Every football player’s dream is to achieve a massive victory for their team. Larry Rose almost did that in 2013 for the Fairfield Eagles, and now he has finally done it for New Mexico State University. For the first time in 57 years, New Mexico State University won their bowl game, with Rose scoring the winning touchdown, setting the score to 26-20.

Graduating in 2014, Larry Rose III is a former varsity football player for the Fairfield Eagles that helped take the Eagles to the State Championships back during his graduation year. Since then, he has had an eventful football career.

Hodnett: How has college life been to you? How much of a transition has it been from Fairfield?

Rose: At the end of the day,  I feel like this was the best place for me to go. Not just as far as football goes, but as far as school goes it’s really been a nice transition. Las Cruces to me feels a lot like home. Everybody knows who you are, everybody’s looking out for you, you’re held to the same high standard as you are coming out of Fairfield. Fairfield, I think, prepared me for my next step in life.

Hodnett: How is it managing your football schedule with school?

Rose: Oh man, it has its good days and it has its bad days. It goes smoother managing my time with football and school at the beginning of the semester, but as you get to the end of the semester when it’s finals time, that’s when things start to get a little difficult. I would be lying if I said I was always on top of my game. So there’s been some semesters where you kinda gotta play catch up and make it happen, and I think that’s when it gets tough. Other than that, it’s been pretty smooth, it’s not that hard as long as you stay on top of school, and you gotta remember that school comes first, and football comes second.

Hodnett: How did your first college game feel compared compared to your first college bowl game?

Rose: Honestly, there’s no greater feeling than going to a bowl game. When I walked out onto the field, and I saw the whole community behind me, it kinda took me back to when I played my final game as a Fairfield Eagle. You know, when we went to the State Championship game and I looked up, and the whole city, whole community was behind us, that’s what this bowl game reminded me of. I don’t think anything is better than representing for your community, for your city, and making everyone proud. I think that’s why I can’t compare my first game to my last game, because like I said, the first one I just came in as a freshman and I was just playing just to be playing. But that last one, I was playing with a lot of a bigger purpose than my first game ever.

Hodnett: How has your support been back in Fairfield? How has support been from the City of Las Cruces?

Rose: My support from Fairfield has been great since day one. You know, you got people like the Lides. Chris Lide and his family always show me major love and major support when I come home. You got the Rachels, you got the Simpsons, you got you know, everybody from Fairfield just really showing me a lot of love. You got Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Welch who, when I tell you they show me so much love, that’s really an understatement because it’s just ridiculous when I come home and I’m just overwhelmed with all the love that they give me, all the positive energy that they bring my way, how happy they tell me they are for me, you know. I know I can’t say everybody’s name, but it’s so many people back home that really show me genuine love, genuine support, and really care about me. Then Las Cruces has shown me love since the very first day I stepped on the field. Las Cruces is so much like Fairfield, when I go somewhere, people say ‘Hey, how you doing? You did this, you’re doing great, keep it up.’ Anywhere I go people recognize me and tell me how proud they are of me, how I’m doing such a great job and out here in Cruces, you can tell that the love and support is genuine and pure, and it’s just crazy I get so much love and support. It’s funny to me, because I’m just little ol’ Larry, I don’t see myself as anybody special, but the fact that they show me love and support is what makes me keep wanting to do what I’m doing and keep being successful, and keep being who I am.