Top 10 Athletes From New Mexico
Note: It's where they were trained to play their sport that matters, not where they were born. Sports Illustrated forgot that in 1999, when they named Ralph Kiner, born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, but grew up in Alhambra, California, as New Mexico's greatest athlete.
Auto racing is not a sport. So that eliminates the guys that SI picked 2nd (Al Unser), 5th (Bobby Unser), 8th (Al Unser Jr.) and 20th (Robby Unser, a.k.a. Bobby Unser Jr.). Golf is not a sport. So that eliminates their picks for 3rd (Nancy Lopez), 4th (Kathy Whitworth) and 15th (Rosie Jones). Rodeo is not a sport, so there goes their 6th (Everett Bowman).
So who the heck is left? Actually, it wasn't that hard to find 10 candidates. All of these people are from Albuquerque, unless otherwise stated.
10. Duane Ward of Farmington. The relief pitcher helped the Toronto Blue Jays win the 1992 and 1993 World Series. In 1993, he was an All-Star, and led the American League in saves. He retired with a record of 32-37, and 121 saves.
9. Cathy Carr. Not to be confused with the Bronx-born pop singer who used that stage name in the 1950s, this Cathy Carr swam her way to 2 Gold Medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. She is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
8. Ralph Neely of Farmington. An offensive tackle, he was a 4-time All-Pro who played on the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl VI and XII winners. He was named to the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team.
7. Johnny Tapia. "The Baby-Faced Assassin" won his 1st boxing title in 1994, the WBO Super Flyweight title; and held his last in 2002, the IBF Featherweight title. Among the fighters he beat were WBA Bantamweight Champions John Michael Johnson, Nana Konadu and Jorge Eliécer Julio; and WBC and IBF Featherweight Champion Manuel Medina. His career record was 59-5-2.
6. Jim Everett. If you only know him from Nike's 1989 commercial with Bo Jackson (he was the guy saying, "Bo knows football"), and from kicking Jim Rome's ass on-camera when Rome called him "Chris Evert" (after being warned not to), you should know he was a terrific quarterback, one in a long line of them at Purdue University.
He led the Los Angeles Rams to the 1989 NFC Championship Game, and is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards -- ahead of Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, Roman Gabriel, Pat Haden, Vince Ferragamo, Jeff Kemp, Trent Green, Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Sam Bradford and, for the moment, Jared Goff. He made the Pro Bowl in 1990.
5. Brian Urlacher of Lovington. An All-American linebacker, the University of New Mexico retired his Number 44. Switching to Number 54 with the Chicago Bears, he was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000, Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, and an 8-time Pro Bowler.
He helped the Bears win the 2006 NFC Championship, and was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. He is about to become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4. Tom Brookshier of Roswell. A 2-time Pro Bowl cornerback, he helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the 1960 NFL Championship. They retired his Number 40 and inducted him into their team Hall of Fame. But he is not yet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not even for his fine broadcasting career, and he is no longer alive to accept election.
3. Mike E. Smith of Roswell. In 1991, he became one of the few American thoroughbred jockeys to win a major European race, riding Fourstars Allstar to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
His 5,400 wins include the 1993 Preakness Stakes aboard Prairie Bayou, the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Skip Away, the 2005 Kentucky Derby aboard 50-1 longshot Giacomo, the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Zenyatta, the 2010 Belmont Stakes and the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Drosselmeyer, the 2013 Belmont Stakes aboard Palace Malice, and the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Arrogate.
He won the Eclipse Award for American jockey of the year in 1993 and 1994, and is a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
2. Tommy McDonald of Roy. It's strange that New Mexico produced 2 members of the 1960 NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles, due to the size of the State -- its population of 2.1 million is not much larger than that of the City of Philadelphia now, and it had fewer people than Philly then -- and the distance between the places. McDonald scored a touchdown in the Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, falling into a snowbank at Franklin Field.
He played for the University of Oklahoma during its record 47-game winning streak, never losing a college game, and winning National Championships in 1955 and 1956. He finished 2nd in the voting for the 1956 Heisman Trophy, to Paul Hornung of Notre Dame, so that '60 title game win over Hornung and the Packers was a little bit of revenge for him.
He was a 6-time Pro Bowler. In 1964, by then playing for the Dallas Cowboys, he became the last man other than a kicker or a punter to play in the NFL without a facemask. He finished his career with 495 catches for 8,410 yards and 84 touchdowns, huge numbers for that era.
At 5-foot-9, he was the shortest player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame until Barry Sanders was elected, and he is also a member of the College Football and Philadelphia Eagles Halls of Fame. He is also an artist, and sold a portrait of Joe DiMaggio that he painted for $4,000.
1. Bob Foster. "The Deputy Sheriff" was Light Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1968 to 1974, and retired rather than lost it. Among the fighters he beat were former Middleweight Champion Dick Tiger and WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Vicente Rondón.
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