 We are switching to another platform, so please find us at www.nmsportsblog.wordpress.com in the future. We've transferred all of our previous blog posts to it already, so the transition should be seamless, as much as we can make it.
The new site will have a different look than this one, but otherwise will be similar in content. We hope to add more features, but among other things you will be able to "follow" or subscribe to the new blog and be notified when new articles are posted. We also have two new contributors, Dan Ford and Chuck Ferris, who are long time friends of ours and both quite serious New Mexico sports historians.
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Blog posts will resume in the next few days. We're also extremely excited to report that our good friend and New Mexico sports historian Dan Ford will be contributing from time to time. Dan now lives in southern Colorado but is a graduate of Aztec high school, attended NMMI and earned his degree from New Mexico State University. Like many of us, he loves New Mexico sports and its history.
We also may change the look of the blog page as Dan continues to collaborate on it. Coach David Lynn was a standout football player at Eunice, where he graduated in 1966. During his high school years, he was named to the All-State Football team and was invited to play in the NMHSCA All-Star Football game in 1966. His Eunice Cardinal team would reach the state final game in 1963 and 1964 and won the State Championship in 1965.
He went from there to play football at New Mexico State University, where he was a 3 year starter, at defensive tackle and center under coaches Jim Wood and Warren Woodson. He made the most of his opportunity and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from New Mexico State in 1971 and a Masters Degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1977. During his coaching career, he has served as a teacher and administrator at various times as well as being either an assistant coach or head coach. Coach Lynn began his 40 plus year coaching career in 1970 as a graduate assistant with NMSU. He has since served as an assistant coach at NMSU, Muleshoe TX, Lamesa TX, Seymour TX, Tularosa and NMMI and has been head coach at Hagerman, Texico, Eunice, Tularosa and NMMI, with his teams earning 167 wins against 122 losses. This total leaves him just outside the top 10 list of wins for New Mexico high school football coaches. His teams reached the state finals seven times, taking home the championship once at Hagerman and two times at Eunice. Coach Lynn has been named District Coach of the Year 8 times, New Mexico High School Coaches Association Football Coach of the Year in 1997-1998. He was named to the NMHSCA Hall of Fame in 2014. He has two sons in coaching, Josh Lynn is currently the head coach at Eastern New Mexico University and Jeff is head coach at Roswell High School. Congratulations to Coach Lynn for your fine career.  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. 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. Gil Carter was a professional baseball player from 1958-1960. On August 11, 1959, the Carlsbad Potashers were playing the Odessa Dodgers of the Class D Sophomore League with about 1,000 fans in attendance. The Potashers were trailing 6-0 in the bottom of the 9th when pitcher Wayne Schaper delivered a pitch to Carter which Carter connected with and drove out of the park.  Image credit: Carlsbad Current-Argus, 1959 The homer would prove to be the longest recorded home run in recorded baseball at 733 feet. The Major League Baseball record is held by Mickey Mantle at 634 feet with a blast in September of 1960 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Some research questions that and shows the record to be a 575 foot bomb by Babe Ruth on July 18, 1921, but neither surpasses Carter's drive that day. This was Carter's twenty-eighth homer of the season, a new club and league record in the Sophomore League's second season, with a few weeks remaining. Carter would hit six more before the season ended, closing the year with 34. Gil Carter was a stoutly built former boxer from Topeka, Kansas. He had been a football star in high school and was drafted by the Cubs. By then he had moved to Kansas City. The Carlsbad Potashers were linked to the Cubs and and Carter was assigned to them beginning with the 1958 season. As a boxer, he had won 61 of his previous 68 fights and was 23 years old when he began playing with the Carlsbad club. The Sophomore League, was designed to develop players for the big leagues. Gil would go on to play one more season in the minors, playing for the St. Cloud Rox of the Northern League before retiring from baseball, but his record still stands today. Carter played in a total of 296 games and had 283 hits in 1972 at bats. He hit a total of 72 home runs, but the one on August 11, 1959 would remain in the record book. The ball came to rest under a peach tree in the yard of a Carlsbad resident who returned the ball to him after the game. It became a treasured family trophy. Gil passed away on May 31, 2015 from brain cancer. On June 3, 2015 he is to be honored at a game between the Topeka Senators and Topeka Golden Giants of the Great Plains League at a game in Lake Shawnee and his family will receive the Pride of Kansas Award in his honor. His family is in contact with the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame in Kansas City to have the home run ball displayed there. Coach Brown led the Albuquerque Academy Chargers for 26 seasons, achieving 432 wins against 263 losses, an enviable .622 record. He began as head coach with the 84-85 season and his final year as head coach was 09-10. During his tenure, the Chargers would win 14 district championships, make 20 state championship appearances and win the championship 6 times.
He played basketball and baseball at St. Pius X, graduating in 1964. After attending St. Edward's University in Austin, he went on to earn a BA in Political Science in 1969 and an MA in Secondary Education in 1974 from University of New Mexico. He began his coaching and teaching career by serving at St. Francis Xavier School and Holy Ghost School in Albuquerque from 1968-1972 and Bernalillo Junior High School in 1973. He then signed on as an assistant coach at Academy where he would serve under Coaches Lou Baudoin and Vince Cordova. He took over as head coach following Cordova's final season which would see the Chargers go 25-1, win the State Championship and have Cordova be named Coach of the Year. It was a difficult record to follow, but he did well. He was named district coach of the year 12 times. His 432 wins ranks him just outside the top 10 among active and retired coaches in the state. The Chargers' 6 state championships ties him for 5th place with Ron Geyer behind such notable names as Ralph Tasker, Jim Murphy, Pete Shock and Jim Hulsman. His 6 state championships are unique in that they were consecutive, beginning with the 88-89 season and ending with the 93-94 season. This ranks first on the list in New Mexico and is a record that will most likely stand for many more years. There are no active coaches on the list who have even as many as 3 consecutive titles. Brown was twice named Coach of the Year by New Mexico High School Coaches Association and was named to its Hall of Honor in 2006. He was named the Albuquerque Journal’s coach of the year in 1993 and 1997, the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year in 2001, the National Federation Coach of the Year for Section 6 in 1995, and the Region 8 Coach of the Year in 1995. His two sons, Greg and Danny Brown each played on three championship teams for their father, followed him into the high school coaching ranks in New Mexico and are still actively coaching at Volcano Vista and Highland, respectively. The following quote from colleague Joe Coleman appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on June 24, 2010. “Mike is more than a coach to me,” said Coleman, who spent eight years with Brown. “And he’s more than a coach to kids. He’s one of those people who come around in your lifetime who changes who you are and how you perceive things. He makes you a better person for having known him.” Acknowledgement: Most of Coach Brown's totals come from my friend Chuck Ferris' excellent site: www.chuckferrissports.com. It is the place to go for New Mexico High School Basketball records. Lordsburg, New Mexico is the county seat of Hidalgo County which sits in the "Bootheel" area of southwestern New Mexico. Its history includes having been settled by the Mogollon people from AD 150 to AD 1450. Several generations of Indians resided there until the more recent Indian War years of the late 1800s, including the Apaches. Being located on the site of natural springs, it became a natural stopping point for later travelers and settlers, including Mexicans and Anglos arriving from the eastern United States. As were many other towns in the New Mexico, it was established by a railroad company, specifically the Southern Pacific Railway in 1880. The origin of the town's name is not completely clear. Some attribute it to a Delbert Lord, Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific Railway, others to Dr. Charles Lord, an Arizona merchant who established a banking and wholesale business there. It was a key stop on the Butterfield Stage Route, which ran from the 1850s to the outbreak of the Civil War. This route ran from Missouri to California and had the US Mail contract for that period. The southern route was attractive because it avoided the worst of the winter weather. At its peak, the Butterfield line had 800 employees, 250 coaches and used 100 horses and 500 mules. During World War II Camp Lordsburg housed Japanese-American citizens in an internment camp (1942-1943). Later it became a Prisoner of War Camp for German and Italian prisoners from 1943 to 1945. Lordsburg High School is home to the Maverick.  Lordsburg traditionally has competed well in high school athletics. It is currently in the 3A classification in football and baseball and in the 2A classification in volleyball, basketball, track and field. Lordsburg's football program is usually competitive. In 5 state championship appearances, the Mavericks have taken the title once (2006) and lost four times (2009, 2003, 1990 and 1986). Lordsburg has the distinction of breaking up Animas' state record winning streak by downing Animas 9-8 in the 1990 regular season, though Animas got its revenge by winning the championship game 36-0.  "General" Joe Jackson was a basketball standout at Cimmaron, New Mexico in Colfax County. He played college ball from 1936-1939 and was a member of some of the finest basketball teams to pass through New Mexico A&M, now known as New Mexico State University. Joe stood 6'6" tall which was quite unusual for the day. He was joined by 5'8" guard Morris "Pucker" Wood and Pecos Finley from Floyd, who were fresh from their state championship team in 1935. They were part of what would become a high water mark for New Mexico State athletics. Between 1934 and 1938, the football squad earned a record of 31-10-6 and between 1935 to 1940, the basketball team went 102 and 36. The Aggies were the dominant basketball team in the state during this period in the Border Conference. They eventually would own a 17 game winning streak over UNM by 1940. There's an account of a game between the two teams in Albuquerque in March, 1938. The Lobos were trailing by 25 and to try to rattle the Aggies, UNM students presented nippled milk bottles to the Aggies during a huddle on the sidelines. Undaunted, Jackson and Finley accepted the bottles and drank them down before returning to the court to win the game. The Aggies were undefeated in the Border Conference in 1937-1938, going on to win two games in the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament in Kansas City. The following year they went 19-3 and 16-2 in the conference to notch their 3rd consecutive title and were invited to the National Invitational Tournament in New York City. The first game of the tournament, they drew Long Island University, previously undefeated. The Aggies held their own up to the half as the score was tied 29-29. Pecos and Joe both fouled out with 5 minutes left, the score tied 42-42, and the Aggies would go down 45-52 to a stout LIU team that would go on to win the tournament. Following the completion of his college career, Joe worked briefly as a patrolman for the New Mexico State Police before enlisting in the U S Army for World War II. Jackson reached the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the 271st Infantry before being discharged. Following his discharge, Jackson had a number of different jobs including working in construction where he would lose a leg as a result of a complication from an accident. He also rejoined the New Mexico State Police as a dispatcher where he would work a total of 20 years. During this period, he picked up the nickname "Shoeless Joe" as a reference to the baseball player of the same name. Following his retirement from the force, he worked another two years for the State Highway department until his death in 1969. He is interred at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe and his marker is a simple military stone. .
Jackson was honored in 1973 along with teammate Pecos Finley by being named to the All-Time Basketball Team at New Mexico State University. To learn more, please see Walter Hines' fine article at http://bleedcrimson.net/aggiesports_theearlyyears#ixzz3V9ZZ0Po3 From time to time, the Border Conference is mentioned here and elsewhere. Its actual name was the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association and it was in existence for more than thirty years. Established in 1931, it ran until it was dissolved after the 1961–62 season. In its fullness, its membership included the following schools:
Arizona (1931–1961) Arizona State Teachers'-Flagstaff (now Northern Arizona; 1931–1952) Arizona State Teachers'-Tempe (now Arizona State; 1931–1961) University of New Mexico (1931–1951) New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State; 1931–1961) Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech; 1932–1956) Texas Mines (later Texas Western and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); 1935–1961) Hardin-Simmons (1941–1961) West Texas Teachers’ (later West Texas State and now West Texas A&M; 1941–1961). The full complement of 9 schools participated roughly for one decade from about 1941 to 1951. Only three schools were members throughout the entire life, namely the schools now known as University of Arizona, Arizona State and New Mexico State. During its life, Texas Tech won the greatest number of football titles, taking 9. In basketball, New Mexico State and University of Arizona hold the most titles with 8 and 7, respectively, with each school holding a streak of 4 consecutive championships. In several years, there were co-championships, and the conference did not have a conference tournament as some conferences do today. It was a conference recognized by the NCAA, though for most of its life, the NCAA did not have the division system it has used since about 1973. It was an interesting conference. Though it probably had no national championship schools during its existence, it allowed many area athletes a place to complete. Some of these athletes went on to further careers in sports and we will reference them as we make the connection. |
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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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