LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) -- Danny Villanueva, who was one of the NFL's first Latino kickers and a pioneer of Spanish-language television, has died. He was 77.
Family members and officials at New Mexico State University, where Villanueva was a member of the athletic hall of fame, confirmed that he died Thursday after suffering a stroke earlier this week.
Born to migrant missionary workers in eastern New Mexico, Villanueva went on to attend New Mexico State on a football scholarship. After graduating in 1961, he played for the Los Angeles Rams, where he was nicknamed ''El Kickador.