Sports Run Deep in Aggie Culture!
Sports run deep in Aggie culture! Sports have become a major part of the university's identity, with the Aggies becoming recognized throughout the country for their many great players, some having the opportunity to go on to play professionally in some of the biggest stadiums, along with their legacy of historic championships.
The history of NMSU athletics dates back to the 1890s. The university's first documented sports team was football, established during the 1893 school year. The team included a number of the college's first graduates, including famed agriculturalist Fabián García, who helped start the team along with classmates Ralph Larkin, Oscar Snow, and Lemuel McGarth. A few years later, the school became the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, and as the school continued to grow, so did its sports programs.
In a yearbook I found from 1907, it shows that by then the college had a football team, basketball team, baseball team, and a track team. Looking through this old yearbook was really interesting because it gives a small look into what sports and student life were like in Las Cruces more than 100 years ago.
Today, NMSU has championships across several different sports and has created many great athletes who have gone on to play professionally. Examples are Roy Gerela, an NFL player and 3× Super Bowl Champion; Fredd Young, an NFL player, 4× Pro Bowler, and 2× First-Team All-Pro; and Pascal Siakam, an NBA Champion, along with many other Aggie athletes who have continued their careers at the professional level. These athletes and championship teams have helped build the athletic history and culture that NMSU has today.
One of the biggest symbols of that identity is Pistol Pete, who became a major part of NMSU history during the 1960s. The NMSU mascot was inspired by the real-life Oklahoma cowboy and lawman Frank Eaton, who became known as "Pistol Pete." Legend has it that Eaton won a gunfight in Albuquerque in 1881, and over the years he developed the nickname "Pistol Pete." His life and reputation eventually became the inspiration for the famous cowboy mascot.
What makes the story even more interesting is that Frank Eaton became connected to the history of two different college sports programs. Oklahoma State traces its Pistol Pete tradition back to 1923, when students saw Eaton leading an Armistice Day parade in Stillwater. The students asked if they could use his image and persona for their school, and Eaton agreed. He was described as a gun toting U.S. deputy marshal, which helped create the legendary image that would eventually become Pistol Pete.
NMSU also adopted the Pistol Pete identity, and over the years the mascot and its artwork have gone through several different changes. One of the biggest changes happened in 2005, when NMSU redesigned Pete as part of an effort to change the university's image. The pistols were removed and replaced with a lasso, and Pete was briefly referred to simply as "Pete." The change did not last very long, and the Pistol Pete identity eventually returned, with later versions of the logo bringing the pistols back.
Then NMSU experienced another hiccup in October 2014 when Oklahoma State University filed a federal lawsuit against New Mexico State University. Oklahoma State argued that NMSU's Pistol Pete, or "Classic Aggie," mascot was confusingly similar to Oklahoma State's Pistol Pete trademark.
The two schools eventually reached a licensing agreement that allowed NMSU to continue using the Classic Aggie image on a limited number of materials, bringing the federal court fight to an end. This helped lead NMSU toward using its updated mascot and branding rather than the older Classic Aggie design.
I think it is amazing that one man named Frank Eaton had such a profound history within the culture of two different college sports programs. A real-life cowboy and lawman from the late 1800s eventually became the inspiration behind mascots that would become major symbols for both Oklahoma State and New Mexico State.
It just goes to show how sports history can connect to much more than just the games. Sometimes the history behind a logo, mascot, or nickname can lead you down a completely different path and reveal a connection that you might never have known about before.
sources
NMSU, OSU Pistol Pete duel settled
Then & now | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future.
New Mexico State Aggies Logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG, brand
A new era for Pistol Pete at NMSU | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future.
Sun Sets on Showdown Over Pistol Pete Mascot | Courthouse News Service
Oklahoma St sues NMSU over pistol-packing mascot
Pistol Pete discovered — a mascot is born | Oklahoma State University
#ProAggies - New Mexico State University Athletics
Gerela to be Inducted into NM Sports Hall of Fame Sunday - New Mexico State University Athletics
Aggie Hall of Famer Fredd Young Passes Away at 64 - New Mexico State University Athletics
