Throughout Nevada Athletics’ history, the Wolf Pack has witnessed many standout Hispanic athletes. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we recognize a few of these athletes and their contributions to Nevada Athletics.
Jorge Cordova (Football):
Jorge Cordova, a four-year starter for Nevada football, played two seasons at linebacker and two seasons at defensive end from 2000 to 2003. During his time at Nevada, Cordova earned Nevada Outstanding Defensive Player in 2002 and led the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in sacks that same year. Cordova also earned first-team ALL-WAC honors on the defensive line in 2003, won the team’s Golden Helmet Award (MVP) (2003), and was co-captain for three years.
Cordova set Nevada’s career record for sacks, ranked fourth in career tackles for loss, 42, and fifth in career tackles with 301. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Despite injuries, Cordova made his NFL debut in 2006 and played 13 games with the Jaguars that season. During his second NFL season, he was traded to the Tennessee Titans, where he played one season before retiring in 2008.
Matt Ortiz (Baseball):
Matt Ortiz played baseball for the Pack from 1998 to 2000. He earned first-team All-Big West honors in both 1999 and 2000 and helped Nevada win two Big West titles in that time. In 2000, he led the team with 148 RBIs.
Ortiz served as captain for two years and led the team to two NCAA tournament appearances where he earned all-tournament honors in 1999 and 2000. In his senior year, Ortiz hit .377 with 15 home runs, leading him to feature in several of Nevada’s offensive record categories.
After his time at Nevada, Ortiz played for the St. Louis Cardinals organization for two years, 2000-2001.
Jim Stassi (Baseball):
Jim Stassi played catcher for Nevada baseball from 1981 to 1982, posting a .381 batting average with 15 home runs.
He served as team captain for both seasons and was named an “Academic All-American” following his senior season. Stassi was also named first-team All-Northern California Baseball Association (NCBA) catcher in 1981 and 1982, and NCBA Most Valuable Player in 1981. In his senior season, he hit .403 and ranked second on the team with 38 RBIs.
Stassi’s impressive two seasons with the Pack piqued the interest of the San Francisco Giants, who went on to draft him in the 17th round of the MLB draft. He reached class-AAA level in the Giants organization in 1985 before finishing his professional career in the Italian Pro Baseball League.
Sam Macias (Boxing):
Sam Macias, a boxer, competed in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, leading Nevada to three Pacific Coast Intercollegiate championships during his three years with the Pack from 1953 to 1956. He finished with an impressive 39-4 record, with two of his four losses coming in the NCAA finals
After his time at Nevada, Macias continued boxing in the Army, winning 40 of 42 fights and claiming the Eight Army and All-Korea championships. Following his military service, Macias became a principal at Traner Middle School in Reno.
Humberto Serrano Jr. (Boxing, Men’s Track & Field, Men’s Gymnastics):
Humberto Serrano Jr. was a three-sport athlete at Nevada and competed in track and field, boxing and gymnastics from 1967 to 1970. He was the only Nevada student-athlete to letter in three sports in one semester. Serrano Jr He is also the only male gymnast inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame.
Serrano Jr. finished his collegiate boxing career with a 1902 record and won the California Collegiate Boxing Conference in his weight division in 1969. He was the West Coast Athletic Conference Pole Vault Champion with a 15-6 pole vault record in 1970, a record he held until 1973. He later received the Doc Martie Award as the top male senior student-athlete of the year.
After college, Serrano Jr. taught and coached both track and field and gymnastics at Churchill County High School in Fallon.
Cody Fajardo (Football):
Cody Fajardo, a Nevada football quarterback, was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2011. He threw for 3,907 yards, the fourth-highest single-season passing total in Nevada history. Fajardo became the second player in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to record 9,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing in a career, joining former Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
After graduating, Fajardo spent time on the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad before joining the Canadian Football League. He made his CFL debut with the Toronto Argonauts in 2016, and helped lead them to a Grey Cup championship in 2017. Fajardo won another Grey Cup in 2023 while playing for the Montreal Alouettes. Fajardo was inducted into the Nevada Hall of Fame in the class of 2024.
Tony Zendejas (Football):
Tony Zendejas served as Nevada’s football kicker from 1981 to 1983, leading the nation in field goals during that span. Zendejas has the third most field goals made with 70, along with the longest field goal in Nevada history, 58 yards.
Zendejas went on to kick for the Houston Oilers from 1985 to 1990 and the Los Angeles Rams from 1991 to 1995 before retiring in 1995.
Marty Zendejas (Football):
Marty Zendejas, Nevada football’s kicker from 1984-87, was a three-time first-team All-Big Sky honoree. He took over as kicker the year after his older brother Tony Zendejas graduated. During his junior year, he became the Big Sky’s career scoring leader with 385 points. In his three seasons with Nevada, Zendejas converted 80% of his field-goal attempts (72/90) without a single blocked kick.
Zendejas still holds Nevada’s career record for kick scoring, field goals and points after touchdowns (169/171). After his time with the Wolf Pack, Zendejas played in the Arena Football League for two months before retiring in 1988.
