Robert “Bob” Ruiz played on the WNMU Mustang Football Team from 1962 through 1965. In his first season, he was awarded the Most Valuable Player award, and in his senior year, he became the team captain.
A Silver City native, Ruiz attended Western High School and excelled in football, basketball and baseball. Then, for two years, he attended University of New Mexico, where was a center and linebacker for the freshman program. After seeing very little playing time his sophomore year, Ruiz accepted a scholarship to play football at WNMU and make a name for himself.
After graduating, Ruiz worked at Lordsburg High School, teaching and coaching football, basketball and fielding events on the varsity track team. Ruiz then taught physical education classes at Silver High School from 1966 to 1974, also coaching wrestling and baseball. In 1974, the baseball team he coached became Conference Champions and hosted the State Championship Tournament.
Ruiz went on to coach the Moriarty High School Pintos to their first winning season and coached there until, in 1978, he accepted the head football coach position at Idaho’s Priest River Lamanna High School, where he stepped in as the interim athletic director in 1981.
As an Idaho High School Sports Official, Ruiz officiated football for 30 years, officiated basketball for 23 years, umpired baseball for 10 years, and umpired softball for 30 years. Ruiz served on the North Idaho Officials Association and was inducted into the North Idaho Officials Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010. For six straight years, Ruiz was an umpire for the National Softball Association Fastpitch World Series.
Ruiz now resides in Oldtown, Idaho, with his wife, Pat.
