Los Fresnos deputy constable on 1964 playoff team

By LAURA B. MARTINEZ
The Brownsville Herald

LOS FRESNOS — Former Los Fresnos Falcon Luis Nieto was only 15 when the team won its last regional game in 1964.

He played varsity right tackle for the Falcons when they defeated the Bishop Badgers in the 2A regional finals, winning the game 7 to 0.

They lost the next game, which was in the quarterfinals, to Palacios, 32 to 6.

“I was number 70,” the 57-year-old Nieto said as he looked through an old 1964 yellowed program book he still had from the game. “If they (the Falcons) win today, they will match what we had.”

Nieto, who is a deputy constable for Cameron County Precinct 6 in Los Fresnos, still has a billfold a local bank presented to the players that has the group photograph on the outer flap.

He also has a couple of old football patches, one which was for the district championship, the program booklet from a banquet that was given to the players and a small coin purse that has the team’s 1964 schedule.

Nieto does not remember much about the game. He cannot tell you in which quarter the seven points were scored or who made the winning touchdown.

He just remembers a huge crowd watching the game that was played at Sams Stadium in Brownsville and that his team won.

“Everybody was real happy to be there because we got to play. ... Everybody wanted us to win,” Nieto said. “I think everybody from the Valley game to watch us play.”

Nieto was a freshman at Los Fresnos High School during the Falcons’ 1964 football season. They finished the regular season with nine wins and one loss. The loss was to La Feria 22 to 14.

Nieto played junior varsity football that year and was moved to the varsity squad at the end of the season, which is something the coaches usually did during the playoffs, Nieto said.

“They would move the best players up,” he remembered.

Since the start of this year’s season, Nieto has been predicting the Falcons would go to state. There were a couple of close calls, but the Falcons managed to pull it out, he said.

“I thought the one with Pace was going to be a disaster, but they came back and won,” Nieto said.

The Falcons defeated the Pace Vikings 32 to 22.

Although Nieto will not be at today’s playoff game against Westlake in Victoria, he will be there in spirit.

“I will be rooting for them to win,” Nieto said. “I want them to go on to state and represent Los Fresnos and put us on the map.”

lmartine@brownsvilleherald.com

Posted on Dec 02, 06 | 12:06 am