'A real Aggie': Jack Nixon's New Mexico State legacy endures as he says goodbye

Jack Nixon drove down a Tucson road as the sun beamed down.

He was serene, like he is for most drives to games. After all, Nixon had taken plenty during his long career calling New Mexico State games. The drive on December 29, 2017, was different, though.

He wasn't driving to just any game — he was driving to a bowl game. And not just any bowl game, the first for the Aggies since 1960.

Nixon was in his 38th season commentating NM State games on the radio but had yet to work a postseason contest — 2017 was different. At long last, he got to a bowl game.

The closer he got to Arizona Stadium for the Arizona Bowl, the more he wanted to pinch himself.

"I can't believe it," Nixon thought to himself. "I'm driving to a bowl game."

Aggies fans recognized Nixon as he arrived, and there were plenty of them. He remembers one fan who made him feel like a greater part of the momentous occasion.

"Come on, Jack," The fan shouted to Nixon. "We're gonna do it!"

That endearment is what's made Nixon's last few months on the job bittersweet. The 74-year-old "Voice of the Aggies" will retire at the end of the 2024-25 season, a move he announced last August. Nixon still loves the job but says the travel is becoming too much to bear. He'll commentate his last men's basketball games in this week's Conference USA Tournament, and more in the NCAA Tournament if NM State wins it.

Many great Aggies moments are tied to him. He commentated on an upset win over UNLV in 1990 en route to the Aggies' first Big West Conference title, a Sweet Sixteen run in 1992 and its first NCAA Tournament win since 1993 against Connecticut in 2022.

And, of course, that 2017 Arizona Bowl, which saw the Aggies win their first bowl game in 57 years.

Nixon has seen players, coaches and administrators come and go, but he's stayed. Nixon has been a constant amidst a whirlwind of change, connecting with NM State fans along the way.

Nixon has received many honors, from his inductions into several Halls of Fame to his National Association of Sports Writers and Broadcasters Sportscaster of the Year award in 2012. However, Nixon treasures the love and adulation he's received the most.

Even today, it shocks him.

"It's been mind-blowing," Nixon said. "People act like it's a big deal to meet me, which is nice, but I'm just a guy... Perhaps people have gotten to know me as someone who's an OK guy, and so for that reason, they feel safe in saying hello, even though they may not know me personally. I like that.

"I guess my feeling is people know that I love it here. They know that I love what I do. I hope they think that I've become part of this community willingly and with joy, and for that reason, they feel comfortable having me around."

Those around Nixon attest to that.

"Jack's a great guy. He's a sweetheart. He's a kind guy. He really cares," said Tony Sanchez, NM State's football coach and former Aggies wide receiver from 1994-95. "He's been a huge Aggie supporter for basketball, football, whatever it is, for many years. He's got that great voice. He's got good charisma. It's sad to see him go, but I hope he enjoys his time. He'll always be around."

Nixon's goal was simple: to have people enjoy listening to him, and many of them did. He'll still be in Las Cruces after retirement to run Bravo Mic Communications, and it's a city he's built a lasting connection with.

As he departs, that's what he's most proud of.

"That sort of acknowledgment is, in some ways, better than any sort of physical gift," Nixon said. "I guess you'd have to earn that kind of reaction. I don't mean to be prideful... but I've been very appreciative of it."

* * *

Fresh out of the University of Kansas in 1972, Nixon was ready to take on the world.

He was an ambitious youngster and hoped for a job calling Division I or professional games. Nixon called games in small towns like Hastings, Neb., and Apopka, Fla., while searching for one and used college basketball magazines with contacts for radio stations as reference points. He was constantly calling, asking each for a job.

He soon got to KOBE in Las Cruces. It was July 1976, and Nixon was worried it was too late for them to have an opening. He called anyway. Nixon was going to make them reject him.

To his surprise, KOBE was still looking for a sports director, so Nixon sent them his reel tapes. What followed was the longest two weeks of his life, and he'd heard nothing by the end of it. Turns out they just forgot to call him back, and they asked if Nixon wanted to do an in-person interview after he made a follow-up call.

Nixon met a four-man group when he got off a plane in El Paso, Texas — KOBE owner Walt Rubens, NM State athletics director Keith Colson, his assistant Joe Lopez and another KOBE employee named Allen Moore. Thoughts raced through his mind as he walked up to meet them.

"I'm getting off the plane, and I'm the friendliest, nicest guy that you're going to want to meet. I'm the best sportscaster," Nixon said of his mindset. "I'm the friendliest person that you're going to want for this job."

Nixon was flustered when he first saw Moore on crutches (he later learned it was due to polio he contracted as a child) but stayed cool as he got in the car. He toured the Pan American Center with high nerves, but something unexpected calmed him down.

As Colson and Lopez departed, Rubens pressed the gas while Moore was still getting in his car. Moore's body dragged across the pavement for a few seconds before Rubens and Nixon realized what was happening.

"You're gonna have a lot of fun working here," Rubens told Nixon before joking about Moore's condition.

Nixon was relaxed after that and interviewed well enough to be offered the job. It was in time for football season, and he commentated his first Aggies game when they faced Drake at the old Aggie Memorial Stadium that September.

Nixon has fond memories of his early years. NM State's football team won the Missouri Valley Conference in 1976, did it again in 1978 in the new Aggie Memorial Stadium and commentated on the upset of a Larry Bird-led Indiana State team that put Aggies basketball on the map.

However, Nixon sought greener pastures for higher pay and a larger stage. He left in 1982 and worked multiple jobs in Tulsa, including as a sports director and University of Tulsa football commentator for KELI from 1983-84 and an assistant for public relations and commentator for the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws from 1984-85. He later worked for the USFL's Denver Gold and sold tickets, edited game programs and managed team travel. KELI tried bringing him back to commentate Oral Roberts sports and minor league baseball after the USFL folded in 1986, but Nixon sought his old job at KOBE.

KOBE would bring him back if he worked at a radio station in Poplar Bluff, Mo., for six months. He did exactly that, making Nixon the "Voice of the Aggies" once again.

Nixon says he learned a "karmic lesson" from his travels in the mid-1980s — Las Cruces was his home.

"Life is way too short to stay someplace where you're unhappy with the hope of it getting better," Nixon said. "I was better positioned financially to make it work out here on what they were going to pay me, at least initially. With that in mind, I wanted to do my best and stay here until I die or until I retire.

"I thought, 'This is where I want to stay. This is where I want to be.'"

* * *

Nixon prepared for the game at Arizona Stadium like he would for any other, checking his notes and completing his pregame show.

He did an hour-long show with then-Aggies coach Doug Martin the day prior at a local bar filled with NM State fans, all glued to them like it was the Super Bowl. In a good way, this was a Super Bowl moment for Aggies fans and Nixon alike. Not only was his long wait for a bowl game over, but the long wait for NM State fans to watch one was as well.

Everyone got to celebrate, and Nixon was going to be a focal point of the moment. He wasn't about to let everyone down.

An opening-drive field goal from NM State was followed by a kickoff return touchdown from USU. NM State's Jason Huntley responded on the ensuing kickoff with his own touchdown. Huntley found space and was off and running, and so was Nixon.

His call: "Jason Huntley says you do that, so can I!"

There was no more looking around for Nixon once the late 1980s hit. He was ready to be an NM State lifer.

That time was also when he formed a particular style. Serious, factual, but with a sense of humor. Folksy — in the words of Will Webber at the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Nixon also found ways to be credible with listeners. He never wanted to sound biased and aimed to be straightforward with fans, remaining even-keeled regardless of the game's outcome.

Some NM State fans may not have cared if their commentator showed excitement for the Aggies, but his professionalism did the trick better.

"It's a pleasant voice," said NM State Director of Broadcasting Adam Young. "It's somebody that you can trust, and if you grow up listening to somebody and then 30, 40 years later, you're a big fan and still listening to the same voice, it's a comforting feeling... When you turn on the radio and you hear it, it makes you feel good, and I feel like that's a big part of what he's been able to give Aggies fans over the years."

He captivated players and coaches in the same way. Nixon would always try to have conversations with them outside of interviews to crack jokes and talk about their lives. He would even develop some tropes, such as his recognizable crimson suit for football and mustard pants for basketball games.

It helped Nixon know players and coaches on a personal level, which made them more comfortable.

"He would take the time to talk to you outside of interviews," said Larry Rose III, an NM State running back from 2014-17. "He would have a casual conversation with you, whether it be on the plane, on the way to the plane, before the game, after the game, anytime you cross his path... He took his time to try to get to know everybody individually, and I appreciate him for that."

Nixon saw plenty of fun basketball moments after his return, including a win over then-No. 10 UNLV in 1990, a team that later won the national championship by 30 points. Some of his other favorites include NM State's win over Illinois, then coached by Aggie great Lou Henson, in the 1992 Great Alaska Shootout on a game-winning free throw, a win over Nebraska in the 1993 NCAA First Round in the middle of a Syracuse, N.Y. blizzard and a takedown of Boise State in the 1999 Big West Conference tournament final.

He also saw a lot of bad football. The Aggies had only one winning season between Nixon's return and the 2017 Arizona Bowl, and that 7-5 2002 season didn't result in a bowl game. Nixon, of course, would've loved to commentate more wins, but his love for the job trumped that desire.

"I think I had to take the attitude that I love this job, even through 2-10 seasons and 1-11 seasons," Nixon said. "They weren't as much fun as the bowl seasons, but I still love the job. You tell yourself, 'OK, this next game is gonna be good.' At the end of the year, you think, 'Are we ever going to have a bowl game?' But when the fall rolled around again, I was ready.

"My enthusiasm for the job overcame the projection that this is not going to be a good year."

It was that enthusiasm that made him extensively prepare for every game, even if it would end with a loss more times than not.

"He's a true professional," said Cory Lucas, a quarterback and running back for NM State from 1995-99 and current Aggie Sports Network color commentator. "He's very prepared in calling the games and knowing the opposing team, and you could see the professionalism in him and the hard work he does getting prepared for the games within the game itself."

Basketball offered Nixon more excitement. The Aggies reached 16 NCAA Tournaments after his return, reaching five in a row from 1990-94 and 10 in 15 seasons from 2007-22. He remembers interviewing a despondent Chris Jans after a crushing loss to Auburn in the 2019 tournament, a time when Nixon couldn't console him. The Aggies beat UConn three years later, and Nixon met Jans on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Despite the contrast in Jans' demeanor between the games, Nixon navigated both with his characteristic professionalism and understanding. That, more than anything, defined Nixon to others.

"He gets it," said Jans, NM State's coach from 2017-22 and current Mississippi State coach. "He's got a great feel and a great understanding of the mood of the room. When you're working with someone like that at least a couple of days a week, and you're around them on the road, you're appreciative when you have people like that around you."

* * *

The sun had set on Arizona Stadium, and it was close to setting on Utah State. USU kicker Dominik Eberle missed his fourth field goal of the game to start overtime, meaning NM State could win the game with a score.

All it took was two plays.

Rose III took a second-down handoff to the outside, darted up the numbers and found the end zone. A roar of Aggies fans filled the stadium, and Nixon matched their elation as some poured onto the field.

Nixon exclaimed, "He's got it! Touchdown, and the Aggies are Arizona Bowl champions! Oh yeah!"

Nixon, momentarily abandoning his unbiased demeanor, shared a high-five with Lucas. The former Aggie screamed for his alma mater while Nixon watched on with a smile.

It was one out of pride. Decades on the job had led to this — a moment that will live long in the memories of NM State fans, and his voice was behind it.

"Sure enough, we got the storybook ending," Nixon said. "I was like, 'OK, I can die happy now.'"

A joyful Nixon stayed composed while the Aggies celebrated. It was one of his happiest moments, but he still had a job to do.

He was always going to stay focused.

"There was Jack, staying super professional in calling the game," Lucas said. "It's one of those situations where I will never forget that moment because it was a fun game, but being able to celebrate that with Jack was super awesome."

Nixon thought the good times were over. Little did he know, there were plenty more left.

Not only did the Aggies' basketball team get a tournament win against UConn, but the football team had more winning seasons. The arrival of former coach Jerry Kill brought a 7-6 season with a Quick Lane Bowl victory in 2022 and a Conference USA Championship Game appearance with a 10-5 record in 2023, the latter being one of the best in school history. Nixon fondly remembers the Aggies' upset win over Auburn, their first win over an SEC opponent and one that made national headlines.

Nixon's voice became synonymous with NM State's defining moments, fostering a deep connection with listeners. He wasn't just a commentator to Aggies fans — he made them feel like he was one of them.

"People like Jack are the example of what we need to do to have Aggie pride. Without that, who are we?" said Javahn Ferguson, an NM State linebacker from 2015-19 who commentated games with Nixon in 2024. "We need to show the world who we are at all times. I want to say thank you to him... for always being a real Aggie and bleeding crimson, because that's what we need."

Nixon has witnessed NM State's growth and Las Cruces' evolution. He's seen the city grow from a small town to one of the biggest in New Mexico. He's seen the Aggies try to adapt to the new "space-age" world of collegiate sports. He's seen women's sports go from the intramural level to earning serious attention from the university.

While things around Nixon have changed, he's stayed the same — and for the better. He's been the ever-present, positive voice inside the ears of every Aggies fan for as long as they can remember. It's a voice that'll be sorely missed after NM State's 2025 basketball postseason concludes.

"We've had a really good time together. I hope he's had as good a time as I have had," said Aggies men's basketball coach Jason Hooten. "I think he's been good for me because he's been a positive force. He's a positive guy. It's always glass-half-full with him."

Many people have expressed their appreciation for Nixon since he announced his retirement. From fans thanking him in public to players and coaches giving one last goodbye to New Mexico fans giving him a standing ovation in his final UNM-NM State game last December — a win for the Aggies.

Each positive comment reminds Nixon of how people will remember him as a New Mexico State icon, one who made fans feel warm with each word he spoke.

He'll never forget it as he rides into the sunset.

"It's been very nice," Nixon said. "Perhaps I need to retire more often."