Eddie Stokes arrived on the University of New Mexico campus in the fall of 1960, right out of a small town in the heart of the
Texas. He played center and linebacker on the Lobo freshman team, as he weighed all of 165 lbs. Coach Reese Smith was the coach during this time at Lobo football and had taken a chance on Eddie despite his small stature. UNM had a lot to offer to Eddie including a thriving football atmosphere, and most importantly a Mechanical Engineering Major.
Eddie showed his talents both on offense and defense that fall in 1960, playing on the freshman team and scrimmaging with the varsity as part of the scout team. The coaches could not help but notice how effective of a player he was and could be. He would soon show the coaches they did not make a mistake on giving him a chance to play football.
After spring ball he went home to work in the oilfields and came back three months later a very much transformed man, weighing 185 pounds and displaying the thick neck and hard head that would make him a real asset to the varsity team. In the fall of his junior year of 1962, Eddie’s leadership skills and aggressive play, combined with his solid work ethic, helped elevate him to star status. By the end of a successful 7-2-1 season, the Lobos were champions of the newly formed Western Athletic Conference and Eddie Stokes was chosen first team All-Conference center. UNM led the nation in pass defense that year, and Eddie was the key and some would say the heart of the defense, being the stat leader and signal caller that year. In addition to a great season on the field, Eddie was excelling off the field. He was vice-president of the junior class and maintaining a stellar GPA in the tough challenges presented by his mechanical engineering major.
Everything came together in his senior season as he reached full potential. For the second year in a row, the Lobos won the WAC conference championship. The preseason football magazines picked Eddie Stokes to win both the All-Far West Team and All-Midlands team. National honors came his way when he was named Associated Press National Lineman of the Week and received publicity on sports pages from coast-to-coast; an almost total rarity for a UNM football player in 1963. By the end of the season he was the only repeater on the official WAC All-Conference team. He was defensive captain, signal-caller, and Honorable Mention AP and UPI All-American.
But his awards didn’t stop there as he received the prized Brannin Trophy for being the Lobo football MVP along with the coveted Col. H.J. Golightly Memorial Trophy as the season’s outstanding defensive player. In addition, Eddie was honored as Football Lineman of the Year for the Western Athletic Conference. Eddie finished his Mechanical Engineering degree in the fall of 1964 and developed a very successful business in building luxury homes. Eddie had one heck of a career at UNM and will remain as a lobo great for the many years to come.