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The Las Cruces Bulldawgs have had dominating stretches, at times, in the last 15 years in the sports of football and volleyball. The oldest school in the city, however, has had success across the board for a long, long time.
Check out the Las Cruces resume in the Roll Call of State Championships below…
Football
2008…Las Cruces wins a battle of unbeatens for the Class 5A championship: Bulldawgs 26, Eldorado 21
2002…’Dawgs spoil cross-town rival Mayfield’s bid for a perfect season by knocking off the Trojans 17-14 in title game
2000…In first Class 5A gridiron championship contest, Las Cruces dumps Carlsbad 45-21 for second straight crown
1999…A perfect 14-0 season wraps up with Las Cruces, coached by Jim Miller, defeating Goddard 24-12
1975…Bulldawgs give Eldorado its only loss of the year in the last game of the year. Instead, Las Cruces goes 13-0 with 29-15 victory
1959…Las Cruces High proves unstoppable by finishing unbeaten season with a 31-7 rout of Artesia in 2A finale
Volleyball
2001…Bulldawgs win fourth title in five years by knocking off Rio Rancho in a four-game Class 5A championship match
2000…A 21-1 year for Las Cruces and coach Keith Leupold culminates with a three-game sweep of Sandia
1998..Back-to-back titles for ‘Dawgs after beating cross-town rival Onate 3-0 in title match
1997…In a five game championship contest, Las Cruces edges West Mesa for 4A crown
1995…Two unbeaten teams meet in 4A finale with Bulldawgs triumphing over Santa Fe in four games
Boys Soccer
2007…Two year streak for Eldorado atop Class 5A ends when Las Cruces beats the Eagles 1-0 in championship
2004…First boys soccer crown for school as Bulldawgs beat Sandia 1-0 in finale
Girls Soccer
2005…A perfect 23-0 season for Las Cruces High finishes with a 1-0 victory over La Cueva in championship
2003…Bulldawgs break Northern New Mexico stranglehold on soccer titles by edging Eldorado 2-1 for 5A blue trophy
Boys Basketball
1976…A wild Class 4A championship goes to Las Cruces for a second straight year when Bulldawgs beat Hobbs 110-96
1975…Coach Whitey Coffman guides Las Cruces to big schools title with a 78-61 victory over Highland in finale
1961…Bulldawgs and coach Lou Henson finish a three-year dynasty over the state by beating Los Alamos 77-53
1960…A 65-44 victory over Highland gives Las Cruces its second straight championship
1959…’Dawgs grab Class 1A title by beating Clayton 48-41 for crown – more to come for Las Cruces
1945…Coach Aulton “Bull” Durham and Las Cruces High finish off state playoffs by beating Carlsbad 40-23
1941…First hoops championship for Bulldawgs after a 21-20 victory over Santa Fe
Baseball
1963…Three years in a row Las Cruces reigns supreme on the diamond as ‘Dawgs grab title
1962…Building a dynasty as Bulldawgs win two-in-a-rown in New Mexico Class 1A
1961…Las Cruces blasts Roswell High 11-4 to begin a three-year stretch of championships
1957…After a five-year absence, Bulldawgs return to top of state prep baseball world
1952…A shootout for diamond supremacy goes to Las Cruces after a 16-15 victory over Albuquerque High
Tennis
1997…Las Cruces High’s Lyndsey Herndon-Ortega establishes herself as best in 4A by capturing girls individual crown
1994-95…Jason Noble has a two-year run at top of Class 4A boys singles for Las Cruces’ first tennis titles
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And now, a word from our Sponsor…
“Ole!” greets drive-through customers from the speaker box.
If that’s the case, it can only be one business: Taco Box.
From frijole burritos to Spanish fries to pig-in-a-panchos, and quite nearly everything in-between, the restaurant has been serving up its eclectic menu for 40 years.
According to owner Tom Martin, the number one seller is the simple-and-tasty frijole burrito while tacos, chalupas and cheese sticks follow closely in popularity.
A popular side item are Spanish fries, a Taco Box-invented title for another potato-based munchie (any guesses?). Martin says his restaurant has only occasionally ventured into making regular french fries and the attempts have ultimately always been futile with the Taco Box customer base.
“I always joke that I don’t make french fries so I can help keep McDonald’s in business,” Martin says.
Other items also remain popular to an extent even though not officially on the menu board anymore – a testament to the loyalty of the typical Taco Box consumer.
The Mexi-Burger was on the menu back in the early 1980s and still gets ordered today. By those in the know, at any rate.
“There’s probably at least a dozen different items over the years like that,” Martin says. “We took it off, just because of space, but we still make ‘em. We probably sell as many as we did when they were on the menu.”
Martin lists breakfast tacos, frijole tacos, guacamole tacos as other such “underground” items. And that’s not to mention the vast array of drink combinations, utilizing the different soft drinks and flavorings, that have actually never been listed on the big board at Taco Box.
Martin, raised in Cleveland and a graduate from Cornell University in New York, ventured west after college and tried his hand with the Taco Box brand. He took over Taco Box on June 1, 1970.
Remembering his first foray into Mexican food, Martin has an oft-repeated story with some variation or another.
“I never had a taco until I was 21. I remember having a mild green chile taco and I thought I was going to die,” Martin recalls.
After having a tastebud-adjustment and following countless tacos served to his customers at Taco Box, it’s safe to say one thing about the guy who originally thought he’d be in the Land of Enchantment for “a couple of years.”
Well Tom, you’re a New Mexican now.
