Primo Villanueva Primo Villanueva ( born December 2 , 1931 ) is a former American football player . He led the 1954 national champion UCLA Bruins football team in total offense and later played for the B . C . Lions in the Canadian Football League . After his football career ended , Villanueva became a successful restaurateur in Vancouver , British Columbia . Biography . Early years . Villanueva is a Mexican - American who grew up in Calexico in California ' s Imperial Valley . He had eleven siblings , and his father , Primitivo , fought against Pancho Villa in 1916 and was granted immunity to enter the United States . While playing football at UCLA , he was known as the " Calexico Kid . " Football player . Villanueva played halfback for coach Red Sanders at UCLA from 1952 - 1954 . He was a member of the Bruins team that won the 1954 Rose Bowl and was named that year ' s FWAA & UPI National Champions . In a nine - game season , Villanueva led the 1954 Bruins in total offense with 886 yards — 486 yards rushing and 400 yards passing . He also had 106 yards on punt returns , 80 yards on four kickoff returns , and 21 yards on two pass interceptions . He scored nine rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns and was considered " a clutch defender . " He helped save UCLA ' s undefeated season with a pass deflection late in a 21 - 20 win over the University of Washington . After he rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another in a UCLA victory over Cal , the headline in the " Los Angeles Times " sports section read : " VILLANUEVA SPARKS BRUINS TO 27 - 6 WIN : Calexico Kid Bests Larson , Cal . " At the end of the 1954 season , Villanueva was selected to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile , Alabama , and was named a second - team College Football All - American by the United Press . In January 1955 , the Southern California Council of Mexican - American Affairs honored Villanueva at its first testimonial dinner . At the time , " Los Angeles Times " columnist Dick Hyland pointed to Villanueva as an example for the city ' s youth : " Primo Villanueva was and is an athlete , a great football player . But he was not always so . . . . Ask Primo Villanueva about some of the boys he was raised with - - and be sure and ask him what athletics did for him . " After graduating from UCLA , Villanueva played professional football for the B . C . Lions of the Canadian Football League . He played for the Lions from 1955 - 1960 . In September 1956 , Villanueva took over as the Lions quarterback and led BC to an 11 - 1 win over the Edmonton Eskimos - - breaking an eleven - game losing streak against Edmonton . Restaurateur . In 1959 , Villanueva opened a Mexican restaurant , Primo ' s Mexican Grill , in Vancouver , British Columbia . After his first restaurant became a popular and successful Vancouver establishment , Villanueva opened additional restaurants in Calgary , Edmonton , West Vancouver , North Vancouver , and Richmond . Villanueva was a successful restaurateur for more than 40 years before turning over management to his son in the 1990s . He also founded a business that made and sold salsa , chips and tortillas . In March 2009 , he was inducted into the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame . Family . As of 2006 , the " Los Angeles Times " reported that Villanueva was living in Surrey , British Columbia with his second wife , Phyllis . Villanueva ' s younger brother , Danny Villanueva , was a punter and place - kicker for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys . He was known as the " El Toe - reador " , led the NFL in punting in 1962 , and led the Rams in scoring in 1960 , 1961 and 1962 . Interviewed in 1962 , Danny Villanueva recalled playing football with Primo as a boy : " Danny says his mother used lo listen to their high school game on the radio hack home in Tucumcari and lock them out when they played poorly . " Villanueva ' s son ' s George and Primo Jr . both played football for the Vancouver Meraloma ' s . George was an outstanding BC All - star defensive back and reliable backup quarterback in clutch situations , backing up BC championship QB Danny Smith 1971 - 73 , and 1974 Western Canadian Champs QB Tommy Reimer . Villanueva ' s sons George and Primo Jr . both played football for the Vancouver Meralomas . George was an outstanding BC All - star defensive back and reliable backup quarterback in clutch situations , backing up BC championship QB Danny Smith 1971 - 73 , and 1974 Western Canadian Champs QB Tommy Reimer .