Hall of Fame
Jerry Reyes was a 1970 WNMU graduate that was a duel-sport athlete playing baseball and football for three seasons, lettering all three years in both sports. His first season (1967) he led the nation with a batting average of .523, which was good for second among individual batting leaders in the nation. He also led the conference with eight home runs that same year. He went on to hit 21 home runs in three seasons, had a batting average of .500 and was voted MVP all three years and All-Conference baseball in 1969. Who's Who In American College and Universities in 1969. The Mustangs had two batters among the top-20 in the nation in 1969 in hitting. Reyes was third with a .500 mark that included 31 hits in 62 at-bats over 20 games. He was also third in average home runs per game as his total of seven games ended with a .325 mark. In 1970, Reyes was offered a contract with the San Diego Padres, at the same time he was drafted into the U.S. Army, he chose to serve his country. He served in Vietnam from July 1970 to April 1972. He was wounded in action and received the Silver Star Medal and a Purple Heart. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, he took a job in Anthony, Texas for a year. He was offered a fellowship for the Ford Foundation in 1973 - 74.
In 1974, he accepted a job working for the Lordsburg School District. He coached basketball, football, and baseball during his 11 years there. He took the football team to state in 1977-78 and took the baseball team to state in 1978 - 79. In 1983, he took a job in Bayard, N.M. and worked for Cobre Consolidated School District. While at Cobre, he coached football and baseball. In 1987, he and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nev. He taught Spanish at Western High for 20 years. While at Western High he coached football, basketball and was the head baseball coach. In 1985, he led his team in the city championship and earned the Baseball Coach of the Year award in 1985. In addition he coached American Legion where he took his team to state in 1996. In 2003, Reyes was voted Veteran of the Year for the state of Nevada. In 2008, he received the Veteran's Diversity Award for his dedication to America's youth. Reyes, now retired, resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys volunteering at his grandson's school, woodworking, and Taekwondo.
