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LAS CRUCES - Cody Ledbetter was a New Mexico State Aggie great at the quarterback position.
Unfortunately, that's not what he's known for today, after a Texas judge ordered 12 years in prison for the former NMSU star and ex-CFL player for violating his probation.
"I really don't know much about his personal life, but Cody was a very, very good football player," said NMSU Senior Associate Athletics Director of Operations Herb Taylor. "He did a lot of good things during the time he was here. He did an outstanding job on the football field."
That he did.
Ledbetter, who starred as quarterback at Stephenville (Texas) High School, led Division I-A in total offense in 1995 for the Aggies. After graduating from NMSU, Ledbetter played professionally with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
Falling star
Unfortunately, trouble followed Ledbetter once his Aggie career was over.
In 2005, he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 16-year-old student in Alvarado, Texas, south of Fort Worth, while he was a high school assistant football coach. He was sentenced to 10 years' deferred-adjudication probation in a deal approved by his accuser and her mother, Johnson County authorities said.
He fled to Canada last year when it appeared his probation was about to be revoked for drinking alcohol and missing probation appointments.
A domestic assault case involving another female occurred in July 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, and Ledbetter turned
The woman in Canada "had been beaten about the face and one eye was swollen shut," according to Detective Marty Whan. "She was pregnant and had an 11-month-old child." She told police that she and Ledbetter had fought and that he had left in her pickup.
The 37-year-old Ledbetter was sentenced Wednesday in Fort Worth after being extradited from Canada.
"Unfortunately he's created this situation for himself," Aggie radio announcer Jack Nixon said. "Hopefully he can learn from it and create a better future.
"I feel bad for him, but you have to take responsibility for what you do."
Record setter
During his playing days for the Aggies, Ledbetter completed 556 passes, out of 1,039 attempts, for 7,480 yards. His most prolific game as an Aggie was on Nov. 18, 1995, when he amassed 559 total offensive yards in a 58-34 victory at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Altogether, the Aggies gained 721 yards as a team that day, the best offensive game in NMSU history.
Ledbetter currently ranks near the top in most of NMSU's passing and total-offense categories, holding Aggie records in total plays (1,362), most yards gained in a single game (559), and total touchdowns (68). He is second in total yards (8,207).
"As far as his ability as a quarterback, he was very skilled," Nixon said. "In terms of running the ball, he was good at that. He was a leader. In my term, I think Buck Pearce was the No. 1 quarterback (in Aggie history), but Cody was a good second."
When Ledbetter came to NMSU in 1991 he got the ball as a freshman, used as a situational player in the offense.
"When he went into the game, he was a running quarterback and everyone knew it," Aggie head athletic trainer Mike O'Larey said. "He was a target. People took their shots at him."
Hard charging
That hard-nosed style resonated among followers of Aggie football.
"He was one hell of a quarterback and he got hit a lot," longtime Aggie football fan Tim Clifford said. "I bet he had several concussions his senior year where he had to leave the game and he came right back. That was probably one of the toughest quarterbacks we had. And he was talented and exciting. One tough kid."
Such a personality worked on the football field. It may have hurt Ledbetter off of it.
"People are aggressive in sports," said Bob Wood, a kinesiologist and head of the Department of Human Performance, Dance and Recreation at NMSU. "Sometimes it's a good outlet. Sometimes, it can be functioned in other ways."
Teddy Feinberg can be reached at (575) 541-5455
Cody Ledbetter
• Age: 37
• Aggie highlights: Ledbetter currently ranks near the top in most of NMSU's passing and total-offense categories, holding Aggie records in total plays (1,362), most yards gained in a single game (559), and total touchdowns (68). He is second in total yards (8,207).
