Art Abreu was head coach in the early ‘90s when the Robertson High School football Cardinals traveled to Lovington to take on the Wildcats. Abreu’s players lost 40-22. Although many New Mexico players may think of having gone against Brian Urlacher — even to have been pureed by the future Pro Bowler — he wasn’t a factor as a skinny eighth-grader or freshman player for the Wildcats.
Urlacher, who had his eyes set on Texas Tech, didn’t get offered anything of substance in Lubbock, Abreu said, and didn’t soar at the University of New Mexico until he started working the weights. A proven superstar, Urlacher — many people believe — may make the difference in the Super Bowl Sunday between Urlacher’s Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts. Abreu, now head assistant coach and defensive line coach at Highlands, said, “Everybody would like to be associated with Brian Urlacher. When Brian went to UNM and did everything — he returned punts and kickoffs and would run fade routes — some of my Robertson players would ask me if Brian was on the team when the Cardinals played against Lovington.” Obviously, most Robertson-Lovington tournament clashes have occurred in the post-Brian era.
Urlacher’s New Mexico connection endears many to the Bears. One who’s endeared is Joan Boliek of Las Dispensas, who points to the contributions the middle linebacker makes to youth, such as conducting annual summer camps.
A fan of the Patriots, Joan is pulling for the Bears “because of No. 54 from Lovington.” Even though she’s hoping the Bears win it, she likes the Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning. The Bears will win by three, on a field goal, Joan predicts.
Carlos Lovato of Las Vegas and owner of an Albuquerque sand and gravel business, sees it differently. He gives the Colts a 10-point advantage, 34-24. “The Colts are hot now, the special teams and defense are good, so is their quarterback, Peyton Manning,” Lovato said. As for the Urlacher factor: “It’s not going to make a difference. Remember, the Bears won only because they played at home.”
Jeff Romero, former Bernalillo County district attorney, has jumped on “Da Bears’” bandwagon. He’s a Raider fan, which speaks volumes about his good taste. And why do Da Bears deserve such an honor, a three-point victory?
“Well,” says Romero, about the linebacker who likes to turn quarterbacks into ectoplasm, “Brian is 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide, and I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of his tackles.”
District Judge Eugenio Mathis is a 49er fan who picks the Colts by a
touchdown. Why? Bear quarterback Rex Grossman “can’t handle pressure.” He adds that Urlacher and the Chicago defense will indeed be a factor but not enough to give the Bears the win. Prediction: Colts, 24-17.
Another predictor of a Colts victory is Margie Seay-Maez, in her 42nd year of teaching for West Las Vegas Schools. She predicts a 28-21 victory for the Colts but has loads of respect for Urlacher “because he’s from New Mexico.
We have a lot of people from New Mexico and even Las Vegas who have impressive jobs,” she said. But few New Mexico products can match the millions Urlacher earns. Seay-Maez, like Art Abreu, is a loyal Dallas Cowboy fan, even when a botched extra point eliminated the Cowboys from further contention.
Speedy Faith, Abreu’s Lovington coaching counterpart, said the Bears
linebacker donates chunks of money to the Wildcats weight training room and each year buys new athletic shoes for every Lovington player, regardless of the sport they enter.
James Lovato, who performs maintenance at the Abe Montoya Recreation Center, predicts a one-touchdown victory for Indianapolis, with the score in the 20s. Lovato said the experience of the Colts’ signal-caller Peyton Manning will cancel out any of Urlacher’s assets.
Ray Sanchez, an elementary education major at Highlands, likes the Raiders, who surprisingly didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. He picks the Bears by eight points, 28-20. Brian factor: “Yes, he has speed and knowledge of the game. The Bears will win as long as quarterback Rex Grossman gets help,” Sanchez said.
Lynette Vincent of Las Vegas, a New Orleans Saints fan, has a friend who went to school with Urlacher. Lynette thinks the Colts will win it, “but I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s just that I want them to beat Chicago.”
Jacob Archuleta of Mora, full-time Highlands student, said he expects the Bears to win by 10. “It’ll be high scoring, 27 points plus,” Archuleta said. And why will the Bears win? “Because of Brian Urlacher.”
Katie Linder, a ninth grader at RHS and a Patriots fan, expects the Bears to win. “I don’t think Brian Urlacher will be much of a factor,” she said.
“Oh yes he will,” says her younger brother Charlie, a sixth-grader at
Memorial Middle School. Charlie, who likes the Philadelphia Eagles, says the Colts will “win it by five touchdowns.” And even though Urlacher may be an issue, Charlie surmises, that won’t be enough to stop the Colts.
Abreu wants this year’s Super Bowl to last forever. Accordingly, he says the Bears will win 24-21 in triple overtime. Abreu said, “The Colts have a great offense, but I’m for the Bears because of their defense and because of Brian, the New Mexico connection.”
We go from the confidence of Charlie Linder, predicting a 35-point Colts victory, to the almost total lack of concern on the part of Richard
Lindeborg of Las Vegas, a retired speech writer for the Department of
Agriculture in Washington. When asked his prognostication, Lindeborg responded with, “Who’s playing?
Last week I saw a picture in the paper of someone in orange catching a ball. Was that a player on one of the teams?” Did you say orange? It must have been a Denver Bronco, whose team isn’t making the trip to Miami Sunday.
You can have all the Peyton Mannings and Brian Urlachers you want, says Lindeborg. His favorite team is the Green Bay Packers of old. But the Cleveland Browns had “the greatest football player of all time: kicker Lou ‘The Toe’ Groza,” Lindeborg believes. You may be right, Richard, but wasn’t Groza’s career shortened after he severely injured his knee and developed a tarsal infection from kicking all those field goals and extra points? We heard he finally hung up his kicking tee after suffering from Toe-maine poisoning with complications from Knee-monia.