All-American running back Fred Wendt, who set UTEP records with 326 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns versus New Mexico State on Nov. 25, 1948, has passed away.
Wendt died on May 18, just two months shy of his 96th birthday. He was born on July 15, 1924 in Las Cruces, N.M.
He attended school in Lubbock and Amarillo before moving to El Paso in 1938. He graduated from Austin High School in 1942 before entering Texas College of Mines (now UTEP). Wendt played for the Miners in 1942 and from 1946-48, sandwiched around a stint in the Army during World War II.