1978/1979 NCAA Tournament Team Roster  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by: Sam Wasson, Edited by: Jordan Bostic

Pervis Atkins' journey to Aggie football greatness began at San Francisco State University. Atkins ran track and played freshman football for SFSU, but after his freshman year he decided to join the Marine Corps. After spending a couple of years in the Marine Corps, Atkins spent a semester at Santa Ana Junior College. It was during his time at SAJC that he met his future teammate Bob Gaiters. The two had become good friends by the time Gaiters received a football scholarship to play running back at New Mexico State. Pervis, not having anything to do that weekend, offered to give his friend a ride to Las Cruces.

Their first experience of Las Cruces wasn't exactly the greatest. "When we got down there we were put in some barracks that had been transferred in. It was right near where they kept all the farm animals," Atkins remembered. Despite wanting to run back to California right away, the two gave Las Cruces a shot. The men had originally hoped to play together at Santa Ana Junior College, but an eligibility rule would have kept Atkins from playing that season. It was Gaiters who convinced then head coach Warren Woodson to give Atkins a look during their time in Las Cruces. Coach Woodson offered Atkins a scholarship, which he accepted.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by Walter Hines

Francisco "Kiko" Martinez was already a sports legend when he arrived at NM A&M in 1936 at the not so tender age of 24. He was destined to lead the Aggies to national basketball prominence.

Martinez first gained fame at El Paso High where he led the Tigers to great success in basketball in the late 20s. A clever, smooth player, Kiko was a purist who loved the game from the first time he played. On the dusty, rough-and-tumble playgrounds of El Paso, he played endless pick-up games. When alone, he practiced tirelessly and mastered the fundamentals--dribbling, passing, footwork and set shooting. But it was his strong will and coolness that stood out. Teammates and opponents saw the confidence and knew that Martinez didn't buckle under pressure.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written by Walter Hines  Continue Reading This Post >>