 Aztec is located in San Juan County in the northwest part of the state. The community received its name from early Catholic priests, Fathers Francisco Atanosio Dominguez and Francisco Velaz de Escalante, seeking a shorter route from Santa Fe to the missions of California.
In the summer of 1776, they located the Indian ruins nearby and erroneously identified them as having been built by the Aztec Indians. Later scholarship correctly associated the ruins with the Anasazi tribe, though the name of the town remained as it was originally named. It is thought that the ruins themselves date to the 11th to 13th centuries and that the Anasazi were ancestors of the Pueblo tribes that inhabit much of northwest New Mexico today. The town itself was officially established about 100 years later in the late 1800s and was largely an agricultural based economy. Aztec's cumulative record in football since 1950 has been 419-253-13 with a number of those winning seasons having been earned under former head coach Brad Hirsch who went 85-16 in his 8 seasons with the Tigers finishing his tenure in 2011. In that remarkable season, Aztec went 13-0, its only perfect season in history, and won a State Championship in a nip and tuck thriller with Goddard 28-27. This would be only the Tigers' second State Championship, ending a long drought since 1953 despite having reached the big game 12 times previously without success. Aztec's current coach is Matthew Steinfeldt who came to the Tigers after serving as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Colorado's Ft. Lewis College in Durango. Coach Steinfeldt is from football country, growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University graduating in 2000 after being a three year starter on its football team. Steinfeldt went on to earn a Master's degree from Moorehead State in 2004. His other coaching stops included Texas A&M Commerce and Anderson University.
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Daniel Dario Villanueva was born in Tucumcari, Quay County, New Mexico on November 5, 1937. His parents were migrant farm workers. He credited his humble heritage with helping him to appreciate the value of hard work. He was a good student and athlete as an amateur. He graduated from Calexico High School and attended Reedly College in California before accepting a football scholarship at New Mexico State University. At NMSU, he was part of the 1959 and 1960 teams that were some of the most successful in school history, winning back to back Sun Bowl victories. His senior year, they were also undefeated.
Following his graduation from NMSU, Danny signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams where he would play five seasons before losing the starting job to Bruce Gossett. He was a double threat player, doing the punting and place kicking for his teams almost his entire career. While at the Rams, Danny set a club record for the highest punting average, 45.5 yards, a record that would stand for 45 seasons until 2007. He was one of the last straight ahead (non soccer-style) kickers. Following his tenure with the Rams, Danny was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, ironically in a deal that involved another New Mexico player, Tommy McDonald, where he would play another three seasons before retiring after the 1967 season. He set club records for the Cowboys, connecting on 100 consecutive PATs, scoring the most points in a season with 107 and making 56 consecutive PATs in a season with 56. Villanueva was one of the first NFL players of Mexican American descent. The Rams management capitalized on this by piping bullfighting music though the PA system when he came onto the field. Though they seem rather ridiculous now, he was also given nicknames like "El Kickador" that referenced his heritage. His career record in the NFL was 85 out of 160 field goals made, 236 out of 241 PATs made, 488 punts for a career average of 42.8 yards (and no blocks). His career was somewhat short compared to other kickers. He ranks 101st in career PATs made, 130th in career field goals made and 94th in career punting yardage. His 42.8 career yards per punt ranks 49th in the NFL. Following his retirement, Danny became a broadcaster with KNBC, the first Latino broadcaster for the network. Newsman Tom Brokaw tells of having the privilege of choosing Villanueva to play on his team in a pickup touch football game between his newsroom and the LA Times. Brokaw was the quarterback and it wasn't going so well for the team. Danny volunteered to "take some snaps" and true to form, he connected with former LA Laker Tommy Hawkins for a touchdown on his first play. Villanueva later became part-owner of the Spanish International Network. In the 1980s, this entity evolved into Univision, the sale of which made him financially secure. Upon his retirement he devoted his energy to assisting needy individuals and families in the Hispanic community. Villaneuva's honors include being inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame, the Management Hall of Fame of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Hispanic Sports Foundation for Education, Inc.'s National Hispanic Hall of Fame. He was 77 years old at the time of his death from complications of a stroke, but he left a legacy of hard work and generosity that will live on. |
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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
December 2015
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