In memoriam: Daniels, Ellenberger, Foster among major figures who died in 2015.

This year-end feature usually stands alone, with no lead-in paragraphs. But, in light of who among New Mexico’s sports figures left us, 2015 has been like no other year in recent memory.

There were so many, of such great stature and in some cases under such tragic circumstances, that a pause for reflection — and perhaps a tear or two — is more than justified.

Consider:

January

Vicente “Rocky” Arroyo: Athlete, Olympian, coach, game official and businessman, Arroyo was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame shortly after his death at age 89.

May

Dan Ryan: A former St. Pius X all-state athlete, Ryan spent eight years as a sports reporter and anchor at Albuquerque’s KOB-TV before moving on to Tucson, where he became a local icon during a 20-year career. He died at his home in Tucson at age 64.

June

Bob Turner: Best known for those “No Bull” commercials for his Ford auto dealership, Turner also was a loyal and dedicated supporter of UNM athletics. He was 83.

Darrell McGee: UNM men’s basketball’s all-time assists leader (1986-90), McGee died in Houston of complications from a stroke. He was 47.

Danny Villanueva: Born in Tucumcari, Villanueva was a kicker and punter for New Mexico State in the late 1950s. He went on to a successful career as a kicker for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, then to a spectacular career as a businessman and entrepreneur. He remained an ardent and generous supporter of NMSU athletics until his death at age 77.

Jaydon Chavez-Silver: A Manzano wrestler and football player, ChavezSilver was the innocent and unintended victim of a shooting at a party. He was 17.

August

Jim Bradley: During a legendary career in coaching, Bradley won 310 prep football games and guided Roswell and Mayfield to seven state titles. “The Greatest (Mayfield) Trojan of them all” was 82. He also was 23-31-1 as head coach at New Mexico State from 1973-77.

October

Mel Daniels: Arguably the greatest UNM basketball player of all time, Daniels averaged a double-double (19.9 points, 11.1 rebounds) during his three seasons (1964-67) as a Lobo. As a pro, he played center on three American Basketball Association championship teams with the Indiana Pacers. Daniels died at age 71 in Sheridan, Ind., of complications after heart surgery.

November

Stu Walker: The public-address announcer for UNM athletics and for the Albuquerque Isotopes, the velvet-toned Walker was the voice of the Lobos for some 20 years and of the ’Topes for 12. A special education teacher at Manzano, he died at 61 of complications from bladder cancer.

Norm Ellenberger: Perhaps the most controversial figure in the history of Lobo basketball because of the Lobogate scandal, he certainly was the most colorful. A superb head coach at UNM (1972-79) and a man of great charm and energy, Ellenberger died in Watersmeet, Mich., at age 83.

Bob Foster: Arguably the greatest lightheavyweight boxing champion in history and among the sport’s hardest punchers, Foster grew up in the South Valley and attended Albuquerque High. The longtime Bernalillo County deputy sheriff died at age 76. Adolph Plummer: Once his long legs got out of the starting blocks, Plummer might have been the fastest man alive in the early 1960s. The 440-yard world record he set while wearing a New Mexico Lobos uniform in 1963 stood for almost four years. He died in Denver at age 77.

Roger Grays: A Centennial assistant football coach, Grays was on his way to a Hawks practice on Thanksgiving morning when he lost control of his Dodge pickup on I-25. Grays, a physical education teacher at Desert Hills Elementary School, was 44.

December

Ryan McDermott: Among the finest athletes Alamogordo ever produced, McDermott was an all-state basketball player and pitcher for the Tigers in the mid-1990s. After a brief career in pro baseball, he returned to New Mexico and played basketball at NMSU. He died after suffering a stroke at age 37.

Markel Byrd: The UNM safety will be remembered by Lobo fans for his gamesaving tackle in an upset of Boise State. He’ll be remembered by his teammates as “Kel,” a young man of vibrant personality and great potential. Byrd, 20, was on his way home for Christmas when he died Tuesday in a one-car crash in Arizona.