansas because his brother suffered from asthma. Ralph's father first worked for El Paso Natural Gas company and later was a contract pumper in the oil and gas fields of the San Juan Basin. His older brothers Larry and Jerry were athletes, and Ralph was likewise gifted and followed suit. The history of the Farmington team mascot may be apocryphal, but the tale is as follows. Prior to adopting the Scorpion as mascot, they were known as the Apple Pickers, derived from the agriculture of the local area. Sometime in the 1920s, the story goes, the Apple Pickers were playing a game either at Grand Junction or Moab when their big green school bus broke down, leaving only reverse gear in operation. So the driver, having only the one gear, backed up a big hill to the site of the game. Observers thought the bus resembled a big green scorpion, and the name caught on. Ralph made one appearance in the New Mexico state championship game in football his junior year in high school. The Scorpions met Clovis in the AA championship game, AA being the largest classification in the state at that time. Coached by Tommy Campbell and coming into the game undefeated at 9-0 against the Clovis Wildcats at 5-4-1, they were downed by the Wildcats 20-14. Ralph relates that he was also once a backup catcher on the baseball team. On a bus ride, he was horsing around with a teammate throwing a piece of candy. He caught it when it was his turn and tossed it back to his teammate who missed it on his opportunity. The candy went beyond the teammate, hitting and sticking to the front window of the bus in full view of the coach, who stopped the bus asking for the perpetrator to identify himself. At first no one replied but then Ralph raised his hand. At the end of the bus ride, the coach told Ralph to clean out his locker because he was kicked off the team. Ralph complied and later sought out the track coach who invited him to try out. At his first practice, a coach handed him a steel ball and requested that he throw it as far as he could, which Ralph did. He was informed that he had made the team, because he had just thrown the shot put further than anyone currently on the team. During his high school career, Ralph was an All-State tackle for two years and was recruited by University of Oklahoma. One day Ralph was sitting in class when an announcement was made summoning him to the principal's office. Ralph thought, "Oh no. What have I done now?" and walked down the hall only to find Sooner head coach Bud Wilkinson waiting for him. Wilkinson had flown to Farmington in a converted WWII B-25 from Norman, Oklahoma to invite Ralph to visit OU in view of receiving a football scholarship. Wilkinson told him there were no guarantees, but that he would have an opportunity to be exposed to one of the leading programs in the United States. Ralph accepted ("My father would have killed me if I hadn't.") and came to Norman, where he would remain the next four [not five] years under head coaches Bud Wilkinson and Gomer Jones (Wilkinson's offensive line coach who would coach the team for two years before suffering a fatal heart attack while in NYC on a trip). Neely played both offense and defense at OU and received the following honors: Big 8 Sophomore Lineman of the Year, All Conference (1963 and 1964) and All-American two years including being a consensus selection in 1964. While at OU, he also took the opportunity to earn a double major in Accounting and Finance. Immediately prior to the merger of the AFL and NFL, Ralph was drafted by the Houston Oilers of the AFL (round 2, 15th selection overall) and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL (round 2, 28th selection overall). The Dallas Cowboys later obtained his rights from the Colts. There was a contract dispute (1) between the Cowboys and the Oilers, the resolution of which was incorporated into the merger settlement agreement between the AFL and the NFL. Neely joined the Cowboys in 1965 and immediately started at offensive right tackle, earning NFL all-rookie team honors that year and All-NFL honors the following four years. Ralph went on to have a 13 year career with the Cowboys during which he was an NFL First Team All-Pro three times (1967, 1968 and 1969) and was named to the Pro Bowl two seasons (1967 and 1969). He retired from the Cowboys following their 1977 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. During his long career, he started in 19 of the 26 playoff games in which he appeared and was named to numerous other All-Pro teams. Ralph currently resides in Dallas, Texas and is active in the employee benefits business. Other: Ralph Neely's college football statistics from College Football at Sports-Reference.com, pro football statistics from Pro-Football-Reference.com. (1) Ralph relates that for many years, he received "fan" mail from law students because his case had been studied in their Contract Law classes. Longtime basketball coach Jim Hulsman is a product of New Mexico. His parents moved to the state in 1940 from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for his father’s health when Jim was just 10. Jim attended elementary and junior high school in Albuquerque and high school at Albuquerque High School. Albuquerque High was a three year school at the time and Jim lettered in both track and football. Jim also played American Legion baseball and city league basketball. Jim graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1949. Jim then served in the military during the Korean era, enlisting in the US Air Force. Hulsman relates that the US Army needed pilots and Jim qualified for a program that allowed him to qualify for Officer Candidate School and pilot training because of his Air Force service. Jim earned his Second Lieutenant bars before the war ended in 1952. Resuming his education, Hulsman enrolled at St. Joseph College on the Rio Grande (later known as the University of Albuquerque), a Catholic school located at what is now the campus St. Pius X High School. Jim lettered in basketball St. Joseph in 1955 and 1956 despite not having played basketball at Albuquerque High School. He later transferred to University of New Mexico because it offered a degree in health and physical education and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1959. While still a college student, Jim served as track and cross country coach and an assistant coach in football and basketball at Highlands High and Albuquerque High. He then served as an assistant football coach from 1961 to 1968 at his alma mater, after which he took over as head basketball coach at Albuquerque High School, a position at which he was to remain for the next 42 years. His second season as head coach, his Albuquerque Bulldog team made it to the state championship for the first time since 1946, losing to Ralph Tasker’s Hobbs High School squad 123-90. Coach Hulsman remarked that the Hobbs full court press was a tremendous factor in the Eagles’ win. The two teams met again in 1971 with the Bulldogs prevailing 81-80 in a game that drew 10,000 fans to the UNM arena. Coach Hulsman went on to achieve a career record of earning 660 wins, making 24 state championship tournament appearances and winning 7 state championships. During his tenure, AHS would achieve 23 consecutive winning seasons (1969-1991). 72 of his players went on to play college basketball, including Kenny Thomas who also played at University of New Mexico and for 12 seasons in the NBA. During their long careers, Coach Hulsman and Coach Ralph Tasker led teams that were always two of the premier programs in the state. They met 12 times in state championship brackets and three times in the title games with AHS winning 7 of the 12 post season meetings while Hobbs had a 2-1 edge in the championship matches. Jim also has been involved in amateur and semi-pro baseball much of his career. He managed the Rio Grande Lumber Company team of the National Baseball Congress to back-to-back New Mexico Semi-Pro Championships in 1955 and 1956. In 1958, he managed the squad to a 24-8 record and the Albuquerque City Championship. In 1959 and 1960, Jim managed the Albuquerque Highland High School American Legion baseball team to tournament and league championships. He was a manager in the Ken Boyers Missouri Baseball Camp and under the direction of Territorial Scout Supervisor Bobby Goff and served as a scout for the Cleveland Indians for 8 years. Coach Hulsman has received numerous awards and honors over the years. He coached in the Denver/Albuquerque All-Star game in 1974 and the North/South All Star Game sponsored by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association in 1975. In 1988 he was chosen to coach in the 11th annual McDonalds All-American High School Basketball Game. In 1985 and 1989, Jim was Region Eight Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. He was named Coach of the Year at least 15 times by sportscasters and sportswriters in New Mexico. In 1983 and 1989 he received the Special Recognition Award from the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame. In 2003, Jim was honored by his induction into the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) Hall of Fame. Jim currently is retired and living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In recognition of the upcoming start of the New Mexico high school baseball season, we profile MLB pitcher Steve Ontiveros. Steve was born and raised in Tularosa (Otero County), New Mexico. He graduated from University of Michigan, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. Steve was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1982 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. For the next three seasons, he played for minor league teams in the Oakland organization, working his way up from A- to Oakland's AAA affiliate in Tacoma Washington in the Pacific Coast League, notching a record of 25-12. Along the way, he was part of a very strong A's farm system, playing along side many players who eventually enjoyed long careers in major league baseball. He began his major league career with the Oakland Athletics, making his major league debut on June 14, 1985. He was initially used as a reliever on a squad that included Don Sutton and Tommy John as pitchers and other notable players like Dave Kingman and Dusty Baker. Steve played a total of 10 seasons in the league, appearing with Oakland from 1985 to 1988 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989 and 1990. He was sidelined in 1991 and 1992 with an injury. Ontiveros was signed in early 1993 with the Minnesota Twins but before the season began, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners where he played the 1993 season. He rejoined the Oakland club in 1994 and 1995, signing as a free agent. Steve returned to the minors before signing with the Boston Red Sox for one final season in 2000, playing his final game on October 1, 2000. Ontiveros was a right handed starting and relief pitcher. His lifetime career record was 34-31 with an ERA of 3.67. He appeared in 207 games, starting 73 of them. Steve also appeared in one feature film, Talent of the Game in 1991. Steve currently trains and mentors gifted pitching prospects in Scottsdale, AZ in his own business, Spin Doctor. Notah Begay III grew up on the San Felipe reservation in Sandoval County, located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and is the grandson of a Navajo Code Talker of the same name. He is descended from the Fox Clan of the Navajo Nation. He attended high school at Albuquerque Academy and college at Stanford University. Many are familiar with Notah's success on the golf course. Fewer would know that while at Albuquerque Academy, he was a three sport athlete, playing golf, soccer and basketball. Notah was a shooting guard on teams that twice won the State Championship. The 1989 team went 20-7 and defeated Lovington 78-76 in the state championship final, also having beaten Goddard and Deming earlier in the playoffs. In the final, the scoring was led by Greg Brown with 22 points. Notah was 4-16 from the field, 4-6 at the free throw line for a total of 14 points and he had 1 assist in that game. Above is the championship team photo. Notah is pictured third from the right on the back row. The win over Lovington marked the first of six straight state championships won by Academy between the years 1989 and 1994 under Head Coach Mike Brown. Academy's 1990 team downed Oñate 80-61 in the final, also defeating Tucumcari and Socorro in the playoffs. The 1990 team finished with a season record of 25-1. In the final, scoring was again led by Greg Brown with 25 points. Notah was 5-16 from the field for a total of 12 points and had 1 assist in that game. Above is the championship team photo. Notah is pictured second from the right on the back row. [Team photos courtesy of Chuck Ferris of www.chuckferrissports.com.] In high school golf, Notah was the individual A-AAA champion in 1989 and 1990 for Albuquerque Academy and led the school to the team A-AAA championship in 1990. At Stanford, he was a three time All-American and a member of its 1994 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship Team before joining the PGA tour in 1995. As a touring pro, Begay won 6 championships in his career, including 4 PGA tournaments, before being sidelined for a back injury.
Despite his various achievements in sports, Notah considers his Economics degree from Stanford to be his most important career accomplishment. He is currently active in the Notah Begay III Foundation, which he and his father founded in 2005. The goal of the organization is to have a positive impact on the lives and well being of Native American youth in New Mexico and across Indian Country. |
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We post articles of general interest about New Mexico athletes, coaches and sports. Some names will already be familiar to you. Others are perhaps not as well known, but we hope you enjoy them all. Archives
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