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.
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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. This page has migrated to: http://nmsportsblog.com/2014/07/19/owen-smaulding/
![]() Dr. Larry White graduated from Hobbs High School in Lea County, New Mexico in 1950. He played center and linebacker at University of New Mexico, having the distinction of being the first All-American football player from that university. In 1952, the Lobos earned a 7-2 record despite not having a strong offense. That year the Lobo defense was ranked number one in the nation, allowing 46 points the entire season with White on defense. A well rounded student, Dr. White played oboe in the Albuquerque Symphonic Orchestra the UNM Symphonic Band while concentrating on his studies, graduating with a degree in biology. Dr. White speaks of this with typical humor when he says, "People on the football team remember me as a great oboist and people in the orchestra remember me as a great football player." In those days, things were much different in the NFL as salaries were much lower than they are today. The two time UNM All-American was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL in 1954, but instead of pursuing a career in the NFL, he chose instead to attend Baylor Dental College in Dallas, Texas, earning his DDS degree in 1959. Dr. White attributes much of his personal make up to lessons learned when he was a youth. He grew up in Hobbs, playing center and linebacker on Coach Duane Fisher's teams where the Eagles won two State Championships in 1948 and 1949 and went to the final again in 1950, losing to the Cavemen of nearby Carlsbad. He also was a starter for Coach Ralph Tasker's basketball teams. Dr. White's interest in the dental profession began with a painful extraction when he was 10, after the local dentist failed to numb the area. A couple of years later however, he had a much more favorable experience with Dr. Jim Reynolds of Lubbock, Texas which led him to contemplate going into the dental field. Following his graduation from dental school, he established dental offices in Hobbs, Roswell and Portales, New Mexico and branches in Denver City, Andrews and Seminole, Texas. After practicing dentistry for a number of years, he returned to Baylor to earn an advanced degree in orthodontics from 1966 to 1968. In addition to practicing orthodontics for many years, he established the orthodontics department at University of Texas San Antonio and has also served on the faculty at Baylor Dental School. Dr. White credits many influential people as his mentors including his high school football coach Duane Fisher and Dr. Jim Reynolds. Life lessons learned include being willing to submit to a team concept, learning to cooperate with others, having discipline and organization, learning to do the right things in the right way. He firmly believes that psychological and physical preparedness can often overcome superior talent and that nowhere is this illustrated better than in team sports. Dr. White's honors include being named All-American two years at University of New Mexico, being inducted into the New Mexico Hall of Honor, being named by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 50 Athletes of the Decade in New Mexico. He and his wife currently reside in Dallas, Texas. Copies of his book "Eagles Once Soared" may be obtained from the Lea County Museum in Lovington, New Mexico, and from Amazon.com. ![]() While we generally focus on athletes and other individuals who played sports below the college level in New Mexico, from time to time we feature others who are also connected to the state in some unique way. This post features Don Perkins of Albuquerque. Donald Anthony Perkins' connection to New Mexico was that he attended and graduated from the University of New Mexico and still resides in Albuquerque. Perkins was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa and at Waterloo West Hight School he was a multi-sport athlete, playing basketball, football and running track, lettering in the latter two sports. Playing both offense and defense in football, his athletic honors included being named to the Iowa All-State team on offense. He was president of the student body during his senior year and has been inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame – Waterloo, Iowa. Don was recruited and coached at UNM by NFL Hall of Famer Marv Levy during his short tenure as head coach. Levy has remarked that Perkins was one of the greatest players he ever coached and made note of Perkins in his NFL Hall of Fame acceptance speech.Perkins played his college football at the University of New Mexico, where he played halfback and was also a kickoff returner. At UNM, Perkins was an offensive standout, serving as a running back, receiver and special teams player. He was a three-time All-Skyline Conference selection from 1957–1959, and he was Skyline Sophomore of the Year in 1957. In 1958, he led the nation in kickoff returns. He was only University of New Mexico's second All-American, selected for his play in 1959, a year in which he was 8th in the nation in scoring with 74 points, first in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 34.7 yards per return. Perkins was a three-year letterman (1957-59) and a two-time All-Skyline Conference selection (1958-59). His versatility allowed him to accumulate 3,466 all-purpose yards in his career. The Lobos retired his jersey number 43 in 1959, the first time a University of New Mexico player was so honored. He ranks 14th in the UNM career rushing list with 2,001 yards. He was inducted into the University of New Mexico Hall of Honor and the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Perkins went on to play a leading role with the young Dallas Cowboys club in its early years, from 1961-68. He had a stellar career. His honors included being named to the Pro Bowl 6 times, being selected as a First Team All Pro in 1962, being named NFL Rookie of the year in 1961. He was the first Cowboy to rush for more than 6,000 yards. In his career, Perkins rushed for 6,217 career yards on 1500 attempts and had 1,310 receiving yards on 146 attempts. He was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium alongside his quarterback Don Meredith in 1976. Only Bob Lilly was inducted ahead of Meredith and Perkins, in 1975. He was inducted into the State of Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Although he was considered a superb blocker, he finished in the NFL’s top 10 rushing in each of his eight seasons in the league. On September 24 1961, he became the first running back in Cowboys’ history to run for 100 yards in a game, when he rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries against the expansion Minnesota Vikings. Perkins’ best year was in 1962, when he rushed for 945 yards and seven touchdowns, becoming the first Cowboy to make the All-Pro team. He was coming off his two best all-around seasons when he decided to retire prior to the 1969 season. At the time only four other NFL running backs had rushed for more than his 6,217 yards. Even though he played the fullback position at 5-10 204-pounds, his ten career 100-yard games ranked fourth in club history, he led the Dallas Cowboys in rushing in six of his eight seasons – from 1961 to 1965, then again in on the NFL’s All-Time Rushing list. Perkins has served as an analyst for CBS Sports, a football analyst for CBS Sports, ABC Sports, and independent networks. He has been a sportscaster for local radio and TV stations. Locally, Don was the Director of the Work Incentive Program for the State of New Mexico Department of Human Services from 1972 to 1985. He served on both the Executive Board of US West and the Board of Trustees for University Hospital from 1990 to 1993. Don has been active in local theater, public speaking, broadcasting at the local and national level, and is presently retired from the City of Albuquerque. For more information: Don's college statistics, Sports-Reference.com Don's page from the Dallas Cowboy Ring of Honor Don's pro statistics, Pro-Football-Reference.com John Watson is the individual for whom Watson Memorial Stadium in Hobbs (Lea County), New Mexico is named. The stadium is just about to enjoy its 50th anniversary. John moved to Hobbs with his family, Mr. and Mrs. Finn Watson, in 1937 when he was 6 years old. His father started Watson Truck and Supply in Hobbs and the company still operates under the leadership of the family. The company began as an International Harvester truck dealership in 1943 and expanded in 1944 to include a General Motors truck and automobile dealership.
Watson was an outstanding athlete. At Hobbs High School, he earned 12 varsity letters in football, basketball, track and baseball. He was named to the 1948 Football All-Star Team and received more votes than any other player, 135 points from listings on 23 of 37 ballots. His head football coach, Duane Fisher, tied in the voting for Coach of the Year. Fisher had come to Hobbs in the late 1940s and was credited for turning the then-floundering program around, leading the Eagles to back to back state championships in football in 1948 and 1949. John Watson went on to begin a promising career at University of New Mexico and quickly rose to be the number one tailback on the squad, but his college career ended before the 1952 season due to a severe knee injury. He remained in school and in 1953, he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. Watson returned to Hobbs to join the family business and quickly became a civic leader. In 1967 he was named Outstanding Young Man of the Year in Hobbs and was named Lion of the Year in 1955 and 1956 by the Hobbs Downtown Lions Club. He was president of Watson Truck and Supply when he died at the age of 42 after a long illness. He was honored in 1965 by the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce for his efforts in promoting New Mexico Junior College, which at that time was the only junior college in New Mexico. He was an original member of the steering committee that worked to enact legislation and encourage support in the community for the institution. Watson has been called the father of the Lea County junior college. It was said by founding trustee Ben Alexander that "it was this man's determination and tenacity that overcame many of the obstacles and setbacks in the long road to the creation of NMJC." The John Watson Student Apartments on the campus was dedicated in his honor in 2011. Watson Memorial Stadium was dedicated and named for John Watson in 1964. With a capacity of 15,000, it remains the stadium with the largest seating capacity in the state. 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. 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. 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. ... 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. |
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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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