People at NMSU made the difference for John Cordova
Now he’s paying it forward for others
When John Cordova attended NMSU on a football scholarship from 1976 to 1979, he made a commitment to himself that someday he would pay back that scholarship. He took note of the many professors, coaches, teammates and friends who helped him through school—and three decades later, he made good on his promise.
“I always told myself I was fortunate and privileged to go to New Mexico State on a football scholarship,” he says. “I never forgot the opportunity I was given. It has always been top-of-mind, and now I can make a difference for those who helped me.”
After a 40+ year career in sports business, Cordova is paying it forward on behalf of the people who helped put his career on the right track. To thank them, Cordova has established 11 endowed scholarships at NMSU—and has plans for even more. “This isn’t about me; it’s about the people who had an influence on me,” he adds.
Shortly after graduating, Cordova began making annual contributions to support his alma mater. But in 2002, a personal visit from the NMSU Foundation’s president encouraged him to go even further and create an endowment to finally repay that football scholarship.
His first scholarship endowment focused on supporting an undergraduate student athlete pursuing a business degree at NMSU, much like he did. Each time Cordova establishes a scholarship, he asks the person who inspired him what they want the scholarship to address.
“There’s a story behind every endowment,” he says. “Through these scholarships, I hope that those who helped me can focus on their passions, so that we can positively impact future generations of NMSU students together.”
For example, while completing his MBA, Cordova began coaching football at NMSU. But he knew that coaching was not going to be his final career path. “One of my MBA classmates suggested I look into sports business and had access to a word processor to compose employment pitch letters, and she helped me send them to potential employers,” he recalls. “We established a scholarship in her mother’s and her honor, and she dedicated that scholarship to Health, Education and Social Transformation students majoring in nursing with a focus on oncology.”
With his friend’s help, Cordova began his sports business career as a member of the Executive Development Program with the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office in New York in 1983. A year later, he joined Miller Brewing Company as coordinator for sports marketing, where he eventually directed all of Miller Brewing’s marketing programs with sports organizations ranging from the NFL to the NBA, NHL, MLB, PBA Tour and the Olympics.
Following a stint as vice president of marketing with the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, he became group director of sports management for The Coca Cola Company and served in various roles over the next 27 years, including director of sports marketing.
After leaving Coca-Cola in 2021, Cordova established a sports business consultancy. Today he serves once again as a board member for the NMSU Foundation helping raise private support for the university and guiding the Foundation’s work. But whenever he has a spare moment he loves to recall those who impacted his life for the better so he can start planning his next endowed scholarship.