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Aggie great Pervis Atkins no stranger to national spotlight
From etching his name into the record books to becoming just the second player in New Mexico State University history to have his jersey retired - for Pervis Atkins the list goes on, and almost 50 years after his college football career ended, the accolades are still coming.
Atkins, who still holds New Mexico State University records for career yards per carry (8.1 yards), career punt return average (17.6 yards) and single-season punt return average (21.8 yards), will have his name placed among the greats when he is inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Dec. 8.
"I haven't been able to completely realize how great this is," Atkins said in a phone interview. "You can't ask for anything more than that."
Atkins is NMSU's first College Football Hall of Fame player and will join his coach, Warren Woodson, who was inducted in 1989.
While at NMSU, Atkins helped lead the team to its second-ever bowl appearance, a 28-8 win against North Texas State in the 1959 Sun Bowl.
In 1960, his last season with the team, Atkins led NMSU to a perfect 10-0 record that ended with a 20-13 Sun Bowl victory over Utah State.
Atkins is the first and only Aggie ever to be named an Associated Press first team All-American, but there is more to his greatness than his determination and grit on the gridiron. He did - and continues to do - much off the field to provide citizens, and especially youth, with a model of doing things the right way.
Atkins went on to an impressive six-year career in the NFL, but as seen by his toughness and tenacity on the football field, he was not one to leave a job undone. While he left NMSU after being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, Atkins continued his studies and earned his bachelor's in sociology from NMSU in 1962. This dedication and commitment to education is one of the most important legacies he has bestowed upon his many fans and admirers.
Written by Louie Calderon.