Carlsbad Current-Argus (NM) - April 9, 2005 Deceased Name: Ralph Bowyer: Legendary coach dies at 90 CARLSBAD - Coach, friend, prankster and father figure, Ralph Bowyer will leave behind two beloved daughters - and an entire community of sons. The legendary football, track and basketball coach - the field marshal who commanded Carlsbad through its golden era of athletics for 24 years - died Thursday afternoon of stroke-related complications. He would have been 91 next Monday. He is survived by daughters Nancy Dingess and Dot Hester, five grandchildren, 10 great- grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren and a legacy that will likely never diminish. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church in Albuquerque. Bowyer is one of five people in the state named to the National High School Hall of Fame. A college superstar, Bowyer finished with an overall football coaching record of 175-108-9, including eight state championships. He had a 365-137 record in basketball and three state titles, along with two state titles in track, according to lifelong friend Joe Zeni, 72, who played for Bowyer in the late 1940s. Bowyer's long career in coaching was defined by his 24 years coaching in Carlsbad. During the 1946-47 school year, Bowyer's teams won state championships in all three sports. He was one of the founding members of the New Mexico High School Coaches and Officials Association. "He was a mentor to everybody," Zeni said. "No matter where you went, he could draw a crowd. Everybody wanted to talk to Ralph Bowyer." Transcending his coaching, however, Bowyer will be remembered by his legion of friends and admirers for his senses of humor and honor, along with his deep religious beliefs and love of family. He will be recalled for imprinting this system of values on the hundreds of young men he coached, who later became his friends for life. And, for those who only knew him recently, Bowyer will be remembered for his energetic approach to all 90 years of his life. During his final few years, he remained an active Senior Olympian, golfer and artist - while continuing to cultivate his plentiful friendships. "He was a role model," said state representative Joe Stell, who played and coached under Bowyer. "He had two daughters, but no sons, so he kind of considered all the boys his sons, and he had a good impact on their morals and values." "He just had very high morals about him and was a great teacher," Zeni said. "I've always felt that he was not only a coach, he was a teacher who could teach what you needed to know and put it to use." As much as Bowyer was a father to his students and athletes, he was a role model and coach to his family. "He had the same influence on his family members," said Kristin Montes, Bowyer's granddaughter. "He was just an incredible example, and I think we are all pretty good people because of him." Bowyer the Coach Bowyer was born April 11, 1914, to Joseph Frank Bowyer and Etta Louise Grout. His father ran a grocery store. He graduated from Albuquerque High School and lettered in track, basketball and football at the University of New Mexico. "He grew up in the Depression," Stell noted. "He started out in poverty, but he never did seek wealth or riches. Instead, he stayed in contact with his players throughout the years." After graduating from UNM, Bowyer taught and coached in Grants, Belen and then El Paso. Midway through a semester in El Paso, however, he accepted the position of coach at Carlsbad High School. And by coach, he was pretty much the coach. For the first few years, Bowyer was the only coach for the boys football, basketball and track programs. In later years, he gained one or two assistants. "When we'd get through football, he'd coach us in basketball. Then he'd coach us in track," said Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest, one of Bowyer's countless players. "And then he was our Sunday school teacher. He was just like a father, and I think I sometimes spent more time working with him at times than I did with my dad." Bowyer also taught family living, which was one of the first sex education classes offered in the public schools. "If he had a weak point, it was probably teaching that class," Forrest jested. "We knew more about sex than he did." Bowyer eventually gained some assistant coaches for his athletics program. One of his early football assistants was Reid McCloskey, who coached the offensive and defensive lines. "That was our coaching staff, along with Roscoe Frederick," McCloskey said. "We had some great kids and a good program. I was always grateful to him. I think he had a lot of applicants for the position of line coach, and I got the job. I'm sure I wouldn't if Ralph hadn't said OK." Bowyer's most important assistant coach, however, was his wife, Maxine "Mickey" Bowyer. The two were truly a single entity in their approach to coaching and community events, noted Jim Crouch, Carlsbad's starting quarterback in 1962. "I think Mickey did as much coaching as he did," he said. "We're very fortunate and blessed that God allowed Coach Bowyer and Mickey into our lives." The couple would often act as matchmakers for shy students at the high school. They were involved in local organizations and would serve as escorts for hayrides and other activities. When it came to football, track and basketball, however, Bowyer wasn't bashful about using discipline. While he never raised his voice and he never swore, he wasn't afraid to use a paddle. Crouch recalls getting caught sneaking out of the dorm with a few other players during football camp. "(The coaches) were waiting for us," he said. "They were going to have every coach paddle us, but after Coach Bowyer, that was enough." Players did not want to get on Bowyer's bad side, Forrest noted. "One kid who played football for him saw him coming and took his cigarette and put it in his pocket," Forrest said. "He burned a hole right in his pocket, but he never moved because he didn't want Bowyer to know. That's how much respect we had for him." All the while, Bowyer developed deep friendships with many of his players. And many of those players became leaders in the community, athletics and the nation. "He's coached generals in the army, mayors, lawyers and just people of all walks of life, and he's treated them all the same," Crouch said. "He was known as 'the coach,' and if you heard people talk about 'the coach,' it was about Coach Bowyer. "If there are two people you remember in your life other than your parents, they are your drill sergeant and your football coach. He taught us how to live like a good American." The lesson in leadership couldn't be missed, Forrest noted. "Just being around him, he was such a motivator that he taught you so much about life and helping other people," he said. "He was honest and straightforward about his feelings and opinions," Stell said. "He was a good competitor, but when you were off the field and it was over, he was just a friend." As a friend, Bowyer was always looking to play a good prank. "He was very much a gentleman, but he also had a good sense of humor," Stell added. "We were close enough that we always played practical jokes on each other with artificial bugs and so on. He always saw the better side of things." Integration Carlsbad was one of the first school districts in the area to integrate, and Bowyer was a key voice in that decision. "I was a junior in high school," Forrest said. "I remember he called us in and said, 'It's time to integrate the public schools. We want the two schools together.'" And it happened. "It wasn't the mayor, the state senator or the representative who made that decision," Forrest said. "It was Ralph Bowyer working with Emmitt Smith and the superintendent. That's the kind of credibility he had. When he wanted something done, he got it done." The decision made road trips difficult, as the Cavemen would receive hostile treatment in other communities. "When we went to away games in Roswell or Hobbs, we had to stay at the end of town," Forrest noted. "I remember once we went to a restaurant in El Paso that wouldn't serve us. We all got up and left." McCloskey said many Carlsbad restaurants also wouldn't allow blacks to enter when he first arrived. "That changed really quick," he said. "Ralph and the administration got their backs up, and things changed pretty quickly after that." Strategy Under Bowyer's guidance, Carlsbad's athletics program was a competitive juggernaut. The school's football, basketball and track squads remained entrenched at the top of the state pecking order during much of his tenure. Why were Bowyer's programs so effective? Crouch said Bowyer focused on fundamentals. "All our opponents knew what we were going to run, but they couldn't stop us," he said. "He was one of the first coaches to implement weightlifting. Everyone knew how to block." While he coached track and basketball, football was Bowyer's true third priority in life, just behind God and family. "He had the ability to take a bunch of kids who maybe were not the most talented and develop them into a team," Crouch said. Every player interviewed recalled that Bowyer kept his voice down while coaching. "He was so good, he never swore and he never raised his voice. He never got on anybody. He just made you want to play. There's not many of them like that," Zeni said. Bowyer also was one of the first coaches to develop the idea of a football camp before the season started, Forrest noted. And as far as the losses? Bowyer hadn't given up on those either. "He always told us that he never did lose a football game - he just ran out of time," Crouch said. After Carlsbad After 24 years at the helm of Carlsbad's sports program, Bowyer accepted a position as athletic director at Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M. Bowyer was athletic director at Highlands for about 10 years, Zeni said. Bowyer retired in 1974. He and his wife spent much of the next 10 years traveling around northern New Mexico. While staying involved in local athletics, they also photographed old churches and scenery and painted pictures. Mickey Bowyer died in 1985. Crouch said he was with Bowyer when the coach lost his wife. "We'd laugh awhile and cry awhile," he said. "He could not wait until he'd reunite with Mickey. They're together now." Despite his grief, Bowyer pressed on. "When she died, I thought Ralph would never be the same," Forrest said. "There was never a happier couple. He went on, but he never forgot about her." For the next 20 years, Bowyer remained active and involved until just days before his death. He was an active participant in the Senior Olympics. Bowyer and Zeni golfed together on a regular basis. "He didn't look like an athlete in his later years," Zeni said. "But up until two weeks ago, we still played golf twice a week." "I think he cut down to twice a day," Crouch said. "He never did believe in laying around and feeling sorry for himself." In fact, Bowyer was featured in an Albuquerque Tribune story just two weeks ago that called him a real-life role model. Bowyer never missed church, was always willing to meet with friends, and made an annual pilgrimage to Carlsbad for homecoming, Zeni said. Bowyer also never missed a chance to attend a Lobo football game at the University of New Mexico. "During the week, up until the last year or two, we'd go to basketball and football high school games," Zeni said. "He was a great golfer and fisherman. The boys who played for him all over the country would ask him to come out and watch their sons play, and he would." Bowyer currently holds at least two state records in the Senior Olympics. He threw the discus 98-06 in 1991 to win the 75-79 class. In 1994, his throw of 79-06 was enough to give him the record in the 80-84 class. "He sent in his payment a couple weeks ago," Zeni said. "He was going to throw the discus one more time." Many of Bowyer's former players had a chance to meet him at this and last year's March banquets honoring Carlsbad's 1954 and 1955 state basketball championships. Bowyer helped organize the reunions. Last year, Forrest attended the 1954 reunion in Albuquerque. At the UNM campus, Bowyer gave a presentation to a gym packed with basketball fans watching the 2004 state championship. "It was one of the best talks I've ever heard," Forrest said. "He was good on his feet, honest and sincere. Everybody who has ever played a high school sport thinks their coach hung the moon, but there was something special about Ralph." Just last month, Bowyer and his '55 class were honored again for the 50th anniversary of their victory. Stell walked with Bowyer into The Pit to be honored. "He was pretty good," Stell said. "We had to walk down a long ramp. I grabbed him by the arm and offered some help, and he said, 'Just hold on.' He was amazingly strong for his age, but he was 91." Bowyer also retained an active role in preserving his many friendships. "The only good thing about having a birthday at my age was getting a card from Ralph Bowyer," Forrest said. "It gave me something to look forward to. Our relationship grew over the years, and I learned an awful lot from him. Dick (Forrest's brother) and I were kind of blessed to have two fathers." When there was a death in Forrest's family a few months ago, Bowyer was one of the first to call and send a sympathy card. "At 91, he was so very sharp. He was so sincere," Forrest said. Bowyer even attended his daughter's high school reunion in Carlsbad. "She didn't go, but he went to her reunion," Montes said. Montes and her husband tried to make Bowyer an honorary Manzano Monarch during a football trip to Carlsbad, but he'd have none of it. "When we got down as far as Artesia, he wanted to go to Carlsbad's enchilada dinner," she said. Stell said he has remained close friends with Bowyer, often calling him three times a week when he was in Santa Fe for a legislative session. They seldom discussed politics - with Bowyer providing his wisdom by example, not through debate. "He wasn't that involved politically," Stell said. "But I'm sure his impact on my growing up had a lot to do with my philosophy of life." A huge assembly of Carlsbad residents is expected to attend Monday's funeral service. In the meantime, many are also reflecting on Bowyer in their own way. "I drove up to the stadium today and looked at the sign," Forrest said. "It's not just Bowyer Stadium, it's Ralph Bowyer Stadium. That's something special." Funeral guests may want to be careful when deciding where they sit. "He requested at his funeral that he wants rubber spiders on all the pews," Montes said. "It's typical of him because he always had a spider in his pocket while playing practical jokes. His sense of humor is something that we've all taken away with us." According to his friends, Bowyer has also requested that Carlsbad's fight song, "Onward Cavemen," be sung at his memorial service. Stell said he expects that Bowyer's ashes will be spread in the mountains near Las Vegas, N.M., as was done with his wife. Bowyer's death, while sad, also serves as somewhat of a celebration of his life, Forrest said, indicating that Bowyer died with his boots on. "He was sharp up to the day he died," Forrest said. "I know where he is today, but I don't know that he's any better off, just because he had such a great life here." Author: Kyle Marksteiner

Carlsbad Current-Argus (NM) - August 28, 2009 Deceased Name: Patrick Urquidez: Carlsbad man dies, 3 others injured in rollover CARLSBAD - A rollover accident early Friday claimed the life of a Carlsbad resident and injured three others. A 2000 Mitsubishi SUV lost control and rolled south of Carlsbad, resulting in the death of Patrick Urquidez, 22, according to information provided by the New Mexico State Police. The crash was reported at approximately 1:53 a.m. Friday. The vehicle was traveling eastbound on Smedley Road southeast of the city when it lost control and rolled, coming to a rest in an upright position on the shoulder. Three individuals, who were not idendified by the report, were transported to Carlsbad Medical Center for injuries sustained from the crash. Urquidez was pronounced dead at the scene by a Deputy Medical Investigator. The cause of the crash is unknown and charges are pending until further investigation, police said

Carlsbad Current-Argus (NM) - December 27, 2007 Deceased Name: Carlsbad woman dies in Texas highway crash CARLSBAD - A Carlsbad woman died Wednesday in a single-vehicle accident near Plains, Texas, according to reports in a Lubbock newspaper. Rita Woodfield, 67, apparently overcorrected when her 2003 Ford F-150 drifted off the road six miles west of Plains, on U.S. Highway 82. Woodfield was wearing a seatbelt, but was killed when the truck flipped, according to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Funeral services are set for 2 p.m. Monday at United Methodist Church with Pastor John Burke of New Song Christian Fellowship Church officiating. Interment will follow in Carlsbad Cemetery, new section, with arrangements by West Funeral Home.