Borderland Ballers: Meet the El Paso Stars Who Took Flight with the Eagles

Several players who were born in El Paso or have PLAYED for El Paso (as a UTEP Miner) have gone on to play in the NFL. In honor of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LIX victory, here are some players who have been from El Paso that played with the Eagles.

Louis Lee James

The Bel Air high school graduate, Louis Lee James Jr, played for Texas Western College (now UTEP) before being drafted into the NFL to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1965 & would stay with the team until 1967. After his time in the NFL, Louis would come back to coach for various high schools in El Paso including Bel Air, Riverside & Parkland.

Sadly Louis would pass away at the age of 81 in late 2023. He is still remembered dearly through his family, friends and the lives he's touched while in El Paso.

Huge thank you to Joseph James for these photos of Louis during his time as a professional player:

Seth Joyner

Before Seth became an Eagles in 1986, he was a former linebacker for the UTEP Miners from 1982-1985. Seth would play for the Eagles from 86-93. He would later be drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers & the Denver Broncos (the same team he would win a Super Bowl with in 1998).

Even though he won a Super Bowl with the Broncos, he's still got a ton of love the city of Philly on his show on YouTube.

Chuck Hughes

Before Chuck Hughes would play for the Detroit Lions, the UTEP Hall of Famer would begin his NFL career playing for his hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles. We tragically know what happened to Chuck on that fateful October day in 1971, but never forget that Chuck spent 4 years with the Eagles too from 1967-1971.

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Here are some other notable Eagles names from El Paso:

• Dave Toub - the former offensive lineman who played with UTEP from 1983 to 1984 was drafted into the NFL by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. He later became the Special Teams Coach for the Eagles from 2001 to 2003.
• Thurman Randle - the tackle from Texas Western College was drafted in the 6th round by the Eagles in 1968.
• Trey Darilek - The UTEP offensive lineman was drafted by the Eagles in 2004 in the 4th round. He would stay with the Eagles from 2004-05.
• Quintin Demps - The UTEP safety would be drafted by the Eagles in 2008 & stayed with them until 2009.

We definitely want to give a special mention to Tom Brookshier, the defensive back for the Eagles who became an iconic play by play commentator for CBS during the Sun Bowl in the 70s & 80s.

Another special mention to for Eagles QB Randall Cunningham too; he has a street named after him in El Paso which you can read about here.