Community Champions: El Pasoan Marcus Torres awarded UTEP’s #2 Luke Laufenberg jersey

EL PASO, Texas - It's been a week that El Pasoan Marcus Torres will remember for the rest of his life.

Last week, the UTEP wide receiver was awarded the #2 Luke Laufenberg jersey.

It's a number that means a lot to the program, and that takes a certain type of player to wear.

Luke Laufenberg is the son of Babe Laufenberg who was a former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2019, Luke died from a rare form of leukemia just days before he was to play his first football game with the Miners.

Since then UTEP has honored Luke's memory by awarding one player on the team to wear Luke's #2 jersey along with the Laufenberg name.

This season that jersey went to Pebble Hills grad Marcus Torres.

"From the moment I talked to Marcus, you could not have picked a better person to represent what Luke stood for," Babe Laufenberg said.

"That's really the story that I want to perceive not only for myself but for the 915," Torres said. "Now that I get this honor wearing the number two for Luke bringing him with me and his family it's another part that I can bring to the table." 

The decision on which player would wear the #2 jersey was made by UTEP's coaching staff.

"We didn't give him that Laufenberg jersey because he's a hard worker, this kid (Torres) produces," UTEP head coach Scotty Walden said. "Multiple times I'd look out my window into the Sun Bowl and there's one constant receiver working to get better honing his craft, and that was Marcus Torres." 

There was another perk Torres got to experience.

With Laufenberg's connections to the Cowboys, Torres got to speak with some of the NFL's greatest players.

"I got calls from hall of famers that I thought I'd never speak to," Torres said. "Guys like Troy Aikman, Jason Witten and Jason Garrett things I thought I would never do in my life. I'm honored to wear the #2 jersey."

Torres has worked hard to defy the odds, and his journey is just getting started.

He started his collegiate career at UTEP as a preferred walk-on, but shortly after the Laufenberg announcement, Torres received word that he was being placed on scholarship.

For all his accomplishments, Torres is this week's Community Champion.

Community Champions is sponsored by Albertsons and the El Paso Community Foundation.