LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State Athletics Department has announced the six newest members of the Football Ring of Honor on Tuesday. The program was designed to honor former Aggie football players, coaches or administrators who have played a significant role in the development of the heritage traditions and legacies of NM State football.
 
The 2019 class includes Danny Villanueva (1958-59), Bob Gaiters (1959-60), Preacher Pilot (1961-63), Roy Gerela (1966-68), Joe Pisarcik (1971-73) and Duriel Harris (1972-75).
 
All six former Aggie legends will be honored during halftime of the Fresno State game on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. (MT) inside Aggie Memorial Stadium. In addition, there will be a luncheon for the inductees and football alums on Friday, Sept. 27, in the Danny Villanueva Victory Club on the third floor of the Stan Fulton Athletic Center as well as a football alumni social at the Bosque Brewery Tap House beginning at 5 p.m.
 
For a full list of activities and RVSP for the weekend events, click here.
 
Danny Villanueva
Villanueva was a punter for the Aggies under legendary head coach Warren Woodson from 1958-59. The Tucumcari native was also a part of the 1959 Sun Bowl Champions team.
 
Villanueva, who was one of the National Football League's first Latino kickers, went on to play seven seasons in the NFL after graduation as an undrafted free agent, playing for the Los Angeles Rams (1960-64) and the Dallas Cowboys (1965-67).
 
He saw action in 110 games during his NFL career, including three in the playoffs with the Cowboys, and also led the league in punts and punting yards from 1962-63. Villanueva was also nearly perfect in PATs, knocking in 236-of-241 attempts.
 
After his football career, Villanueva began his broadcasting career at KNBC in Los Angeles before becoming the president and general manager at KMEX before becoming part-owner in a Spanish-language chain that later became Univision.
 
In 1970, Villanueva was inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame alongside Ring of Honor inductee Roy Gerela. He was also a member of the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the Hispanic Sports Foundation for Education Inc.'s National Hispanic Hall Of Fame.
 
A longtime booster for his alma mater, Villanueva donated millions and established the Danny Villanueva Scholarship Endowment in 1991 to recognize New Mexico State students who excel in leadership and community involvement. He was then presented with an honorary doctorate in 1999.
 
Bob Gaiters
A legend in his own right, Gaiters was an integral member of the Aggie squads under Woodson that won back-to-back Sun Bowl Championships from 1959-60. The Zainesville, Ohio, native had a 44-yard TD run in the 1959 bowl game and had a 32-yard scamper into the end zone in the 1960 bowl game. Gaiters also garnered all-conference honors both seasons in the Crimson & White.
 
His senior campaign saw him lead the NCAA in yards per rush (6.8). Gaiters' name can also be seen littered all over the record books. His 23 rushing touchdowns in 1960 still stands as the most in a single-season. Meanwhile, his 133.8 yards per game is still second-best for a single-season while his 1,338 total yards stands in third. In the career category, Gaiters is fourth all-time with 31 touchdowns and has the sixth-most games with 100-plus yards rushing (11).
 
After his collegiate career, Gaiters was selected in the second round of the 1961 NFL Draft (17th overall) by the New York Giants. That same year, he was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the American Football League (AFL) by the Denver Broncos.
 
During his stint in the league, Gaiters played for the Giants (1961-62), San Francisco 49ers (1962) and Denver Broncos (1963) seeing action in 31 total games while starting in 12. He averaged 4.0 yards per attempt in his career with 673 total rushing yards with six touchdowns while also grabbing 175 career receiving yards with two TDs.
 
In 2008, Gaiters along with teammate Charley Johnson were named to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team.
 
Preacher Pilot
The Aggies had a string of great tailbacks and halfbacks during the 1960s and James "Preacher" Pilot was one of them. The Kingsville, Texas, product played for NM State from 1961-63 and led the NCAA in rushing his first two seasons in the Crimson & White.
 
His first season with the Aggies saw Pilot rush for 1,278 yards with 20 touchdowns with one receiving touchdown on four catches – earning him all-conferences honors. His second season at NM State didn't see much drop off with Pilot rushing for 1,247 yards with 15 rushing touchdowns. He finished his career with 2,971 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns.
 
Like Gaiters, Pilot is littered all over the Aggie record books. His 319 total rushing yards against Hardin-Simmons is still the most in program history for a single-game while his 262 yards against North Texas still stands as the second-most. Both of those games also saw Pilot rush for five touchdowns – which is the single-game high still to this day.
 
His 20 touchdowns and 15 touchdowns in 1961 and 1962 are second and third-most in single-season, respectively. Meanwhile, his 1,278 rushing yards is fifth-most in a single-season while his 1,247 rushing yards in 1962 is sixth-best.
 
In the career category, Pilot is now tied with Larry Rose III as the program leader in rushing touchdowns with 37 while his 2,971 total rushing yards is fourth all-time.
 
Roy Gerela
One of the best kickers to don an Aggie uniform, Roy Gerela has been a staple in the Las Cruces community even after his professional playing days. The Powell River, British Columbia, native played for the Aggies from 1966-68 and helped NM State to a 19-10-1 mark during that time. He was then inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1970.
 
After his time with the Aggies, Gerela was selected in the fourth round (96th overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and played there for two season (1969-70) before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
Gerela played alongside the famed "Steel Curtain" in the 1970s and was a three-time Super Bowl Champion (1975, 76, 79).
 
He is third all-time in total points for the Steelers with 731 (293 PATs, 146 FGs) points from 1971-78. His 123 points (36 PATs, 29 FGs) in 1973 still ranks seventh-best for points in a single-season while his 119 points (35 PATs, 28 FGs) in 1972 is tied for ninth-most.
 
Gerela's 146 career field goals has him third all-time in Steelers history. His 29 field goals in 1973 still has him tied for fifth-most in a single-season while his 28 field goals in 1972 is tied for eighth-most. He's also third all-time in the record books with 293 extra points. Among the single-season extra point records, his 44 extra points in 1975 and 1978 are tied for fifth while his 40 extra points in 1976 is tied for 10th.
 
He also led the Steelers in scoring six different times: 1971 (78), 1972 (119), 1973 (123), 1974 (93), 1975 (95), 1978 (80). Gerela was honored for his excellence on the field, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1972 and 1974.
 
The former Aggie completed his professional career in 1979 with the San Diego Chargers. Gerela wrapped up his professional career hitting 96.2-percent of his extra point attempts for 351 total extra points. He also knocked in 184 field goals during his 11-year career while playing in 145 total games – including 15 playoff games.
 
Joe Pisarcik
Still one of the top quarterbacks in New Mexico State history, Joe Pisarcik (1971-73) joins former teammate Duriel Harris in the Ring of Honor. In addition to being named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference back-to-back seasons from 1972-73, Pisarcik was inducted into the NM State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
 
The 6-4 hurler is still sixth all-time in the record books in total offense with 5,582 yards and led the Aggies in every year he was under center in total offense. His 5,770 career passing yards is fourth all-time in addition to his 446 completions.
 
His five touchdowns thrown against West Texas State in 1971 is still tied for the most in a single-game while his 30 career TDs is ninth-most. In addition, his 11 games of 200-plus passing yards is tied with Buck Pierce for fifth-most in Aggie history.
 
After graduation, Pisarcik played in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders (1974-76) before joining the New York Giants (1977-79) and Philadelphia Eagles (1980-84).
 
His wrapped up his eight-year career in the league with 5,552 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with a 47.3 completion percentage.
 
After his pro career, Pisarcik had a successful career on Wall Street for 17 years before retiring as the Vice President of Mortgage-Backed Securities at ICAP Securities. He retired from Wall Street in 2013 to become the NFL Alumni Association Executive Director until March of 2017 and has since served as the president of Joe Pisarcik Consulting Services LLC.
 
Duriel Harris
Last, but not least to be inducted into the Ring of Honor is Duriel Harris, who played for the Aggies from 1972-75 and earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors as a senior. He was inducted two years later into NM State's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977 alongside teammate Carl Dean.
 
While in Las Cruces, Harris totaled 1,562 receiving yards for 12 touchdowns with 463 rushing yards. His junior (701) and senior (607) year saw him lead the Aggies in reception yards as well. His 100-yard kickoff return against Tulsa in 1975 is tied with five other players for the longest return in a single-game. His 3,276 all-purpose yards is still good for 10th all-time in the Aggie record books.
 
Out of college, he was drafted in the third round (80th overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins (1976-83, 85). He spent the 1984 season with the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys before wrapping up his pro career with the Dolphins in 1985.
 
Harris accumulated 5,055 receiving yards with 20 touchdowns in his nine-year NFL career, averaging 16.7 yards per reception. His first season with the Dolphins saw him earn Pro Football Weekly All-Pro and PFW All-AFC honors.
 
After his pro career, Harris served as the CEO of All Pro Sports Agency for nearly 16 years before serving as the CEO and owner of Jostens Beaumont from 2005-08. He has since joined US Security Associates in 2011 and serves their business development manager.