LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) – From a student at Robertson High School working on news broadcasts, to working professionally at the Super Bowl, Las Vegas, NM native Paul Gonzales hopes to be an inspiration for the next generation of small town New Mexicans.
For the last 19 years, Gonzales has worked in gameday operations for the Arizona Cardinals and State Farm Stadium. Primarily working as a camera operator for the in-stadium broadcast, Gonzales has been part of some of the biggest moments in sports this century.
In addition to all the work that he’s done for the Cardinals, Gonzales has worked three Super Bowls (Giants-Patriots, Patriots-Seahawks, Chiefs-Eagles), three college football national championships (Ohio State-Miami, Florida-Ohio State, Auburn-Oregon), the 2017 Final Four and 14 Fiesta Bowls. He has been part of plenty of memorable moments, such as the David Tyree helmet catch in Super Bowl 42 and Boise State upsetting Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, however he says that his favorite is the 2008-09 NFC championship game when the Cardinals beat the Eagles to advance its first super bowl in franchise history.
“I just want to encourage the youth of New Mexico to know that there’s opportunities out there for special moments and to have these kind of careers that they might not think are possible growing up in a small state with no professional sports,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales credits the broadcast program at Robertson High School for igniting his passion to work in live TV production. After high school, he went to college in Arizona and started doing work for the Phoenix Suns, Coyotes and the Cardinals. He stayed working in Phoenix for a few years before moving back to his hometown of Las Vegas to raise his children.
Once he made the move, Gonzales made the decision to continue working for the Cardinals. Today, he goes to extreme lengths to make it happen, frequently bouncing between New Mexico and Arizona. While the travel is intensive, Gonzales has been keeping it up for over a decade.
The journey starts with a near two-hour drive from his home to the Albuquerque to catch a flight at the Sunport. It’s about a one-hour flight from Albuquerque to Phoenix, then, another drive. Gonzales will usually get a rental car to make the 20-mile drive to the stadium in Glendale. The trip equates to around a four-hour commute, assuming no delays due to traffic, flights or weather. After an exhausting day or working, Gonzales then makes the trip back home.
“As long as I’m able to physically do it, I will for a few more years,” he said. “This past Sunday was a perfect example of why I do what I do. Oh course, yes, the Cardinal games are amazing, but I get some of these extra bonus events that people all around the world would do just about anything to get into that stadium.”
In addition to working in sports, he also serves as a big-game hunter in Northern New Mexico, leading elk hunts for people around the world, and helps out at his family-owned convenience store, Laguna Vista Quick Stop. While Gonzales says he’s thought about putting down his camera for good following this year’s Super Bowl, he says he plans on sticking to the gig, with hopes of capturing one final moment.
“I want to watch the Cardinals win another NFC championship at home. It might be a couple years, but that’s a big part of it, watching my Cardinals succeed. I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, and coming from Las Vegas, New Mexico, I think it’s important for everyone small town New Mexico to find something and chase after it.”
