Alamogordo, N.M.—Since the first Homecoming parade rolled down Alamogordo's city streets in the 1920s, this annual tradition has celebrated school pride, community spirit, and the next generation of Tiger leaders. This year’s “At the Oscars” theme adds a dash of Hollywood glamor to September 15–20 festivities, but at its heart lies a deeper story: how five Alamogordo High alumni turned small-town gridiron glory into NFL careers—and how their legacy continues to fuel student success through the Fred Henry Jr./Ray McDonald Scholarship Fund.
Monday’s Movie-Character Dress-Up set the tone, with students channeling classic film icons in Tiger-green and gold. Tuesday’s “Silver Screen Stars vs. Sporting Legends” lunchtime showdown matched football feats against Oscar trivia. Wednesday morning brought Senior “Red-Carpet” Sunrise Photos on the track, while Thursday’s community Pep Rally united elementary choirs, drill teams, and current players under the Friday-Night-Lights banner.
Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm the Homecoming Parade reignites a decades-old tradition, as floats and classic cars drift past cheering families and local businesses bedecked in streamers to celebrate the Alamogordo High School Tigers and their 113 years of competition.
A three-sport standout through the mid-1960s, McDonald vaulted from Tiger Stadium to national headlines at the University of Idaho, where he rushed for 2,916 career yards. In 1967 he became the 13th overall pick of the Washington Redskins—the first Black first-round selection to hail from southern New Mexico—breaking barriers and inspiring future generations. His selection to the NFL was historic as the United States was coming out of Jim Crow and the shackles of segregation.
Younger brother of Ray McDonald and one of few brothers to both make it to an NFL draft pick. Ed is the husband to Alamogordo Mayor Pro Temp Sharon Mcdonald. Fresh off a 22-foot, 3¾-inch long jump that stood as the state record in 1967, Ed attracted scholarship offers from track and football powerhouses nationwide. He chose North Texas State University, where he shattered school interception and kickoff-return marks, earned Lone Star Conference honors, and drew NFL attention. Drafted to the NFL by the 1971 Philadelphia Eagles squad, McDonald contributed as a defensive back and special-teams ace—sharing camp drills with Olympic protest icon John Carlos and weaving Alamogordo’s athletic prowess into a larger fight for equality.
From Tiger Stadium’s backfield to the University of New Mexico record books, Henry’s 1,100-yard season in 1971 earned all-conference acclaim and a third-round NFL selection by the Los Angeles Rams in 1973. Several of his NCAA COllege records still hold today. His blend of vision, power, and community commitment set a template for student-athletes balancing classroom goals with gridiron ambitions.
An anchor on Alamogordo’s late-’80s offensive lines, Sienkiewicz protected quarterbacks at New Mexico State and earned a sixth-round selection to the NFL by the San Diego Chargers in 1995. Over 28 NFL games—and later an Arena Football League stint—he demonstrated the endurance and technique instilled on Tiger practice fields.
The class of ’92 graduate sharpened his coverage skills at Eastern New Mexico University before becoming a seventh-round NFL pick of the New York Giants in 1996. Over six seasons with the Giants and Falcons, Hamilton started 18 games, returning punts and shutting down premier receivers. Today he applies that same discipline as a high-school coach in Arizona, emphasizing study and fundamentals.
In 2005, friends and family of Ray McDonald and Fred Henry founded the Fred Henry Jr./Ray McDonald Scholarship Fund to ensure those Tiger-built qualities endured beyond the end zone. As a 501(c)(3), the fund has awarded more than $160,000 in scholarships to over 120 New Mexico high-school seniors, helping them attend four-year universities, community colleges, and vocational programs.
Alamogordo students eager to follow in these alumni’s footsteps can apply beginning October 1 at www.rmfhscholarshipfund.org. Community members and businesses interested in supporting tomorrow’s leaders can donate or sponsor and learn more through the same portal.
This Homecoming, as the band’s drums echo under desert skies and the Tigers take the field against Organ Mountain High, Alamogordo, the place where five young men first chased football glory feels as electric as ever. Their triumphs on NFL turfs may be decades past, but the true victory lives on in every scholarship awarded and every student who dares to dream big—proving that Alamogordo’s small-town roots can grow into something that changes lives forever.
Patchy rain nearby, with a high of 82 and low of 67 degrees. Sunny in the morning, thundery outbreaks in nearby during the afternoon, partly cloudy during the evening, clear overnight.
My God what a hot mess! How do you get rid of her?
72° and Cloudy