Stan Quintana

Stanley A. Quintana (December 23, 1944 – September 21, 2019) was an American football quarterback and defensive back. He played for the New Mexico Lobos from 1963 to 1965 and the Quantico Marines in 1969 and 1970. He was a member of the Minnesota Vikings taxi squad in 1966 and the traveling squad in 1967. He was selected as the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1964.

Stan Quintana
New Mexico Lobos – No. 17
PositionQuarterback, defensive back
Career history
College
High schoolSanta Fe High School
Personal information
Born:(1944-12-23)December 23, 1944
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Died:September 21, 2019September 21, 2019(2019-09-21) (aged 74)
Florida
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight176 lb (80 kg)
Career highlights and awards
WAC Player of the Year (1964)

Early years

Quintana grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and attended Santa Fe High School.[1] He was a multi-sport athlete in high school, earning all-state honors in football, averaging more than 23 points per game in basketball, and batting almost .400 in baseball.[2]

University of New Mexico

Quintana attended the University of New Mexico on a football scholarship starting in the fall of 1962. After playing on the freshman team in 1962, he played at quarterback and defensive back for the New Mexico Lobos football team from 1963 to 1965. He led the team to consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships in 1963 and 1964.[3]

As a junior, he led the 1964 New Mexico team to a 9–2 record and a No. 16 ranking in the UPI poll. During the 1964 season, he ranked third in the WAC with 1,249 yards of total offense, fourth with 749 passing yards, and fifth with 455 rushing yards (including an 80-yard run against Colorado State).[4] He also set a WAC record for interception return yards (including a 93-yard return against Wyoming),[2] and his average of 7.3 yard of total offense per play in 1964 remains a New Mexico school record.[5] The United Press International selected him as the 1964 WAC Player of the Year, citing his versatility and outstanding play on both offense and defense.[4]

After his senior season, he played in three all-star games: the East–West Shrine Game in San Francisco, the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and the Chicago College All-Star Game.[2]

In three seasons at New Mexico, Quintana set 12 New Mexico and five WAC records.[2] He completed 89 of 214 passes for 1,459 yards and four touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,207 yards and eight touchdowns on 247 carries.[6]

Later years

After graduating from the University of New Mexico, Quintana was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 162nd pick in the 1966 NFL Draft but spent the 1966 season on the Vikings' taxi squad.[7] He made the Vikings' traveling squad in 1967 but did not see action in any regular season games.[2]

In April 1969, Quintana joined the United States Marine Corps. He played at free safety and backup quarterback for the Quantico Marines football team in 1969 and 1970. Following the 1970 football season, he served as an assistant platoon commander in Vietnam with the 2nd Combined Action Group, 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade.[2] He was discharged from the Marines in 1972.[8]

After leaving the Marine Corps, Quintana received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. He married Rosella Martinez of Santa Fe,[9] and they had three children: Wendy, Allen, and Shari.[10] Quintana later worked as a high school football coach in El Paso and San Antonio, Texas, and as the receivers coach for the New Mexico Lobos from 1981 to 1986.[11] Quintana was the first Hispanic football coach at the University of New Mexico.[10] In December 1986, New Mexico fired head coach Joe Lee Dunn, and all 10 assistant coaches were also told to look for other work.[12] In 1987, he returned to coaching high school football in El Paso.[13]

In 2003, he was inducted into both the UNM Alumni Athletic Hall of Honor and the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame (later renamed the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame).[14][15] In 2018, The Santa Fe New Mexican selected the 10 best athletes in the city's history, picking Quintana at the No. 4 spot.[16]

Quintana died in September 2019 in Florida and was buried at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.[11]

References
  1. "Stan Quintana: Every day is a delight". The New Mexican. August 27, 1981. p. 1981 Football magazine, p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Despite Long, Quintana still holds UNM marks". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 26, 1971. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Quintana Key To Lobo Success". The New Mexican. September 1, 1965. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "New Mexico's Stan Quintana Grabs Honors As WAC Player of Year". Carlsbad Current-Argus. December 6, 1964. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "University of New Mexico Football Record Book" (PDF). University of New Mexico. 2013. p. 4.
  6. "Stan Quintana College Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  7. "Stan Quintana Is Ready To Move Up Next Season". Albuquerque Journal. January 5, 1967. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Stan Quintana to Lead Strong Alum Eleven Against U. Gridders". Albuquerque Journal. March 30, 1972. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Extra Points". Albuquerque Journal. May 28, 1976. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Quintana May Be 1st Hispanic". Albuquerque Journal. July 17, 1981. p. E4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Stan Quintana 1944-2019: He was the last of the Lobos' two-way football stars". Albuquerque Journal. September 26, 2019. p. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Quintana's Phone at UNM Silent, His Career as Assistant on Hold". Albuquerque Journal. December 19, 1986. p. D11 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Transcending Time, Distance". Albuquerque Journal. December 5, 2002. p. B6 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "UNM Hall Adds Members". Albuquerque Journal. August 1, 2003. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Getting Their Due: Hall To Induct 3 More". Albuquerque Journal. February 15, 2003. p. D10 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Santa Fe's 10 best athletes ever". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 9, 2018. pp. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com.
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