4,246 words Interview of Eugene Agnes, Ph.D. Prepared by The Center for Regional Studies The University of Tobías Durán, Ph.D., Director April 9, 2008-April 23, 2014

Eugene Agnes, Ph.D., a 1954 graduate of Albuquerque High School and both a player and a sprinter for the Bulldogs, is notable for his success in managing multiple and concurrent career tracks during his lifetime and with extraordinary success. Among his most recognized achievements, if not necessarily his most important: an incredible rise from referee in Albuquerque recreation basketball leagues to an official in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Agnes, a kid from an Albuquerque barrio, also started from scratch to become a major league umpire (National League), and an NCAA football official, who worked major games including the Fiesta and Cotton Bowls. His long but seasonal officiating career was overlapped and in some sense overshadowed by the duties of raising a family, working a regular job with increasingly complex duties for the U.S. Department of Justice over three decades, and climbing the academic ladder after a late start to a doctoral degree in psychology, counseling, management, and theology when he was in his sixties. Agnes has been a New Mexico resident all his life, although his doctorate came from Trinity Theological Seminary, Trinity Bible College, Newburgh, Indiana, monitored by Dr. John Rinaldi of the University of New Mexico, where Agnes received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees. He received the doctorate in 1995, 41 years after his high school graduation, in preparation for a post-retirement career as a mental health therapist, counselor and ordained minister. His early college work began at the University of Albuquerque, then known as St. Joseph’s College. While still an undergraduate at St. Joe’s, he transferred to the University of New Mexico and there earned a bachelor of science in psychology and recreation in 1981. A master’s in counseling from UNM followed in 1988. Right out of Albuquerque High Agnes began officiating in city recreation leagues to supplement his regular job as a custodian at the Sears-Roebuck store in Albuquerque. The early officiating assignments included basketball, baseball, and fast pitch softball in leagues operated by the Albuquerque public schools at the junior high to high school level. He also refereed high school football. Currently, sixty years after graduating from Albuquerque High, he works as a fulltime mental health counselor and therapist.

This interview is part of an initiative by The Center for Regional Studies, Tobías Durán, Ph.D., Director, to create an archive of information related to sports and its role in the social and cultural development of New Mexico and its borderlands as part of the Center's mission of inquiry into nineteenth and twentieth century social history. The initial interview was conducted at the Special Collections Library, 423 Central Ave. NE, on April 9, 2009, by UNM faculty researcher Ben Moffett. The responses of Dr. Agnes were typed into a word processor, with the agreement that a final editing session or sessions for accuracy, clarity and additional thoughts would be made from a draft copy of the interview. The five-year time span in finishing the interview was due to scheduling conflicts, verification of information on dates and facts, and updates on his ongoing career.

The Interview:

1 Question—Thank you, Dr. Agnes. I’m very familiar with your sports exploits of course, having myself graduated from Albuquerque High three years after you, in 1957. I’ve watched you work as a referee and umpire many times over many years, in person and on television. I first met you when I was a high school newspaper reporter, and public address announcer and official scorekeeper at semi-pro and American Legion games at Heights Community Center in Albuquerque. But if you don’t mind, let’s start at the beginning, long before we met, and talk about your growing up in Albuquerque. When did your family arrive in the Duke City?

Eugene Agnes— My mother moved to Albuquerque in 1929, before I was born. We lived in the Eugene Field neighborhood, along South Broadway and I attended Eugene Field Elementary, named after me.* Then I attended Lincoln Junior High where I played basketball for Coach Frank Sanchez, and then moved on to Albuquerque High.

*[Footnote: The Agnes statement about Eugene Field School being named after him was followed by a disclaiming wink, a mistake that had made before. The school was actually named after Eugene Field, Sr. (Sept. 2, 1850 – Nov. 4, 1895), an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays.]

2 Question—Where did your family hail from and how did they come to settle in the Albuquerque area?

Eugene Agnes—My grandmother came from Ireland. She was Anglo, and a school teacher who spoke seven European languages, including English and Spanish. She moved to southern New Mexico where she found my grandfather, a buffalo soldier* who chased Pancho Villa around along the border from Agua Prieta, across from Douglas, Ariz., in 1915 to a raid on Columbus, New Mexico on the Mexico-New Mexico border in May 1916, leaving it in flames. My grandmother and mother eventually moved to Colorado Springs and not too much later to Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, where I was born, we lived at the corner of John and Iron. Iron is the street that runs east and west parallel to Coal. My mother’s early childhood was spent in Columbus, New Mexico, where she attended elementary school. This is where she picked up a lot of the old Mexico Spanish because the Mexican children from across the border in Agua Fria attended school in Columbus. She was still living in Columbus when Pancho Villa raided the army camp that was situated there. Unfortunately her father’s (the buffalo soldier’s) name was lost with the death of my mother in the late nineteen eighties. After Columbus, the next place of residence that I can remember her talking about was Colorado Springs, Colorado, at age 21. It was there that she met and married my father and moved to Albuquerque, where she gave birth to me.

* [Footnote: “Buffalo soldier” is a reference to African-American soldiers who fought for the military during and after the Civil War.]

3 Question—You must have fit in pretty well. If I'm not mistaken the Eugene Field neighborhood has historically been a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, but with a fair share of African-Americans and Anglos. Would you say it was a reflection of New Mexico's cultural heritage, integrated into one neighborhood?

Eugene Agnes—The lightest of the light and the darkest of the dark lived there. It was a great neighborhood, and I learned both Spanish and English from my grandmother so it was a great environment for me. As a child I was a red-headed, fairly light-skinned Spanish speaker, so nobody knew what to make of me. It was a lot of fun, lots to do. In those days you could even fish for carp and catfish in the ditch behind our house. We had a lot of fun growing up.

4 Question—Since your grandmother learned Spanish in Europe and was a teacher, being exposed to the Spanish in both Europe and along the southern New Mexico and Mexican border, I would expect that your Spanish would have a different flavor to it than the language used along South Broadway in Albuquerque. If so, did you quickly pick up the street language used by the kids in the barrio?

Eugene Agnes—Yes, and fairly easily. I was one of the gang. I think I studied the language and mixed everything that I had learned together. Now, if the situation calls for it, I can speak like a Puerto Rican or a Cuban or in New Mexico Spanish.

5 Question—You played basketball at Lincoln Junior High and Albuquerque High, both in walking distance of your Eugene Field area home?

Eugene Agnes—Yes, and I ran track. I was a sprinter at Albuquerque High, the 100, 220, 440, and the relays. For part of that time, I was running against Tommy McDonald.

* Footnote: [McDonald was a 1953 graduate of Albuquerque High’s arch rival Highland High. McDonald went on to play football at Oklahoma University and with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1998, McDonald was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, Ohio.— Ben Moffett.]

6 Question—What about basketball?

Eugene Agnes—I played a pretty good game, maybe not as big a contributor as my son, Daryl, who played on a state championship team for Albuquerque High. Once he was breaking down the floor, was fouled, and got the two free throws that send the Bulldogs to the state tournament in 1993. He wrote a short essay on that if you’d like to see it. [* Footnote: A Daryl Agnes essay of his time as an Albuquerque Bulldog player and the AHS Bulldogs’ championship year follows at the bottom of this interview.]

7 Question—I’d love to see it. Please send me a copy. With your sprinter’s speed, I suspect you played better than you let on. When and how did you get started officiating?

Eugene Agnes—I started right out of high school in 1954, encouraged by Max Shirley of the Albuquerque Public Schools, who was in charge of recreation programs. Max started me officiating in parks and rec baseball at the Heights Community Center and other diamonds, and park and rec basketball at gyms across town including Wells Park Community Center. I was also calling junior high and junior varsity games at various high schools, and softball games, which is a lot different from baseball in a number of ways. The rules are certainly different. My day job out of high school was at Sears Roebuck before I became a clerk and court bailiff for U.S. District Judge Howard Bratton in 1964.

8 Question—Softball? Where?

Eugene Agnes—Rec league fast-pitch softball including the Kirtland Flyers and other military teams and town teams. I called in national tournaments in Arizona and New Mexico. I was the umpire behind the plate when Sam Dillow, a noted Air Force pitcher at Kirtland Base, was on the mound, pitching what in those days they were being described in the newspapers as 105 mile an hour fastballs.

9 Question—So you started as a high school basketball official in 1955, right out of high school and, according to your curriculum vitae, you were officiating high school sports when you weren't occupied elsewhere, until 1993. That's nearly four decades. You must have called some pretty important games at the high school level.

Eugene Agnes—From 1960 to 1985 I was selected to referee the New Mexico State High School Basketball Tournament each year, as well as state football championship games. I was actually a high school sports official for basketball and football from 1955 to 1993, and an umpire for high school baseball for 18 years, from 1955 to 1973.

10 Question—And you began to work higher level sports into your schedule starting in 1967?

Eugene Agnes —From 1967 until 1989, I was an NCAA Western Athletic Conference football and basketball official.

11 Question—You must have handled some big time games there, too.

Eugene Agnes—I did six national basketball tournaments and numerous play-off games. And I officiated in ten football bowl games, including the Fiesta, Cotton, Sun, and Bluebonnet. I have plenty of souvenirs to show for it—ten bowl game watches. I traveled a lot—fourteen trips to Hawaii and two to Japan as an umpire.

12 Question—How and why did you make the jump to the top professional basketball leagues?

Eugene Agnes—An NBA scout saw me working an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national tournament game in Kansas City and asked if I'd consider applying to the NBA. I thought about it, and decided to try it, but the ABA was just getting started. I started officiating there first and then transferred to the NBA.

13 Question— But you only stayed in the ABA and NBA a very short time. Not happy with the lifestyle?

Eugene Agnes—I wanted to see if I could balance it out with my family. I tried the ABA and then the NBA from 1970 to 1973, and I asked myself, is this all there is to it. I wasn't being fulfilled. I told myself, I've got to go back to the desert. I still have to go to school. And during that time I was on leave from my job with the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, where I started to work in 1964.

14 Question—What about baseball? Again, you started out in the Albuquerque rec leagues and moved up. You were fairly young when you umpired in a World Series, only it was the Connie Mack World Series for 16-18 year olds, held annually in Farmington, a big deal for New Mexico.

Eugene Agnes—I umpired the Connie Mack World Series from 1959 to 1969. In 1965 I became a Western Athletic Conference umpire, a designated umpire-in-chief with responsibility for revolving all disputed issues.

15 Question—How did you get into professional baseball, “the show,” as the major leagues are often called?

Eugene Agnes—I started calling Triple A baseball at Sports Stadium when it was first built, working with Tom LaSorda of the Albuquerque Dodgers as a substitute umpire when someone couldn't get to Albuquerque.* From that start, I eventually called National League games for the LA Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

*[Footnote: LaSorda, the longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, managed Albuquerque to the PCL title in 1972, its first year of operation in the Duke City after moving from Spokane].

16 Question—While you were able to juggle a mind-boggling schedule during your lifetime, you obviously couldn't physically be in two places at the same time—you couldn't do your Department of Justice job as you pointed out while you constantly traveled in the NBA. But your other officiating, including major league baseball, was part time, wasn't it? Then there was college. You got a bachelors, masters and doctorate while you were working as a career civil servant and a sports official. How did you manage all that? Could you rehash some of that?

Eugene Agnes—Mostly I officiated nights and weekends or could work in a day of leave with a four day holiday, like at Thanksgiving which always falls on Thursday. It was all on a part-time basis and I burned a lot of oil, even attending classes on lunch hour. Wow! I don’t know. But I got it done. It was quite a long ride, and I have been a mental health clinical therapist for seventeen years. Crazy.

17 Question—But you didn't take the traditional route of going to college right out of high school. Instead you took a job at Sears.

Eugene Agnes—Prejudice was in full bloom and still is, but I had a vision and I was not going to be distracted fighting battles of racism. In 1955, I started working as a custodian with Sears Roebuck Company, and then moved up to a technician in the auto service center, then to merchandising. While at Sears, I started college part-time at University of Albuquerque, which was then called St. Joseph's College, in 1961. I began my federal service in 1964 as a court clerk and bailiff for U.S. District Judge Howard Bratton. It wasn't until 1981 that I got a degree—a bachelor of science in psychology and recreation from the University of New Mexico. In 1978 I was promoted to assistant United States probation officer. In 1981 I was named U.S. Probation Officer, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico, and held that post until 1987. During that time I served as the officer in charge of the Pretrial Services Unit, which performed both probation and pretrial service responsibilities.

18 Question—And during this time, you continued officiating sports events as one of the top referees in the country, and continuing your education?

Eugene Agnes – In 1986, I went back for my masters in counseling at UNM, and received it in 1988. It dealt with the management of deviant behavior and correction techniques which fit into my work with the courts. In 1987, well on my way to a master’s degree, I was named U.S. Pre-trail Services Officer, the first appointed for the district of New Mexico, and the Witness Security Coordinator. I was also training coordinator from 1990 to 1998.

19 Question—Three years before your retirement from federal service, you received a Ph.D., which complemented the new direction in your life, and which apparently had always been important to you.

Eugene Agnes—In 1995 I received a doctorate in psychology, counseling, management and theology from Trinity Theological Seminary, Trinity Bible College, Newburgh, Indiana, which was monitored by Dr. John Rinaldi at the University of New Mexico. Concurrently with that, I completed the curriculum and requirements of 3,000 clinical hours for qualification as a mental health therapist/counselor. And I was licensed to practice on September 30, 1995.

20 Question—And you've really never quit working. In fact, “in retirement” if you can call it that, you seem to be working harder than ever?

Eugene Agnes—Since January, 2001, I have worked as a mental health clinical therapist, assisting federal court clientele in their efforts to re-enter mainstream activities. I conduct individual sessions two to four times a week and group sessions four times monthly. Between 1998 and 2001 I worked for Behavioral Care Options, a company engaged in the treatment of drug, alcohol, domestic violence and family therapy. The clientele consisted of individuals referred to “drug court” from the metropolitan, state, district and federal district courts.

21 Question—Returning to sports, why do you suppose you were such a success as a sports official? There are dozens if not hundreds of people who make a part-time living officiating high school sports in New Mexico, but the numbers who reach the top echelons are extremely rare—and you were at the top professional level in two sports and at the top of college football in a third. I know from watching you over the years that you have a certain flair on the court—my opinion— and you call basketball fouls, and baseball strikes clearly and decisively, game after game, with a lot of energy and it really appeals to the fans. Is that the kind of report card you'd give to yourself?

Eugene Agnes—What people tell me is that I'm the happiest, crazy person you'd ever want to meet, and I think that's probably true. I believe I have the right demeanor, the right attitude in applying the rules. I don't demean players and I'm never overly officious. I think that's why I'm a successful counselor and, when I was working with the federal courts, successful as a bailiff and a probation officer. I've been blessed because everything I've done, I have enjoyed doing.

22 Question—Many officials engage in “chest to chest” confrontations with coaches and players who are upset, especially in baseball, I've noticed. An alternative is walking away, and being chased and yelled at. I've seen you work dozens of times, especially when you were calling baseball at the semi-pro level, and I've never seen you look huffy with anyone on the court or baseball field. How do you handle anger directed at you from others?

Eugene Agnes—When a coach or manager gets upset, I talk to him while I'm brushing off home plate, or I might be looking in the stands and pointing while I get my point across to the coach. Sometimes I'll towel off my shoes, and the fans see it as less emotional that it might be. Sometimes, when they are on the other referee and I am in charge, I'll step in the same way, so that the fans aren't aware of the discussion, which is helpful in calming the situation down.

23 Question—I'm sure you've had to toss someone out of the game from time to time. Any examples?

Eugene Agnes – When I was in the ABA, I ejected (former UNM Lobo) Ira Harge. Years later he told me I was the only official who had ever done that. No hard feelings resulted from it. It was because of pushing and jawing between him and the other center, so I put an end to it. I tossed a smart-aleck catcher at Arizona State once when Bobby Winkles was coaching. Basically, the catcher was questioning every call I made, and finally I said ‘enough.’ Coach Winkles came over and asked why and I told him. It wasn’t a problem for him.

24 Question—You certainly have a remarkable history in sports officiating and community service and I appreciate your coming down to this library, less than a block from where our old school, Albuquerque High, was located. I’m looking forward to meeting you again, adding some missing pieces, and editing it with you for clarity and accuracy.

Eugene Agnes—Thank you for including me in your series of interviews, Ben.

(Interviewer Ben Moffett, BA., journalism, UNM, 1966; MA, communication, UNM, 1975, began following basketball on the radio and in the Albuquerque Journal in the mid-1940s while playing the game for San Antonio in a Socorro County grade school league. He began writing sports for the Journal in 1956, while a student at Albuquerque High. He worked at the newspaper until October, 1973, the last few years as state editor and executive sports editor. When he departed for a public relations career, he continued to write stories on sports and history for New Mexico news media and the state tourism and historical publications New Mexico Magazine and El Palacio.)

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Essay by Daryl Agnes Referenced in Question-Answer 6 Above

Daryl Agnes, son of Gene Agnes, penned an essay on his high school basketball career at Albuquerque High, his coaches over three years and their help on the road to success, and on his individual contribution in one critical game in his senior year that helped boost the Bulldogs to the 1993 big school state title.

By Daryl Agnes, Albuquerque High, Class of 1993

About five games into our sophomore season at Albuquerque High (1990-91), our group of twelve guys believed that in our senior year we would be New Mexico state champions. Apparently our coach, the C-team head coach, Pete Pino, felt the same. In a way he was the architect of our success. In practice we worked so hard we loved game day. No practice! We finished the season 18-2. In 1991-92, we were junior varsity, under the direction of Coach Alvin Meadors. “Jayvee” or “JV” as they called it, is normally the little brother of the family, when big brother (the varsity) requires the attention. Coach Meadors preached defense and teamwork, which we showed it off every day in practice games against the Bulldog varsity and one of the all-time winningest coaches in NMAA history, Coach Jim Hulsman. We were determined to show Coach Hulsman daily what was in store for next year. When the season was said and done, we finished 20-2. In our senior year, 1992-93, we finally made it to the top. Since we were groomed the previous season, Coach Hulsman wasted no time in laying the battle plan: rebound and run. Some of the sophomores were gone, but we added Jeremy Trujillo and Manny Otero, during the off-season and two seniors returned, Youel Greathouse and Dominic Rivas, leaving a core group of nine, ready for a state championship run.

On January 29, 1992, with 14 games under our belt, one of the biggest games in Coach Hulsman’s career came up, his chance for a 500th victory. This wasn’t going to be an easy task, facing Sandia’s Matadors, ranked fourth in the district. With the game tied at 50, I was fouled with three seconds remaining and stepped to the line, where the pressure was breath-taking. The first shot went up. It was good! Then the second, even more important than the first. It’s good. The game ended 52-50, Coach Hulsman’s 500th victory. “It’s a tribute to all the coaches and players, past and present, and the community who has worked for us over the past 25 years,” he said. The victory catapulted us to run off 12 more victories and capture the state championship. Our sophomore goal had been accomplished. Playing for Coach Hulsman wasn’t just about playing basketball. It was about teamwork and the will to never give up on any goals that you set in life.” The final score in the championship game: Albuquerque High 56, Highland High 52. AHS finished the season at 22-4, Highland finished at20-6.

Interviewer Ben Moffett, (BA, journalism,1966, & MA, communication, 1975, UNM) began following basketball on the radio and in the Albuquerque Journal in the mid-1940s while playing the game for San Antonio, NM, in a Socorro County grade school league. He began writing sports for the Journal in 1956, as a junior at Albuquerque High. He worked at the newspaper until October, 1973, the last few years as state editor and executive sports editor. When he departed for a career in another field, he continued to write stories on New Mexico sports and history for the news media statewide and for the state tourism and historical publications New Mexico Magazine and El Palacio).

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