The 1965 New Mexico State Aggies football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team representing

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

as an independent during the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. Led by head coach Warren B. Woodson in his eighth year, the Aggies achieved an impressive 8–2 record and outscored their opponents with a total score of 236 to 153. The team played its four home games at Memorial Stadium in

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern New ...

. Statistical leaders for the team included quarterback

Sal Olivas Sal Olivas (born c. 1946) is a former American football player. A native of El Paso, Texas, Olivas attended Cathedral High School in that city. He played college football for the New Mexico State Aggies football team from 1964 to 1967. As a ...

with 594 passing yards, running back Jim Bohl with 1,191 rushing yards, and wide receiver Hartwell Menefee with 571 receiving yards. Notably, the October 2

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

game against

Texas Western The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

attracted a crowd of 29,052, marking the largest attendance at a sporting event in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

, up to that date. The following month, the

game against

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

drew a crowd of 17,500 spectators, which was the largest attendance for a football game in Las Cruces.

Schedule

References

New Mexico State Aggies The New Mexico State University teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings. The mascot is known as " Pistol Pete". NMSU's colors are crimson and white. Since 2005 the Aggies have competed in the ...

New Mexico State Aggies football seasons

New Mexico State Aggies football The New Mexico State Aggies football team represents New Mexico State University in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football as an independent. Although New Mexico State is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC ...

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