ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – There’s been some big game names from New Mexico over the years and while the state may not have a pro team, a lot of pro players got their start here.

To set foot on football’s biggest stage, is something few few people get the chance to do. To win a Super Bowl is something even more special.

Some of those special players are from right here in New Mexico. 

“I never thought it was possible, I never thought that I’d be in the NFL,” Alan Branch told KRQE News 13.

Most recently, Branch, who played at Cibola High in Albuquerque, was on the field as defensive tackle with the Patriots when they won it all last year.

“He was an all-around athlete,” said President of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, Marty Saiz.

Saiz still keeps a photo of Branch on his wall from a 2003 award banquet. “I always thought you know, Alan’s gonna be famous,” Saiz said. 

Saiz said he watched Branch play in YAFL, and excel in high school. “To see him and where he’s gone it’s been an awesome experience,” said Saiz.

But let’s not forget about the local stars who came before Branch. Some of the biggest names in New Mexico sports played first at UNM with the Lobos, before they made it to the NFL and played the game of a lifetime.

Lobo great Brian Urlacher comes to mind. The linebacker from Lovington had a 13-year career with the Chicago Bears.

“I think he’s the best football player to ever come out of the University of New Mexico,” said Saiz.

Anyone heading to a Lobo game is greated by Urlacher’s larger-than-life tribute. While Urlacher came up short in the Super Bowl, Robin Cole did not.

The Lobo won two Super Bowls with Pittsburg, part of the legendary ‘Steel Curtain.’ 

Plus, fans won’t forget Ronnie Lott from Albuquerque, who helped the 49ers win four Super Bowls. 

And to this day, no New Mexican has outdone Hobbs native Timmy Smith. His 204 yards rushing for the Redskins is still a Super Bowl record. 

“He was a superhero after that game,” Saiz said about Timmy Smith.

But that was not the case for New Mexico in Super Bowl XLIV. Former Lobo Hank Baskett blew an onside kick recovery, then the Colts blew the game.

Ultimately though, Saiz said Baskett “had a great career in the NFL.”

There’s also two-time Super Bowl champ with the Cowboys, Roger Staubach. The Ohio native played a year of junior college football at NMMI in Roswell. 

All-star athlete from Farmington High, Ralph Neely, is also a Cowboy Super Bowl champ.

These are just some New Mexico greats. Alan Branch agrees they won’t be the last.

“I don’t want kids to you know, think they don’t have a chance just because a kid might be from Florida or Texas and all that,” Branch told News 13. “I’ve seen all the schools, I’ve seen the football, and their football is just as competitive as ours.”

His advice for kids in New Mexico is to work hard at whatever they want to be good at.

As far as playing football in the NFL, Branch said, “we’re definitely representing.”

As part of the Super Bowl’s 50th birthday, the NFL is delivering golden footballs to the eight New Mexico high schools that have produced athletes who went on to play in a Super Bowl.

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